Devils Tower Rising Above Golden Wyoming Grasslands
Finding Solitude on the Quiet Side of Wyoming’s Greatest Landmark
After years of driving across the American West and catching distant glimpses of Devils Tower off Interstate 90, I finally made the turn to spend a few dedicated days exploring it. I pulled up and set up camp at the local KOA near the entrance. It turned out to be an absolute blast—every summer evening, they set up an outdoor screen on the patio and project Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with the real, towering silhouette of Devils Tower rising up into the twilight directly behind the screen. Standing there watching Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic with the actual ancient rock formation framed in the background is an experience you do not forget anytime soon.
While the main side of the park near the visitor center and primary campgrounds stays packed with crowds, taking a short ten-minute drive around to the lesser-visited vantage points completely changes the experience. I found myself in an open, golden meadow surrounded by ponderosa pines, facing the dramatic vertical columns of the monolith with complete solitude. I had the entire landscape to myself for the whole afternoon—a rare luxury when photographing one of the most famous landmarks in the country.
Geology and Light Across the Igneous Columns
Devils Tower is an astounding geological feature known technically as a laccolithic intrusion, formed roughly 50 million years ago when molten magma pushed up into surrounding sedimentary rock layers and cooled into tall, hexagonal columns. Rising 867 feet from its base to its summit, it became the very first U.S. National Monument in 1906 under President Theodore Roosevelt. Indigenous tribes, including the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Kiowa, hold deep sacred ties to the site, often referring to it as Bear's Lodge (Mato Tipila), with legends recounting that the deep vertical grooves were carved by the claws of a giant bear trying to reach boys trapped on top.
On the day of this shot, typical Wyoming summer weather was in full swing. Fast-moving, fluffy cumulus clouds swept across the deep blue sky, throwing shifting patterns of bright sunlight and cool shadows across the surrounding grass and the sheer rock face. Capturing these brief moments where the light hits the side columns while the foreground remains warmly lit adds dramatic depth to the frame. Crossing this iconic shot off my bucket list was fantastic, but having that quiet meadow all to myself made the memory truly special.
Explore More of My Adventures
Explore the story behind photographing Devils Tower in Wyoming away from the crowds, including fascinating geological facts, movie lore, and compositional insights.