‘Devil’s Tower, a monolith of old / A wonder born of fire and earth’s cold / Known to the Lakota as Mato Tipi / Bear Lodge, a sacred place, where spirits roam and speak.’-
My experience at Devil’s Tower was a mixed bag. Started off amazing and then trip went off the rails. As I mentioned on my post about South Dakota, I did this route on the way to Glacier National Park so I could visit Devil’s Tower. I have always wanted to come not because I love Close Encounters of the Third Kind (I’ve seen maybe once and haven’t thought about since) but because I was obsessed with the Oregon Trail game. Devil’s Tower is a key spot on the trail, both in the game and real life.
There are a couple of options of campgrounds but I picked Kampgrounds of America (KOA). I have actually never stayed at one and I was so impressed. The own greeted me and my spot was at the base of Devil’s Tower. Great view of the sunset. While I didn’t plan on using, a bird shit on me so glad to have showers to rinse off my hair! They also had a dog park where Gus was able to run around. We went quite a few times and he always had a blast. There is also a KOA general store which had loads of things, both food and souvenirs.
In the morning, I went to the actual historic site. There are lots of trails that you can take around the base but due to Gus, I just hung around the parking lot. One the way out, you go through a meadow of prairie dogs. They were so cute and quite load (reminds me of going to Caprock Canyon).
On the way out, I stopped by the general store to get a couple of snacks and some ice. Then I got an email…there were massive storms at Glacier National Park and most of it was underwater. Including the campground I was staying, East Glacier (my favorite part of the park), and Going the Sun Road, the only reason why I was going as I hadn’t been. Fortunately, KOA had wifi and I technically was early in my check out so I went back into the campground, used the wifi and had to replan my entire trip, essentially cutting 5 days off the trip. It was beyond frustrating but I was able to get most of my money back but, many of the spots I picked for the California leg were on the beach and booked in March. it was now July and they had no availability. I figured it out but, sadly, not the only change of plans.