The second trip to the tower did not disappoint me. I came a different way and still could see the tower over 5 miles away from the park and I stopped to take a photo at a pullout. The weather when I was coming was rainy and that was not good for photo taking. I did however get one or two on the way in. The campground had views but most were obstructed by trees and since it was raining I was not going to go hiking to get a better view. The first ascent to the top of Devils Tower was in 1893 and the two gentlemen, William Rogers and Willard Ripley, climbed the first 350 feet of the 867 using a wooden ladder. Funny thing was that there was already a flag flying at the top of the tower so maybe they climbed it the day before as a test run. Two years later in 1895, Mrs. Rogers used her husbands ladder and became the first woman to climb to the top. The tower was a meeting place on the Fourth of July for all the farmers in the area to meet and have fun. Part of the fun was climbing the tower. The park service has been keeping records of climbers since 1937, be sure to register if you are going to climb. On average five thousand climbers climb the tower each year and have done it with 220 different routes to the top. That is tons of people and routes. Guess you will not have to wait on the way up or down.
Belle Fourche Campground – The campground has two different loops and rest room areas. Interestingly is that the campground also has two campground hosts while some parks don’t have any hosts. The sites are first come first served and it did not fill up the day that I was at the campground. It is somewhat of a transient campground with people staying one night only but some may stay longer. The campground does not offer electric or sewage hookups but is very nice. The parking areas are very large and the spots are a bit from each other allowing for some privacy. The campground offers 4 handicapped spots out of the approximately 30 spots in the campground. There is a day/picnic area just before the campground with bathroom facilities for those just coming for the day. I have to say if I come back to the area again I will stay for another night.
