View of Devil's Tower from Hwy 24, approahing from the south.

Devil's Tower thrusts up 867 ft (264 meters) from its base into the solid blue Wyoming sky. It stands 1267 ft. (386 meters) above the Belle Forurche River that winds along the plains below, and is 5112 ft. (1558 meters) above sea level.

One of the finest views of the Tower is just inside park boundary near the Administration Building and campround road. Oxidation of iron rich minerals in the sandstone causes the redness of the rocks in the cliffs at the base.

Winding around and up the access road leads to interesting views of Devil's Tower. There are several theories on how the Tower was formed. Two leading scientific theories hold that the Tower was created from magma that instruded through sedimentary rock beds, or that the Tower is the neck of an extinct volcano.

Close-up of Devil's Tower from trail that lead around base. Several Indian nations of the Great Plains share similar legends on the origin of this prominent butte. The Kiowa people hold that the Tower was a great tree onto which eight children climbed to escape a bear. The flutes on the tower were created by the bear's clawing and scoring of the tree trunk while unsuccessfully trying to get the children on top. Seven of the children were sisters who eventually were borne into the sky and became the stars of the Big Dipper.

View from Devil's Tower base looking south-east approximately.