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Devils Tower

Devils Tower in NE Wyoming will be a familiar sight to those who have seen the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".  It's no surprise that the freakish tower was used as a eerie movie prop.  It's quite a phenomenal geological feature that draws many tourists eager to explore the tower and surrounds and quite a few climbers looking to scale its sheer walls.  In earlier times it had a similar attraction to native Americans and early white settlers.


Going back even further, the geological history of the tower can be explored here if you're interested.  Although volcanic activity played an undisputed role there are a few different formation theories as to how the tower came to be.




We did what most tourists do, take the short circular walk around the towers base.  The tower is not entirely uniform and it's interesting exploring the different sides and features around the base and walls.  We also spotted some climbers high on one of the faces.


One of the towers particularly interesting features are the massive hexagonal and pentagonal columns formed when cooling magma cracked at stress points.  They apparently make for some amazing climbing which helps explain why (together with its incredible isolation) the tower attracts so many climbers from around the world.


Other good views over the adjacent hills and valleys can be enjoyed from the walk around the tower.  We also spent some time in the visitors centre where much of the historical and geological background of the tower was documented in some interesting exhibits.


After our tower walk we paid a visit to the local Prairie Dog colony before heading to our hotel.


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