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Elevation: 4,794 ft
GPS: 44.59048, -104.71507
Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views: 1,049,606 total · 3,969/month
Shared By: Peter Gram on Jun 29, 2002 · Updates
Admins: Peter Gram, Mike Snyder, Taylor Spiegelberg, Jake Dickerson
Warning Access Issue: June Voluntary Climbing Closure and Seasonal Raptor Closure DetailsDrop down

Description Suggest change

The native name for Devils Tower is Bears Lodge. This is a special place for many people besides climbers, and it is important to respect the closure for the entire month of June!

Devils Tower crams a high concentration of great cracks into the smallest area possible. People come from around the world to climb on this unique wonder. Climbing is sustained, and cracks are beautiful and uniformly shaped. Essentially, there is a crack every 5 or 10 feet, and they mostly run perfectly up and down, which reduces rope drag. The majority of the tower is less than vertical, and faces are blank. There are few face climbs, but who needs them with all these splitter cracks?

The easiest route to the summit is Durrance, which is stout 5.6. In general, climbs that are 5.8 and under tend to be offwidths, 5.9 are hand cracks, and 5.10 are finger cracks. There are too many classics to list. However, check out Assembly Line, Walt Bailey, and Soler for 5.9. For 5.10, go to One-Way Sunset, Hollywood & Vine, and Tulgey Wood.

See "Descent" section below for detailed information regarding rap options.

Getting There Suggest change

Drive to Sundance, Wyoming, and then take highway 24 north from I-90. Just follow the signs, and drive towards the big chunk of stone. Turn into the monument and pay the entrance fee. Then continue to the visitor's center. From here, make sure to register for the climb (this is free - used for record keeping and rescues, etc.). Then, approaches differ by route from here.

Descent

Suggest change
Per user Where's Walden:

Descent from the summit of the tower is possible with a single 70 meter rope (or two 60's). No matter what route you take, ALWAYS knot your ends and beware of rope eating cracks which are prevalent on the tower. To descend, find a bolted rap anchor on the south side of the tower (climbers right of Durrance) that is accessed by scrambling 15" down from a large cairn. A 35M rappel will bring you a flat stage in the meadows. From there, you have two main options:

Bowling Alley Rappels: These rappels take you to the large bowl directly below the Durrance, a short hike from the paved trail. To locate the rap line, hike about 20 meters right (west) and slightly down from the flat stage to find a bolted anchor on a large block. From here, three ~34M rappels will bring you to the ground. The final rappel requires about 10 feet of unroped 5.5 down climbing from a poor stance, so plan accordingly.

Exit Us Rappels: These rappels deposit you on the ledges at the base of TAD and Soler from which you can walk the narrow ledges around west and down to the ground (sketchy when wet). To locate the anchor, from the flat stage hike far down and left (east) to the bottom corner of the meadows. Two 1/2 inch rappel bolts await you. From here, do 3 rappels to the large treed ledge at the base of Soler. Try not to throw your ropes onto parties climbing below.

Resources

Suggest change
National Park Service / Devil's Tower site - Check for all the typical NPS stuff - camping, access, etc.

Devil's Tower Climbing - Great site full of useful information, and home to the Devil's Tower Lodge and Guiding service. A fantastic place to stay just minutes from the climbing. Check out their fly-by footage of the tower!

157 Total Climbs

Route Finder - Best Climbs for YOU!

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Classic Climbing Routes at Devils Tower

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.
5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b
 838
Durrance
Trad 6 pitches
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 123
Bon Homme Variation
Trad 3 pitches
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c
 272
El Cracko Diablo
Trad 2 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 384
Soler
Trad 2 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 270
Assembly Line
Trad 2 pitches
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
 286
Walt Bailey Memorial
Trad
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 129
Tulgey Wood
Trad 3 pitches
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
 227
New Wave
Trad 2 pitches
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 136
McCarthy West Face (Variant)
Trad 2 pitches
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b
 97
Belle Fourche Buttress
Trad 2 pitches
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 74
Hollywood & Vine
Trad 2 pitches
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b
 166
One Way Sunset
Trad 4 pitches
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b
 300
El Matador
Trad 5 pitches
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 67
Carol's Crack
Trad 3 pitches
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c
 96
Mr. Clean
Trad 3 pitches
Route Name Location Star Rating Difficulty Date
Durrance Durrance Approach
 838
5.7+ 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b Trad 6 pitches
Bon Homme Variation S & E Faces
 123
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad 3 pitches
El Cracko Diablo S & E Faces
 272
5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c Trad 2 pitches
Soler S & E Faces
 384
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad 2 pitches
Assembly Line E & Northeast Buttres…
 270
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad 2 pitches
Walt Bailey Memorial S & E Faces
 286
5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a Trad
Tulgey Wood W Face
 129
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Trad 3 pitches
New Wave E & Northeast Buttres…
 227
5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a Trad 2 pitches
McCarthy West Face (Variant) W Face
 136
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Trad 2 pitches
Belle Fourche Buttress E & Northeast Buttres…
 97
5.10b 6a+ 19 VII- 19 E2 5b Trad 2 pitches
Hollywood & Vine S & E Faces
 74
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Trad 2 pitches
One Way Sunset W Face
 166
5.10c 6b 20 VII 20 E2 5b Trad 4 pitches
El Matador W Face
 300
5.10d 6b+ 21 VII+ 21 E3 5b Trad 5 pitches
Carol's Crack W Face
 67
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Trad 3 pitches
Mr. Clean W Face
 96
5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c Trad 3 pitches
More Classic Climbs in Devils Tower »

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