Devils Tower
Columnar basalt landmark
Devils Tower is a striking volcanic rock formation in northeastern Wyoming, rising 867 feet above the surrounding terrain.
Designated as the first U.S.
National Monument in 1906, its distinctive columnar structure—formed by igneous rock cooling into hexagonal columns—makes it one of America's most recognizable geological landmarks.
The site holds sacred significance for several Native American tribes, who know it by various names.
It gained pop culture fame as the alien landing site in the 1977 film *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*.
Western Sioux people
- CheyennePlains tribe or state capital
- ArapahoNative Plains nation
- KiowaGreat Plains indigenous people
- vision questRite seeking supernatural guidance
ceremony · prayer · offering · ancestral · tribal · pilgrimage · reverence · mythology
- UFOUnidentified aerial craft
- mashed potatoesPulverized cooked tubers
- 1977Four-digit date
- science fictionSpeculative fiction with technological themes
Richard Dreyfuss · mothership · filming location · pop culture
Prismatic volcanic rock formations
- columnar jointingGeometric fracturing in igneous rock
- magmaMolten rock underground
- erosionGradual wearing away
- sedimentaryFormed from deposited material
butte · formation · outcrop · bedrock · strata · Black Hills · prairie dogs · geological wonder
Legally protected landmark
- 1906Early twentieth century year
- Theodore RooseveltTwenty-sixth American president
- visitor centerInformation point for guests
- tourismLeisure travel sector
road trip · American West · photography · iconic · prairie · guidebook · expedition · panorama
Lakota
Western Sioux people
vision quest · ceremony · prayer · offering · ancestral · tribal · pilgrimage · reverence · mythology · origin story
Spielberg
- UFOUnidentified aerial craft
- mashed potatoesPulverized cooked tubers
- 1977Four-digit date
Richard Dreyfuss · science fiction · mothership · filming location · pop culture
basalt columns
Prismatic volcanic rock formations
- columnar jointingGeometric fracturing in igneous rock
- magmaMolten rock underground
- erosionGradual wearing away
sedimentary · butte · formation · outcrop · bedrock · strata · Black Hills · prairie dogs · geological wonder · phenomenon
national monument
Legally protected landmark
- 1906Early twentieth century year
- Theodore RooseveltTwenty-sixth American president
- visitor centerInformation point for guests
tourism · road trip · American West · photography · iconic · prairie · guidebook · expedition · panorama · scenic
pitch
Frequency of sound
- multipitchRoute requiring intermediate anchors
- belayAnchor a rope
- ropeThick twisted fibers
harness · carabiner · anchor · lead climbing · free-solo · chalk · quickdraw · ascender · overhang · summit
- outdoor recreationhiking, camping, fishing, swimming, skiing
- American LandformsGrand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Rockies, Appalachian Mountains, Appalachians
- American LandmarksStatue of Liberty, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Mount Rushmore, Golden Gate Bridge
- natural wondersnorthern lights, aurora borealis, auroras, rainbows, Great Barrier Reef
- Rocky Mountain WestWyoming, Montana, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, cowboys
- Western LandmarksGrand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mount Rushmore, Golden Gate Bridge
Devils TowerGrand Canyon
Massive Arizona gorge
Carlsbad Caverns · Mammoth Cave · sinkhole · crater · cavern
devil, tower, towering, towers, devilish, devilry, towered, deviled, diabolic