Climate and Weather: Devils Tower
Northeast Wyoming has it all—beautiful mountains, tree-covered hills, wide-open prairies, and rolling plains. The nearly vertical monolith known as Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet above the meandering Belle Fourche River. It is the remnant of an ancient volcanic feature. Known by several northern plains tribes as Bears Lodge, it is a sacred site of worship for many American Indians. The rolling hills of this 1,347 acre national monument are covered with pine forests with valley support deciduous woodlands and prairie grasslands. Deer, prairie dogs, and other wildlife are abundant.
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Here cold, often windy, winters predominate, and snow is not unusual. During winter this portion of Wyoming experiences rapid and frequent changes between mild and cold spells. One afternoon in the mid-50 degrees can plummet to below zero by nightfall. This area of state generally has greater precipitation than much of the area to the south, and cool, rainy springs (often into June) are common.
When summer arrives, it's such a different world that it's difficult to remember that winter is always just a few months away. Summers are warm, sometimes hot, and often accompanied by thunderstorms as air warms and rises across the grasslands to the west. Fall is perhaps the most stable weather period, when days are dry and mild, nights cool, and the sun greets most days.
Devils Tower National Monument is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The visitor center is open April 5 through November 26, 2005, then closes for the season.
Remember that JHMG refrains from climbing during the month of June out of respect for Native Americans.