Devils Tower National Monument (August 26)

We woke early and on our way to Mt Rushmore we decided to do the 40 min detour to see Devils Tower first. The Tower is an astounding geologic feature formed by an eroded remnant of a mushroom shaped mass of igneous rock that protrudes out of the prairie surrounding the Black Hills. It is considered sacred by Northern Plains Indians and indigenous people. Hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America.