Bear's Lodge

Bear's Lodge (also known as Devil's Tower) is a famous location in Wyoming on the edge of the Black Hills.  A giant rock formation that has been seen in movies and post cards for generations.  It is a small National Monument and is very popular as a destination.

It is a place I have wanted to visit and photograph for a long time. I worked it into my Dakota trip this last fall.  I was hoping to camp and visit for a night or two.

Now did I mention this is a small place?  The tower itself is big but the monument is measured in hundreds of acres and not tens of thousands like a national park.  In many ways it is like a small state park.  In the summer it is very crowded.  However most visitors do a drive through visit and leave.  I arrived in October and was able to get a campsite there in the small campground under the cottonwood trees.  I would find it very quiet at night.

I had hoped I might find a couple of daytime images of the tower and then maybe a couple of nightscape images with the Milky Way. I found that over two nights I found many nice images. Really impressive for such a small location.

The obvious thing to do was walk around the base of the tower.  This is what 99% of all visitors do.  The parking lot is small.  In summer it will always be jam packed.  In October in the later afternoon, I find several open spots.  I do the walk and find a spot I believe will work for the Milky Way.  I come back after supper as the sun is setting and seek that spot out.  The tourists leave.  I am sitting alone on a rock, staring at the tower and the sky as the light fades and the stars begin to shine.

The Milky Way was perfectly aligned along the tower!

I stayed in the dark for an hour getting several nice images.  It is a magical night at the tower.  As I drive back to camp I find spots I can make several other stops.  At one I can see a light on the top.  Climbers!  I watch as they rappel down the tower in the dark.

At sunrise I find a spot along the Belle Fourche River as it winds around the camp.  I catch early light on the tower.  I do some hikes on some of the outer trails and get a couple of more images I like.  I also spot that the KOA by the entrance has teepee tents.  I think I can work them into an image and make a note to go back the next morning.

For sunset it clouds up but no light.  I am at a different spot that I think will work pre-dawn for Orion over the tower.

I go back pre-dawn to clear skies and get Orion.  Nice!

Then I make my way back over to the teepees for sunrise and get them with first light on the tower.

the tower was everything I always imagined it would be, magnificent, mysterious and magical.  When I think how small this monument is I am greatly impressed with how many different good images I was able to get.  It definitely punches above its size.

A return trip is something I already want to do.