Devil’s Tower Under a Starry Sky, Wyoming

Devil's Tower rises 867 feet above the surrounding grasslands of northeastern Wyoming, formed from an igneous intrusion that eroded into its columnar shape over millions of years. President Theodore Roosevelt designated it the first national monument in the United States in 1906. The Lakota, Cheyenne, and Kiowa hold the formation sacred and know it by names such as Bear Lodge, tied to origin stories about its fluted sides. Ponderosa pine forests and mixed-grass prairie surround the tower's base, habitat that supports deer, prairie dogs, and a range of raptors. Climbers have summited the rock since 1893, and it remains a popular technical climbing destination today.

Photo taken in September 2020.