Devils Tower National Monument
Wyoming · National Monument · Rocky Mountains Region
America's first national monument. An 867 foot igneous rock tower rising straight up from the Wyoming prairie. There is nothing else like it on Earth, and the scale is hard to grasp until you stand at the base.
- Best season
- Spring Fall
- Permit required
- Yes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Max group size
- 25 people
- Permit info verified
- April 2026
Permit Information
NPS Special Use Permit required for any wedding, vow renewal, or organized gathering. Submit NPS Form 10 930 with the $100 non refundable application fee and plan on additional monitoring cost recovery (approximately $25 to $60 per hour) if staff must be present. The park asks for applications at least 60 days in advance and discourages weddings during the Memorial Day week climbing rush, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in early August, and the weekend of the fall climbing tournament, as those dat…
Planning Your Day at Devils Tower National Monument
One-Spot Day
Devils Tower is a one spot day by design. The monument is roughly 1,300 acres, and the two best ceremony locations (the Tower Trail loop at the base and the Joyner Ridge Trail a mile up the road) sit within a five minute drive of each other. Most couples pick the trail that matches their light window and commit to one, then walk the other for portraits if they still have time.
Ceremony + Portraits Split
Splits here are easy because the two ceremony spots are close. Many couples hold the ceremony in a Tower Trail clearing, where the rock face looms 867 feet directly overhead, and walk the Joyner Ridge prairie loop afterward for portraits that pull the tower back into scale against sky and grass. Doing both in one day is normal at Devils Tower.
A Note on Light
Morning light hits the east face first and pulls depth out of the columnar basalt. Late afternoon light moves around to the west face and turns the whole rock gold. Joyner Ridge is the sunset spot because the tower sits in the middle distance against open sky. Midday flattens the columns and bleaches the prairie, so plan the ceremony for first light or the last hour before sunset.
Ceremony Spots at Devils Tower National Monument
- Tower Trail — Walking the base of Devils Tower with the columnar rock face towering 867 feet directly above you
- Joyner Ridge Trail — Elevated prairie viewpoint with Devils Tower rising dramatically against the wide Wyoming sky
View full elopement guide for Devils Tower National Monument