GYG Devils Tower & Spearfish Canyon Adventure

Your tour starts with a private pickup and friendly guide directly from your accommodations. Once on board, your adventure begins! 

We circle around the Northern Tip of the Black Hills as we drive out to Devil's Tower, known as Mato Tipila (Bears Lodge). A route that has been taken for thousands of years. Along the way, you'll notice the landscape change dramatically from high mountains to rolling plains as we enter the fertile valley of Spearfish. 

While talking about the Black Hills and Badlands, we come across the town of Belle Fourche (Beautiful Fork in French), the United States geographical center. If you like, we'll stop to get photos at the Tri-State Museum and Visitors Center and take a quick break. We are about an hour into the drive from Rapid City to Devils Tower.  

As we continue, we pass ancient Buffalo Jumps, which the Indigenous People used to hunt and provide for their tribe. The rolling hills begin to flatten out as we near Devil's Tower. We take our exit and meander next to Millers and Lytle Creek. Both have carved canyons through the land over millions of years. The water has cut through vibrant red sandstone and yellow limestone, exposing beautiful features worthy of photos. Before you know it, Bear's Lodge is suddenly within our view. You'll be amazed by its size, shape, and beauty. You might think Bear's Lodge resembles a giant petrified tree, as many others do. 

Once we park the vehicle, we'll take the 1.3-mile trail around the base to see this sacred site from all sides. Sacred Prayer Cloths of different colors adorn the trees. These aren't to be photographed, but we can look at them freely. Many guests ask about the Devil's Tower aliens from the famous movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." We haven't seen any UFOs yet, but maybe today is your day!

We'll learn about the monument's cultural significance along our Devil's Tower tour. You'll be amazed at the features and the views of the valley below. We'll see the Devil's Tower ladder, still hanging from when the first settlers climbed to the top to perform a rescue operation. Now, we'll head from Devil's Tower to Spearfish for lunch, included on your tour. After lunch, we go to the Spearfish Canyon entrance and the Scenic Byway. This is one of our favorite places in the Northern Black Hills. 

We follow Spearfish Creek the entire way through the canyon. We might see deer, Bighorn Sheep, or Mountain Goats along the way. We gain altitude over 20 miles through 1000-foot limestone cliffs older than the Grand Canyon. As if this isn't enough, there are three spectacular waterfalls along the way. Spearfish Canyon Bridal Veil Falls, Roughlock Falls, and Spearfish Falls. Each Spearfish Canyon waterfall can be visited from the road or by pathways. We'll lead you there!

While we head home, any questions you have will be answered while you kick back and relax for the journey back to your accommodations. Your Northern Black Hills Tour ends, but the journey continues. We hope you take another tour with us during your vacation to the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota.