Devils Tower National Monument slashes hours without explanation

FROM WYOFILE:

The iconic destination cut its hours from around the clock to daytime only. Monument staff didn’t say if DOGE actions are behind the change.

Devils Tower National Monument will slash hours of operation from 24/7 to daytime only, the park announced Tuesday.

Starting Thursday, the popular destination in northeast Wyoming will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., instead of around-the-clock. The park did not cite explanations behind the change, but social media users were quick to point to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s recent mass firings of federal workers, which has resulted in untold job losses in Wyoming.

“We apologize for any inconvenience,” the park’s Facebook post said. Monument Superintendent Doug Crossen forwarded staff-cut-related questions from WyoFile to the National Park Service’s press team in Washington, D.C., which has been handling media inquiries since Trump took office. The office didn’t respond by publication time.

The Belle Fourche Campground at Devils Tower is currently closed for the winter. It is scheduled to open May 16 and there are currently no anticipated changes to its operating schedule, Crossen told WyoFile.

The reduction appears to be an example of the harmful impacts DOGE critics warned will follow the mass firing of workers at federal land-management agencies like the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. In Wyoming, where nearly 50% of the land is public, they say, layoffs threaten everything from outdoor recreation opportunities to wildlife programs and the fabric of local communities.

“Wyoming’s outdoor industry is built on strong partnerships with federal agencies that provide essential infrastructure, permitting, and land management,” the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Business Alliance said in a February press release. “A diminished federal workforce compromises public safety and access, restricts amenities, and harms Wyoming’s iconic landscapes.”

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Wyoming icon

Devils Tower, which is known as Bear Lodge in Indigenous communities, rises 867 feet from the grassland and ponderosa forests and has a large summit of about 1.5 acres. It’s the world’s largest example of columnar jointing — a geologic phenomenon that creates hexagonal columns. The size and incongruity of the igneous tower make it a landmark that has long struck wonder in humans, and it’s so popular an emblem for Wyoming that it’s been featured on the state license plate.

The park sits about 10 miles south of the small town of Hulett, and is accessible by a single road, Highway 24. It attracts climbers, as well as hikers, campers and sight-seers.

Numbers wise, it’s not nearly as popular as Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park, but visitations have been on the rise. The park recorded 540,890 visitations in 2024, a 27% increase over 2020.

Public lands advocates have warned that visitors to Wyoming’s forests and parks could see negative impacts from the federal cuts. The Trump administration is planning to terminate National Park Service leases and shutter 34 offices across the country that function as visitor centers, law enforcement offices, museums and hubs for critical park services, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.

This story was posted on March 12, 2025.