Though Congress designated DEVILS TOWER , in far northeastern Wyoming, as the country's first national monument in 1906, it took Steven Spielberg's inspired use of it as the alien landing spot in Close Encounters of the Third Kind to make this eerie 867ft volcanic outcrop a true national icon. Plonked on top of a thickly forested hill, itself a full six hundred feet above the peaceful Belle Fourche River, it resembles a giant wizened tree stump; but, painted ever-changing hues by the sun and moon, it can be hauntingly beautiful. Sioux legend says the tower was formed after three young girls jumped onto a boulder to escape a vicious bear. They were rescued when the great god, seeing their plight, made the rock rise higher and higher; the bear's desperate efforts to climb up scored the sides of the column.

Four short trails loop the tower, beginning from the visitor center (mid-June to mid-Sept daily 8am-7.45pm; mid-Sept to mid-June weather dependent; tel 307/467-5283) at its base, three miles from the main gate. There will invariably be a few foolhardy souls attempting to scale the tower, despite objections from local Native American communities for whom this is a sacred place. If you feel otherwise inclined, then rockclimbing opportunities abound. For guide and route information, contact Tower Guides Climbing School (tel 307/467-5589 or 1-888/345-9061). The entrance fee per car is $8, and until October you can camp for $12 a night - arrive early or you'll end up paying more than twice that at one of the nearby commercial campgrounds.

Devils Tower National Monument

• Devils Tower National Monument

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