National Park Service begins project to improve accessibility at Devils Tower National Monument

Devils Tower National Monument is one of several national park units chosen by the National Park Service (NPS) to undergo comprehensive accessibility improvements through the landmark Targeted Accessibility Improvement Program. The program originated under the “NPS All In!” five-year accessibility initiative to ensure that all visitors are afforded access to our nation’s significant sites and the stories within.

The Devils Tower project will dramatically improve physical access to the visitor center and trail to the base of the Tower, bringing them into compliance with federal accessibility laws and regulations. The park’s main parking lots and walkways also will be upgraded, and additional accessible restrooms will be added.

Facilities and trails near the park’s visitor center haven’t seen a significant update since the mid-1950s, at a time when annual visitation reached 130,000 compared to the nearly 500,000 in 2019.

This project will be conducted in three phases with the first phase beginning in late February 2020. Each phase will focus on a specific portion of the project area near the visitor center. All phases are scheduled to be completed by November 2020.

• Phase One: Visitor center area walkways, parking area and accessible restroom

• Phase Two: Lower portion of Tower access trail, trailhead plaza, new vault restroom

• Phase Three: Upper portion of Tower access trail, interpretive plazas and accessible overlook

Also included in the project is a complete redesign of visitor center exhibits and signs along the Tower Trail. The accessible designs were completed with the help of exhibit and accessibility staff from the NPS Harpers Ferry Center in West Virginia and the National Center for Accessibility at Indiana University. Installation of these exhibits will occur in October and November of 2020.

Devils Tower will remain open during construction, but visitors could experience delays entering the park and increased parking congestion near the visitor center area, especially during the summer months. The construction will halt during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally from August 7-16 due to significant increases in visitation during that time.

The park will be working to limit impacts to visitors during all phases of construction. Additional visitor planning information will be posted on the park website and social media channels as the project progresses.