Devils Tower / Black Hills KOA Journey

We stayed at Devils Tower / Black Hills KOA Journey in Devils Tower, Wyoming. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A partial view of Devils Tower, from just outside the monument.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-08-16
  • Check out: 2023-08-19
  • 3 nights

Weather:

  • Sunny
  • High temps ranging between 87-95°F, lows around 56-73°F
  • Wind gusts up to 33 MPH gusts

Noise:

  • Negligible road noise
  • No train noise
  • Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

  • #38, pull-through, gravel
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind coach
  • Level front-to-back, a little unlevel side-to-side
  • Gravel driveway about 75 feet long by about 10 feet wide
  • Grass between sites about 20 feet wide
  • No tree on this site, big trees elsewhere
  • Picnic table on grass
  • Next to the group fire pit
  • Partial front view of Devils Tower

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, very conveniently located
  • 80 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 16 Mbps down,16 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • Verizon: 13-25 Mbps down, 20 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
  • AT&T: 82 Mbps down, 2-6 Mbps up, 120 ms ping
  • Campground Wi-Fi: not used
  • Starlink: not used

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • Closed swimming pool
  • Mini-golf (free due to closed pool)
  • Package delivery to office
  • Onsite cafe
  • Right outside Devils Tower entrance

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Not all “premium” sites have a good view

The only way to get closer to Devils Tower National Monument would be to stay inside the monument at the rustic first-come-first-serve campground. We booked a premium site online, assuming it would have a view of the tower from our site. Not so much. There were big trees in the way, so we only got a slight peep of the lower edge of the tower. For $100/night (with our KOA discount), I was expecting a front-row seat. From our scouting, the best sites for a good view are 100, 86-89. We were in site 38. Site 37 probably had a better view. The other downside of site 38 was that so many people walked through our site, thinking it was the pathway to the bathhouse. Hint: It’s not. The picnic table and the lack of a pathway are clues, people. The onsite diner was a nice perk, but I’m wary of any place with that many flies in the eating area. We camped at Devils Tower / Black Hills KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: You could get up early to get to the tower to beat the crowds, but going in the late afternoon/evening is just as good. Definitely go up the dirt road to Joiner Ridge trailhead and get a fantastic view of the tower at sunset lit up with alpenglow.

The campground map:

Map

Interactive map:

Our site, with a partial view of the tower:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

A group fire pit was next to our site, which they lit each night, though nobody used it:

Group fire pit next to our site

Sun setting behind Devils Tower:

Sun setting behind Devils Tower

Sun setting behind Devils Tower

Gift store:

Gift store

Gift store

Onsite cafe, always a nice option, though it was rather inundated with flies:

Cafe

Menu

Cafe

Cafe

Cafe

Cafe

Cafe

They offered “hayrides”, hay not included:

Hayride

Across the road is the Devils Tower Trading Post:

Trading Post

Trading Post

Trading Post

We went there for dinner another night, and grabbed some questionable hot dogs (that we think gave us some mild food poisoning):

Trading Post

Post office:

Post office

Mini golf:

Mini golf

Mini golf

Mini golf

The mini golf was free, as the boot-shaped swimming pool was unavailable:

Swimming pool

Swimming pool

Carts:

Carts

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Site 100 would be an excellent choice for a side view of the tower:

Other sites

Other sites

Sites 86-89 would have a decent front view, too:

Other sites

Dog park:

Other sites

Playground:

Playground

Bathrooms:

Bathrooms

Cabins:

Cabins

Cabins

Lots of tent sites:

Lots of tent sites

Lots of tent sites

Teepees:

Teepees

Teepees

A badly angled peek inside a teepee:

Teepee

Interesting rocks and stream:

Interesting rocks and stream

Meadow and tower:

Meadow and tower