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:
Interactive map:
Our site, with a partial view of the tower:
A group fire pit was next to our site, which they lit each night, though nobody used it:
Sun setting behind Devils Tower:
Gift store:
Onsite cafe, always a nice option, though it was rather inundated with flies:
They offered “hayrides”, hay not included:
Across the road is the Devils Tower Trading Post:
We went there for dinner another night, and grabbed some questionable hot dogs (that we think gave us some mild food poisoning):
Post office:
Mini golf:
The mini golf was free, as the boot-shaped swimming pool was unavailable:
Carts:
Other sites:
Site 100 would be an excellent choice for a side view of the tower:
This was our second stay here, and we enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Once again, our site was in the newer creekside portion, and it’s still very nice. There is minor road noise, but pretty faint. The sites are level, and hookups are all good. We’ll definitely stay here again on our next trip through the area and try one of the back-in sites along the creek itself. We camped at Buffalo KOA Journey in a Motorhome.
Tip for Other Campers: Crazy Woman Canyon is a fantastic drive. Tie Hack picnic area was a great spot to enjoy a bite to eat afterward.
The campground map:
Interactive map:
Our site:
Utilities:
Decoration:
Bridge:
Dog run:
Creek:
Video of the creek:
Group fire pit:
A path from the creek area, and other sites:
Four different Tiffin motorhome models; our Allegro Bus, a Phaeton, an Allegro Open Road, and an Allegro Red:
A nice KOA; our second stay here, and we’ll definitely stay here again in the future. If we were to stay here more than a few nights, one of the back-in sites in the Clear Creek loop would be delightful.
We drove our coach 179 miles, about 3 hours of scenic driving, from Cody, Wyoming to Buffalo, Wyoming.
Here’s the map route, heading east:
An interactive map, with potential stops:
But before we could leave, I had to ask the driver of this truck to move, as they where blocking the exit (sure, just park across the road and no-parking markings; your convenience is more important than anyone else):
Underway, with a flat and curvy highway:
Pump jack:
We stopped for lunch in the Washakie County Visitor’s Council parking lot, since it has some RV spots just barely big enough for us (and was pretty much empty, being closed). They have a mammoth sculpture out front:
Fun hills:
The cute town of Ten Sleep:
Heading through the Bighorn mountains:
Paladin chilling on the floor between us:
Snow fences:
Roadworks:
Rain:
One of several 8% downgrades:
Mandatory brake check turnout for trucks, RVs, and vehicles with trailers; Jenn hardly touched the brakes, though; she’s great at using gears and engine braking on downhills:
More curves and slopes:
The runaway truck ramp was closed for repairs or updates:
The campground was convenient for exploring Cody and the area. Our site was right next to the office and pancake area, which was nice. The angle to get our big rig out when we left was a little hairy, however. The trailers and smaller rigs in the site next to us usually backed out of their site to avoid the hard left turn around the dump station and propane fill area. Some of the turns in the park were also a bit difficult in a big rig, especially when folks at the ends parked their big trucks into the road. The site itself was level, and all the hookups worked. We camped at Cody KOA Holiday in a Motorhome.
Tip for Other Campers: Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a must-do. Head over to the Bighorn Canyon and Chief Joseph Scenic Highway for some amazing scenery. The Buffalo Bill Dam is also pretty cool.
The campground map:
Our site:
We went out for a scenic drive one day (see forthcoming post), but as we arrived back in town it started to rain heavily, with lightning in the area. When we arrived back at our site, we waited in our truck for several minutes while it rained and hailed heavily, before making a run for it when it eased up briefly:
The campground experienced some ground flooding:
Video of heavy rain, campground flooding, and lightning:
A screenshot of several nearby lightning strikes via the handy LightningMaps.org website:
Flooding:
All that water washed away the landscaping gravel:
Hail residue:
The campground entrance:
Gazebo by the entrance:
Office:
Pools:
Playground:
Jump pad:
Family room:
A nice feature of this KOA is free pancakes for breakfast every day, with sausages and other food available for purchase:
Speaking of food, some samples of other places we patronized in Cody; first up, More Burgers and Shakes:
A close-up of that bear decoration:
There are bears on the back of the bear:
Not overly impressive:
We had a lot of BBQ in Texas, so it was interesting to try Wyoming’s edition at Bubba’s Bar-B-Que; a bit different, but not bad:
Finally, some pizza at Tossers Pizza and Beer; decent pan-style pizza, but not the best:
We were planning to attend the famous Cody Nite Rodeo, but after reading the reviews on Yelp and elsewhere, we decided it wasn’t for us — overly religious, political jokes, sexist jokes, etc. It would have been painful. And apparently not good rodeo anyway.
But they kept trying to drum up customers, driving though the campground every day offering discount coupons:
And a bus to pick up people:
One of several occupants of our driver-side neighboring site, a small toy hauler trailer:
One section of the park has tight buddy sites:
Other sites:
A newer section, where it looked like a couple was shoveling the gravel to make it somewhat level for parking after the flooding:
