Look at any guidebook to the Black Hills in Southwestern South Dakota and you’ll see a section about Devils Tower National Monument in neighboring Wyoming. If you’ve ever watched the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” you’ll immediately recognize the huge rock monolith that stretches up to the sky. But to get there, you will go to the Northern Black Hills first.

Just 40 miles from the South Dakota state line, the large rock structure appeared in the far distance. One of our first clear views of the tower featured cattle grazing nonchalantly on the hilly grassland nearby. Several cars pulled over to take pictures.