Keyhole State Park
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The drive from Cheyenne to the Devil’s Tower area was
non-eventful. The landscape in this part of Wyoming was pretty much desert. Other
than that, while driving through Gillette Wyoming, we noticed miles and miles
of some kind of mining activity. Kurt said it looked like coal strip mines. I Googled
this and found that this area of Wyoming has major coal mines and produces 40%
of all coal in the US. Wow, we were shocked, had no idea that there was coal in
Wyoming. Also, the coal here is cleaner coal that doesn’t have to be washed
prior to burning. The land is so vast up here; it seems that the mining doesn’t
seem to impact any towns, other than Gillette, which has grown due to the jobs
created by the mining. We proceeded to the small town of Pine Haven, where
Keyhole State Park is located. This park is on a reservoir of the Belle Fourche
river. The reservoir is very large and there are several campgrounds along the
lake front. We paid for two nights and was able to pick our site in the
Pronghorn Campground. We found a site that faces the lakefront on a small bay
called Cottonwood. It was an awesome site, looking down to the water. We were
able to park our kayaks on the lake front and go on an evening paddle.
The next day we drove up to Devil’s Tower. It was a pretty
drive, as there were rolling hills with lots of grass and trees. The closer we
go to the Tower, there were even more hills. We could actually see the very top
of the Tower from the reservoir, when we stood on a high rocky point. The drive
was about 45 miles away. As we got closer, the Tower was even more impressive!
Devils’ Tower is America’s first National Monument. President
Theodore Roosevelt used the 1906 Antiquities Act to create the monument based
on natural rather than cultural features. The site is considered Sacred to the
Lakota and other tribes that have a connection to the area.
Viewing the Tower up close is very spectacular. The park is
surrounded by lush green hills with many trees. There is a campground on the property,
but it has no hookups and is first come, first serve. There is a main trail
around the base of the Tower, called the Tower Trail. It is paved and very easy
to hike, with some minor elevation changes. As we hiked around the Tower, we
noticed two separate groups of rock climbers. With binoculars, we were able to
watch them moving up the rock wall. This is understandably a popular place for
climbers. After we rounded the main trail, we then hiked the Red Bed Trail.
This was a 3.2 mile hike that went out farther beyond the Tower and followed
some small canyons with red sandstone walls. This was a fun hike, as it also
provided some great views of the surrounding valleys and ranches. There were
rocky outcroppings and red canyon walls. During this hike, we saw two rock
climbers on the top of the Tower, high-fiving and hollering, they made it! After
the hike, we drove out of the Tower park and stopped to look at the prairie dog
town. They are so cute and we have seen them all around Wyoming. Then we headed
back to camp. The drive was worth it to see such an unusual rock formation.
When we got back, Kurt put his kayak in the lake and went for an evening
paddle. Later, he made one of his roaring campfires, which was nice as it
cooled down considerably at night.
Since we really loved the lake and the campground, we
decided to stay another night and paid for the third night. The last day we
took our kayaks out on the lake. It was Sunday and there were quite a few boats
out. The lake is a popular place for water skiing and wake boarding. The
weather was beautiful and we paddled back into a few coves. We beached the
kayaks and walked around, and also enjoyed some beverages! After a couple of
hours, the weather started clouding up and it looked like a storm was coming.
We began to paddle back across the lake toward our little cove. Well, we were
then paddling into the wind and also had boat wake to deal with. It was a
struggle getting across, but we finally made it. After getting back to camp, we
were tired. We relaxed awhile and prepared dinner. Later, Kurt built a nice
campfire.
The next morning we packed and prepared to head out. Our
next stop is the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mt. Rushmore is one of the
attractions in the area, along with the mountain roads with amazing views and
tight switchbacks. We are looking forward to visiting this area and seeing all
the special sights.