A couple of years ago, we took our biggest trip to date. It was a trip to Alaska and back, with hundreds of stops in between. One of the places that we visited was Devil’s Tower. This iconic rock monument in Wyoming was impressive. It was visible for quite a distance, and because of that, I initially decided not to visit it, since we would be staring at it for some time. But it called to me, and I found myself pulling in and walking around it, admiring and loving every step of that journey.
Castle Butte in Saskatchewan outwardly appears the same: a tall monument that is easy to walk around and admire. But there are some significant differences.
At Devil’s Tower, there was a rather steep admission fee to enter. It also featured other attractions, such as prairie dogs and a visitor’s gift shop. Castle Butte had none of these. No prairie dogs, although there was the possibility of cattle, no gift shop and above all, no admission. It is located on private property, and the owners permit the public to view this remarkable example of erosion.
Again, unlike Devil’s Tower, the Castle did not come into view until we were pretty close to it. Many people may be unaware of its existence simply because it is not visible from a distance. It is also somewhat remote and a detour for most tourists in the area, but it was well worth the effort to get there.
Devil’s Tower is composed of magma and has remained unchanged since it was first discovered. Whereas Castle changes each time it rains. It is essentially hard-packed dirt, and each rainfall causes a bit more of it to erode. With this continued erosion, Castle Butte is both beautiful when taken in from afar and when one gets close to it.
We drove to the parking lot, exited the vehicle, and were amazed at our very first view up close. Unfortunately, my back was seriously injured in the fateful lasagna incident, and at the time, I was still in a considerable amount of pain. Undeterred, I insisted that we walk around this monument of sand, dirt and dried mud and see all of its features.
Immediately, both Charlene and I were disappointed with our physical states and saw that a cave had been created by the water runoff. Many others had ventured inside before us, but we could not. There was also a steep path made from water runoff that looked like it might have taken a brave adventurer up higher, or even to the top. Had I been in a healthier state, I would not have hesitated to take this route up.
We began our slow march around the butte. We would stop and gaze at the changes in the features, the soil makeup, and even the plants. The prickly pear cactus was in full bloom, adding a measure of beauty that we had not expected.
Around another corner, we startled a woman who was getting ready to do pole dancing. Her camera was all set up, the pole ready to go, but she would not move until we left her sight. I thought that was rather interesting to bring a pole all the way out here.
At the halfway point around the butte, we could see the home of the property owner and the size of his ranch. The butte and the escarpment all formed a natural barrier for the cattle he owned.
Other people were coming and going while we were here. All of them were interrupting the pole dancer and the video she was trying to make, and much like so many others, people rushed to a destination. Since this place is so remote, why rush through it? Rather, take it all in, every bit of it. This is a pet peeve of mine, that people miss out on the smaller details because all they wanted to see was the big one.
Charlene and I finished our tour and lamented once again that neither one of us could go into the cave or scale higher up. We stopped one more time to see how big it was before leaving and slowly left the area to explore more places of worth on our America the Beautiful summer vacation.
- Despite being in a remote setting, the roads to Castle Butte are relatively well-maintained and easy to travel on.
- This is private property; please respect the setting and the owners.
- Find Castle Butte on my favourite map, All The Places We Have Been. There are many great destinations we have been to and are worth exploring.
- If you see a pole dancer, quickly leave so she can continue making her video.
