Prairie Dog Town

Black-tailed prairie dogs live in large, social colonies, sometimes called towns, made up of family groups that share and defend networks of burrows. The animals communicate with a surprising range of barks and calls, including alarm calls that warn the whole town of approaching hawks, coyotes, or people.

Watching the colony, you can see this social life unfold: sentries standing tall to scan for danger, neighbors greeting one another, pups playing, and constant digging and maintenance of the burrows. It is a busy, cooperative community, and an hour spent watching reveals its rhythms.

Prairie dogs are far more than a roadside amusement. As a keystone species, their digging aerates and mixes the soil, their grazing shapes the grassland, and their burrows and bodies support a host of other animals, from burrowing owls and snakes that use the tunnels to hawks, eagles, badgers, and the endangered black-footed ferret that prey on them.

Because so much of the plains ecosystem depends on prairie dogs, a healthy colony like this one is a sign of a functioning grassland. The town below Devils Tower offers a window into that web of life, where a single small rodent underpins the whole community around it.

The colony's setting is part of its magic. From the flats where the prairie dogs pop and bark, the great fluted column of Devils Tower rises beyond, so a single stop offers both charming wildlife and one of the most striking geological landmarks in the country.

The prairie dog town is right along the park road near the entrance, making it an easy pause on the way to the tower's base trails. For many families, the barking little sentries are as memorable as the tower itself, especially for children seeing a wild colony up close for the first time.

The prairie dogs are wild and protected within the monument, and though they may seem tame, they can carry disease and fleas, so visitors must never feed, approach, or touch them. Watching quietly from the road or path is the right way to enjoy the colony without harming it.

The town is most active in the warmer months, when the animals are out feeding, socializing, and raising young, and mornings and evenings are especially lively. In winter the prairie dogs spend more time below ground, so a warm-season visit offers the best show below the tower.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Prairie Dog Town is one of the most charming stops at Devils Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming, a bustling colony of black-tailed prairie dogs spread across the grassy flats below the famous stone tower. As visitors arrive or leave, the little animals pop up from their burrows, bark warnings, groom, dig, and stand upright like sentries, a whole town going about its business. Beyond the delight of watching them, prairie dogs are a keystone species of the plains whose colonies shape the grassland and feed a web of other wildlife. Set against the backdrop of Devils Tower, the Prairie Dog Town offers a lively, accessible glimpse of prairie ecology in northeastern Wyoming.

Prairie dogs are considered a keystone species of the plains, meaning their colonies have an outsized effect on the whole ecosystem: their burrowing aerates and mixes the soil, their grazing shapes the grassland, and their towns provide food and shelter for a wide web of other wildlife, from hawks and eagles to badgers, snakes, and the endangered black-footed ferret. Where prairie dogs thrive, a rich community of plains life often thrives with them. This ecological importance makes the colony more than just cute to watch. Understanding their role adds meaning to a visit to the Prairie Dog Town at Devils Tower in northeastern Wyoming.

No, you should never feed the prairie dogs or any wildlife at Devils Tower, as human food harms their health, makes them dependent, and can spread disease, and getting close enough to feed them risks bites and the fleas they can carry, which is why feeding and approaching them is prohibited. Enjoy watching the prairie dogs from a respectful distance and stay on roads and designated areas, keeping pets leashed and away from the colony. Observing them quietly without feeding protects both the animals and you. Respectful, hands-off viewing ensures a safe and rewarding visit to the Prairie Dog Town at Devils Tower in northeastern Wyoming.

The prairie dogs are most active and visible in the warmer months from spring through fall, especially on mild mornings and late afternoons when they are out feeding, grooming, and tending their burrows, with spring bringing playful young pups, while in the cold of winter they spend much more time underground and are far less active. Daytime in the growing season offers the liveliest viewing. Pairing a visit with the rest of Devils Tower National Monument is easy. For the most active prairie dogs, aim for spring through fall at the Prairie Dog Town at Devils Tower in northeastern Wyoming.

The Prairie Dog Town is within Devils Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming, right below the famous tower itself, near the town of Sundance, Keyhole State Park, the Vore Buffalo Jump, Black Hills National Forest, and within reach of the South Dakota Black Hills. That makes the Prairie Dog Town a delightful stop to combine with Devils Tower, Keyhole State Park, and the other attractions of northeastern Wyoming on a visit to the state.