What was once a common hayfield is now an uncommon campground. The Devils Tower KOA campground is No. 1 in the national campground system for having above 90% occupancy on one-night stays during the summer season. The campground is the perfect distance from Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone National Park. There’s more to the campground’s popularity than just location — it’s a one-of-a-kind experience. Devils Tower, the tallest columnar formation of its kind in the world, is where Steven Spielberg filmed Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a 1977 box office smash. It’s also the location Morgan Freeman chose to record the documentary, The Story of God. To celebrate the location’s cinematic history, the campground shows Close Encounters of the Third Kind on a large outdoor screen every single night the campground is open, rain or shine. With Devils Tower rising from the Wyoming landscape just behind the screen, and night birds or bats swooping in for insects, it gives the show a surreal feel. Considering the KOA has been showing the film for 47 years now against the night sky filled with tiny lights trillions of years old, it’s a sight that’s truly like no other in the world.
