Devils Tower National Monument has begun construction on a new project that will make the park more accessible, especially for people with physical limitations.
There will be three phases of improvements made, and the main goal is to make the first overlook of the Tower more accessible.
Devils Tower Chief of Interpretation Nick Myers says focus will be improving the trail from the parking lot to the base of tower.
"The big changes someone would see for sure is that trail right now is pretty steep. The new trail will be a bit more gradual, have some landing for wheelchairs to make it a little less steep," Myers said. "So that'll be a dramatic improvement and a dramatic change to how the trail will be from the parking lot."
Plans also include installation of new exhibits inside and outside of the visitors center and improvements to the parking area.
Devils Tower facilities haven't seen any major improvements since the 1950s, but the Tower was selected to be a part of a national initiative, called All In! , from the National Park Service.
"It's been something a long time planned, but really since 2015 that's really when the initiative has really taken off for a few parks to improve their facilities," Meyers said.
He added they hope to have the high traffic areas completed by the summer for the start of the busy season and that all phases should be completed by November 2020.
The park is still open but visitors may experience delays and construction, especially from 10 am-2 pm during peak hours.
Have a question about this story? Contact the reporter, Catherine Wheeler, at cwheel11@uwyo.edu.
