★★ Durrance 5.7

The easiest route up Devils Tower and likely the most climbed route up the tower. Newer crack climbers often struggle, frequently insisting it's severely sandbagged.

This climb is best recognized by the right-leaning pillar on the left flank of the south face.

Approach: from the parking lot, go up the paved trail and take the branch that goes counter-clockwise around the tower. Walk along the path until you encounter a pair of metal viewing tubes. Follow the obvious climbers trail until it reaches the cliff, at the base of the "bowling alley".

There are a number of variations to exactly where the climb starts, and how the pitches are counted. The following seems to be a common choice:

1. 5.5 Climb one of a number of cracks up to a bolted anchor (80 ft), sling this with a long runner, then traverse left on 4th class terrain to a tree below the base of the leaning pillar. Belay off the tree or build a gear anchor on a comfortable ledge below the tree. (Some split the traverse into a seperate pitch.)

2. 5.6 (70ft) Leaning Column -- Climb up to the base of the leaning then up the left side of the pillar to a bolted anchor.

3. 5.7 (70ft) Durrance Crack -- Climb up a pair of cracks to another bolted anchor atop a pillar. Often combined with the Leaning Column.

4. 5.6 (30ft) Cussin' Crack -- Climb the off-width to a small ledge, then traverse right and up an easy short crack to the next ledge and another bolted anchor.

5. 5.5 (40ft) Flake Crack -- Climb the flake-filled crack to an off-width finish to another bolted anchor on another bid ledge. Often combined with Cussin' Crack.

6. 5.5 (40ft) Chockstone Crack -- Climb up the chockstone-filled chimney to a steep finish over a chockstone boulder. And, guess what, another bolted belay on another good ledge.

7. There are two popular finishing options:

   1. Jump Traverse to Meadows Finish
      1. 5.8 or 5.6 A0. Climb down and right from the ledge, then traverse rightwards on a thin horizontal crack, until you can step down across a large gap to a flat ledge. Continue along the huge ledge and build a belay. (Grab the piton to make the step-across easier.)
      2. 3rd class. Hike pretty far rightwards along the Meadows, occasionally climbing downwards to a lower section of trail. A pair of pillars -- the right of which is taller than the left -- sit just right of the bottom of the Meadows rappel. Do not climb up here unless you love lichen, loose rock, poor pro, and hiding pigeons.
      3. 5.2 (100ft) Climb the chimney then easy slabs to the top.
   2. Bailey Direct 5.8- (150ft) -- There are options up and left of the belay. One is to climb into a chimney past a rotten piton and some moderate face climbing. Whatever you do, keep your eyes open for a two-bolt anchor.