09/28/2026
Some satire for your Sunday 😜
Glass Elevators Approved for Devils Tower, Construction Could Begin Next Spring
A controversial plan to install two glass elevators along the side of Devils Tower has received final approval, potentially allowing visitors to reach the summit without climbing for the first time.
The proposed system would use two narrow glass elevator shafts designed to follow existing vertical cracks in the formation, an approach engineers say will make the structures considerably less noticeable from a distance. Under the current proposal, visitors would board from a small terminal near the base and reach the top in approximately four minutes. Each elevator would hold up to eight passengers.
Project officials say the elevators are intended to improve accessibility while reducing the number of inexperienced visitors attempting to climb the monument. The plan has already drawn criticism from climbers and conservation groups, particularly over how construction equipment would reach the upper sections of the tower. Engineers insist the installation will require minimal permanent alteration.
The biggest challenge isn't going up, project engineer Dale Renshaw said. “It's convincing people to look down once they're in a glass box 800 feet in the air.” Construction could begin as early as next spring, with the first elevator potentially opening to visitors in 2028.