Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming is yet another highly prominent monolith that is sacred. The Shoshone, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, and Lakota are among the tribes that consider the tower holy.

Even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has what could be considered its own holy mountain of sorts, north of Salt Lake City. Ensign Peak is perhaps Utah's most sacred mountain — kind of the state's own version of Mount Sinai.

At an elevation of 5,414 feet, this mound-shaped peak located behind the Utah State Capitol is only about 1,100 feet above the city streets — far lower than most other Wasatch Mountain peaks. However, no other Utah mountain probably has a more significant religious history.

That's because this was the first peak in the valley the pioneers climbed; it was also used as an outdoor temple until the Endowment House was finished, and President Brigham Young had a vision of Joseph Smith, who showed him the mountain that we now call Ensign Peak. This vision was prior to the pioneer trek, and it showed there was an ensign that fell upon that peak, and Joseph said, "Build under that point where the colors fall and you will prosper and have peace. "

The Hill Cumorah, near Palmyra, N.Y., is yet another sacred Mormon hill, being the place where Latter-day Saints believe the Golden Plates were buried, which Joseph Smith translated into the Book of Mormon.

E-mail: lynn@desnews.com