Devil’s Backbone State Natural Area,
Lewis County, Tennessee
(Click to enlarge pictures)
There may
well be a law that every state must have at least one Devil’s Backbone.
It being
winter, I should’ve figured that the kiosk at the trailhead would be pretty
barren, but I did at least expect a copy of the trail map. No such
luck, so you’ll have to print your own before you hit the trail…
This, like
Land Between the Lakes, is not necessarily a place of great scenic appeal. If
you’re into rock houses and arches, you’re out of luck. But if you enjoy a trail
that winds through a diverse forest, one with a lot of character, well, I think
you’ll enjoy the Backbone. I’ve been half a dozen times at least, and it’s
never dull.
The trail
is about three miles in length, with a short connector leading to the loop that
goes down into and climbs back out of a pretty valley with a couple of streams
passing through it. Yes, I am wearing warmup pants in the picture at left; it
was particularly warm for an afternoon in December.
The
inevitable bark shot. This is the new fungal model.
Left: the
trail winds amongst the fallen leaves, roughly following the route of pioneer
wagons in the heyday of the Natchez Trace. Right: the remnants, I think, of
some hunter’s tree stand. Those are some big nails…
No really,
they’re big. Obviously the hunter meant for the stand to…errr, stand.
Eventually
the trail peels off the ridge and into the hollow, where it parallels this busy
little creek.
It’s not
big, but it is attractive, especially so in the winter as it winds its course
through the discarded leaves.
The
original “Bridge to Nowhere”? A few feet further upstream and you can easily
step across, but there you go. Possibly this was someone’s Eagle Scout project,
and that makes it okay by me.
Just a few of the more
interesting trees along the trail. The one at left is the subject of the “bark
shot” below…
Oooh. Now that’s interesting. Kinda like a
Rorschach test: what do you see in
this picture?
After a stroll along the
valley floor you make your way back up the opposite side. It’s a pretty fair
climb, which adds nicely to the trail profile, and at the top there is a fallen
tree thoughtfully provided by the forest for you to rest upon before
continuing.
Moss-covered trail. There’s a lot of this at Devil’s Backbone…
…and being as it’s not a
heavily-traveled path, you’re just as likely to walk it completely alone. It’s
nice, all this ridgetop hiking in such solitude. The Trace being as lightly
traveled as it is, you don’t even
hear a lot of traffic noise, so the sense of isolation is enhanced. If you’re
here in the winter and you’re really fortunate, you’ll get snowed on as I was
once. The wind on top can be pretty brutal, so dress for the season.
Back
to the Pictures
Page
Back
to the Home Page