Our youngest son, the one who would jump first and then think about it on the way down, said, “Hey, let’s get some ropes from the truck and go across the bridge.” We vetoed that idea, and hopefully, he won’t remember how to get back there. We found it, but it had no supports on the platform anymore. Beveridge had mentioned that an old iron truss bridge crossed the creek. Rough and tumble type terrain fell down the slope to the creek bed on the west while a more pastoral view of hills and dales, covered in lush green grass, ran like waves in the east.Īfter the short hike on the backbone, we continued on, heading down the skinny little road that led to Cedar Creek. The view from the backbone was well worth the trouble that it took to find it. He suggested gathering some and then stringing them into a necklace-since many of them have hollow centers. Beveridge wrote that the limestone contains crinoids, fragments of fossils the size of coins. A series of Burlington limestone in dark shades of gray forms a half-mile line along the ridge top. Located 170 feet above the streambed of Cedar Creek, this backbone is actually a rock neck that runs alongside the creek. (This is a problem when you drive a Suburban.) When we decided to park and walk, we really weren’t too sure what we were looking for until we saw it. We found that not only did the road twist and turn, it also became narrower and narrower. The Devil’s Backbone in Boone County lies off the beaten path. The view was spectacular, since we could see down on each side of the road. This backbone formed a ridge road for a mile, or so. In fact, we drove on an unlisted backbone on “Z”, up near Lanes Prairie in Maries County last winter. Once again I referred to my trusty handbook about Missouri by Tom Beveridge, “Geologic Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri,” to find a devilish spot.īeveridge listed 24 backbones throughout the state, and speculated there are many more. Whereas before this trip, we had peered down into the Devil’s Icebox-actually a sinkhole system in Rockbridge Memorial State Park-this time we went way up high, near the Columbia Regional Airport in Boone County. In my never-ending search for places named for Lucifer, I talked my family into going on another trip to the Devil. Especially prominent are the sets of backbones named after him. It seems that the Devil has left his marks all over the state of Missouri. If interested, please contact us.Share the post "Devil’s Backbones in Missouri" This is a wilderness area so you shouldn’t see any bike riders here. It’s marked with white diamonds, but can get a little confusing here and there because of trails going off of the main trail. This trail is in good shape and you can see where work has been done on it. This trail is moderately difficult to strenuous, with several very steep hills, water crossings, and forest downfall to negotiate. Yes, at the Campground Trailhead and primitive disbursed camping along the trail. This road contains a small steep hill to negotiate. Follow this gravel road to the trailhead camping lot on the left. Follow Hwy KK to County Road KK362, turn right. The North Fork River is between the two trailheads.Ĭampground Trailhead: From West Plains, take Hwy CC west to Hwy AD, turn south. West CC Trailhead: From West Plains, take Hwy CC west, passing the east trailhead lot, to the next trailhead lot on the left. East Hwy CC Trailhead: From West Plains, take hwy CC west to the trailhead lot on the left.
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