The Devil's Backbone is a tilted rock fin west of Loveland

Drive the west edge of Loveland and you will see a jagged wall of rock standing up out of the grassland, with gaps the wind and water have cut through it. That is the Devil’s Backbone, and Larimer County protects it as an open space with trails for hiking, biking, and riding.

The shape tells a geology story. It is a hogback, a ridge made of layers of sedimentary rock that were laid down flat long ago and then tilted up on edge by the same mountain-building forces that pushed up the Rocky Mountains. Several different rock layers are exposed there, each from a different chapter of the deep past, which is why the area has been used for geology education. The “windows” in the fin are softer spots that eroded faster than the rock around them.

For a newcomer, this is an easy place to see how the Front Range was assembled, and it is close to town. It is also a popular open space, so parking can fill early on nice days, and you will share the trail with bikes and horses. A parking or entrance arrangement may apply.

To plan a visit and check current trail and parking rules, see the Larimer County Devil’s Backbone Open Space page.