The Keyhole at Devil's Backbone
Jenny Harding, For TSM
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Devil's Backbone is a 72 Million-year-old two-mile strip of Dakota sandstone that juts toward the sky just North U.S. Highway 34, two miles  west of Loveland.  The sandstone was formerly an ancient beach created by erosion from the mountains, that got turned on its side by Mother Nature, with an ocean to the east. Yes, most of Northern Colorado was once completely under water. The rugged beauty of Devil's Backbone attracts visitors from all over the World and it's right here in our back yard.

  • Prehistoric fossils have been discovered at Devil's Backbone, including an ancient elephant with 5-foot-long tusks. It's on display at Chicago’s Field Museum.
  • Devil’s Backbone was the first Larimer open space and it was made possible by voter-initiated sales tax in 1995.
  • Hikers can start at the Devil’s Backbone Trailhead and travel 15 miles to Lory State Park west of Fort Collins in the 2,200 acre open space.

Larimer County Department of Natural Resources is hosting a series of free educational programs for the 20th anniversary of the Help Preserve Open Spaces sales tax this summer. One of things you would learn during the programs is that Devil's backbone was the home of a gypsum mine and plaster mill that started in the late 1800s by enterprising industrialist Alfred Wild. The remains are still visible today.

My Lovely Wife, Jenny, took some really cool pictures!

This YouTube video from ShutterMafia is a view of Devil's Backbone from a Drone:

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