Name: Devils Backbone Trail #1162
Rating: 4.0

Toolbox

Plan in onX Backcountry

Driving directions
Download GPX File

Know This Trail?

Upload a photo

Dogs Leashed

Features Views

This trail is within the Wild Rogue Wilderness and the usual federal wilderness area regulations and restrictions apply here. Practice Leave No Trace (LNT) backcountry skills and ethics. Camp 100 feet from fragile areas; bury human waste at least 200 feet from water, trails, and campsites. This trail is usually open year-round. Be aware of ticks, snakes, and poison oak.

Runner Notes

The uphill section (going in the downstream direction) is too steep to run for most, but the downhill has beautiful flow and is very nice.

Description

This is tricky to find but a good alternative to the Rogue River National Recreation Trail if you would like to get a higher vantage point.

Just past the Paradise Lodge, be on the lookout for a trail on the right that curves back just after a bend in the trail. It is VERY easy to miss. There is a wooden sign on a tree a bit above eye level, but it's also hard to see. The Trail Run Project mobile app should help you find it.

Steeply ascend a narrow trail with significant exposure. About halfway up, there are huge views of the Rogue Valley and Paradise Lodge. Stop, enjoy, and catch your breath before getting over the hump with lots of nice old-growth Douglas Firs.

The descent passes through a lush valley filled with ferns and deep, cool greens. The trail flows well and you'll be back on the Rogue River National Recreation Trail before you know it.