Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
route is to the left, following the loop clockwise. This also lets you hit the highlights
of the trail much earlier.
This is one of several stream crossings that make the Devils Fork Loop Trail a challen-
ging but thrilling rail-trail.
The only hint that you are on a rail-trail is the abandoned coal car that sits on the
trail about halfway up Little Mountain. In fact, the western side of the loop is the only
portion on an old rail bed. This railroad was used to transport logs and coal, and thus
the corridor is not as wide as a standard-gauge railway, and the grade is much steeper,
which provided the trains with better access to these resources.
The trail's main attraction is Devils Bathtub, located just 1.5 miles from the start.
The rushing water of Devils Fork shoots out of the soft sandstone and swirls quickly
through this stone luge, plummeting into a beautiful pool of blue-green water. Anoth-
er trail highlight, shortly after Devils Bathtub, is the 50-foot waterfall at the mouth of
Corder Hollow.
The trail enters a very different landscape as you leave the Devils Fork and begin
hiking along the ridges of several mountains. The forest has little underbrush and the
path can be easily lost.
Your adventure concludes on an old logging road with about a mile of steep
switchbacks to the loop's end, where you cross Devils Fork for the last time. There are
primitive camping facilities near the parking lot. You can continue hiking by taking
the Straight Fork Ridge Trail (1.8 miles) via the parking lot. The scenery on Straight
Fork Ridge is similar to the Devils Fork Loop Trail, but the latter is considered the
more interesting hike of the two trails.
