Best Fort Collins Trails – Devil’s Backbone [PHOTO GALLERY]

Devil's Backbone Open Space lies on the border between Fort Collins and Loveland. It spans the gap, in fact. Start in Horsetooth Mountain Open Space just west of Fort Collins and you can hike, bike or ride horses south to just west of Loveland. It connects to Rim Rock Open Space as well.

The name of the area comes from the formations of rocks that jut into the sky along a north/south line. Once you approach it, you won't be asking yourself, why do they call this place the Devil's Backbone?

The trail is easy to moderate and is 7 miles long and unpaved. The Backbone Trail loop is 3.5 miles and has marked stops that coordinate with an interpretive brochure. The Keyhole trail is closed seasonally in the spring to accommodate nesting ravens.

On weekends the trailhead parking lot can fill up because of the great popularity of the trail and natural area. If the parking lot is full, that means the trail is at capacity and people are encouraged to use Rimrock Trailhead and Open Space that is nearby.

Devil's Backbone Open Space Map