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Photo: Brendan Bombaci Devil’s Backbone Open Space.
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Watch for the signs and you’ll find the exit to Devi’s Backbone on the left after about a half-mile. Stay on Highway 34 as you loop around Lake Loveland then take a right on Hidden Valley Drive. Highway 34 is also known as Eisenhower Blvd in Loveland. To reach Devil’s Backbone from Interstate 25 take the Highway 34 exit west into Loveland,
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Getting There Devil’s Backbone Open Space. You can even ride horseback and enjoy the vistas, wildlife, and raptors such as red-tailed and rough-legged hawks and eagles as they soar on the currents above the space from the vantage of your saddle.Ī 12-mile long trail connects Devil’s Backbone to a couple of other popular public spaces in Rimrock and Horsetooth Mountain. Hiking is the most popular activity at Devil’s Backbone with mountain biking gaining a big following as well. Hotels near Devils Backbone Nature Trail: (5.29 km) Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch (2.84 km) La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Loveland (14.74 km) Berthoud Inn & Events (14. It’s also pet friendly, but dogs must be kept on a lease while hiking the trail. Hiking – The Devil’s Backbone Nature Trail is 4.3 miles long and rated as an easy excursion with few technical challenges, a perfect venue for the weekend hiker. favorite Loveland attractions, including Sweet Heart Winery and Devils Backbone. Activities Biking thru Devil’s Backbone Open Space. The Sweetheart City is located ideally between Denver and Fort Collins. Close observers have spotted fossils along the cliffs and hillsides and the tusks of a mammoth were once excavated by paleontologists and sent east to an Illinois museum. The uplift and surrounding terrain is a common feature of rock formations in Colorado and nearby Wyoming, but its proximity to Loveland make it a haven for hikers, nature lovers and families on weekend outings.Įlk, deer, coyotes, fox, jackrabbits, prairie dogs and myriad birds are often spotted by people hiking the miles of trails in the open space and occasionally black bear and mountain lions appear briefly. Photo: Brendan BombaciĪs the name implies, the highlight of the nearly 3.5 square mile public space is a geologic formation that resembles the backbone of some lumbering, rocky beast. The Devil’s Backbone was the impetus for an additional 44,000 acres of public space in Larimer County. It took nearly 10 years to complete as the public land in the original referendum was augmented with additional purchased private property. The people of Larimer County took note in a 1995 referendum and set aside nearly 2,200 acres of unique rock formations known as the Devil’s Backbone near Loveland. Farms, hillsides, and valleys witnessed housing developments sprout up like mushrooms after a summer rain. The front range began to change dramatically in the 1980’s experiencing some of the fastest growth in the entire nation.
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