A Guide to the Devil's Den Trail at Devil's Den State Park

Devils Den State Park is located in West Fork, Arkansas. This is just outside of Fayetteville. Although the park has many trails, one of the most popular is The Devil's Den Self Guided Trail. This trail is only 1.5 miles long but contains many unique geological features not found anywhere else in the US. The crevice and cave area is the largest of its type in the US. Here is a guide to the trail.

There are a few items you should have before setting out on the trail. Water is essential and a picnic lunch is nice to have after the hike. A headlamp or flashlight is a must for exploring the caves and crevices. Headlamps are ideal, but a flashlight will do. Wear appropriate clothing and plan to get dirty. Cargo pants are better than jeans; it is impossible to carry a backpack into some of the tighter cave and crevice areas, so pants with pockets are extremely helpful. Trail shoes or trek shoes are preferable to hiking boots as they dry faster and are less cumbersome in the cave areas, although some individuals prefer the ankle support hiking boots offer. Finally stop at the visitors' center and purchase 2 guide books. The first is a Guide to the Caves and Crevices of The Devil's Den Trail and the other is Devil's Den Trails. The first will tell you all about the geology and give you a feature by feature breakdown of the trail. The latter will describe the many trails at Devils Den State Park. Markers on the trails coincide with the numbers in this book. These guidebooks are extremely inexpensive; it was under $5.00 for both. A sneak peak of the Devil's Den Trail can be seen by viewing the slideshow A Tour of Devil's Den Self Guided Trail. This slideshow has 20 pictures of the trail and surrounding area.

Access to the trail, picnic area, and parking are free. There are two trailheads that access The Devil's Den Self Guided Trail. The first is across Highway 74, just in back of the Visitors Center. The second is also on Highway 74, but it is across from the Lee Creek picnic area, just down the road from the Visitor's Center. The latter is preferable as you will not have to climb a horrendously steep set of stairs at the end of the trail in order to return to the Visitor's Center. This trail guide is written starting from the Lee Creek area trail head. This trail is moderate in difficulty. Allow at least 2 hours to complete the hike. Exploring the caves and crevices can be very strenuous.

From the trailhead, follow the trail up from the parking area and bear to the left. The Devils Den Self Guided Trail is marked in red. There will be arrows pointing you in the direction you should go. The first area of interest is a crevice and fracture area to the left side of the trail. This is just a short walk from the start of the hike. Reference the Devil's Den Trails guidebook and look for marker number 1. This feature is called The Devil's Theater. It was formed at the same time as the main crevice and cave area. Take time to explore the Theater and the surrounding area. The view from the top of the bluff is amazing. You can see the Lee Creek below. Exit the Theater and head back to the trail.

Shortly after the Devils Theater, a large rock formation is visible up the hill. This is the Devils Chimney or Castle Rock. Legend says when the devil is in his den, smoke rises from the chimney. Follow the path up the hill; it will be rocky and somewhat steep. The Chimney will be on your right. This is part of the mountain face that did not fall with the rest of the area. Take time to enjoy the forest and the view. Just past the Devil's Chimney is the main cave. It is number 4 in the Devil's Den Trails guidebook. Devil's Den cave is 550 feet in length. This is a fracture cave, not a limestone cave. There are no stalactites or stalagmites as it is not made of limestone. This cave was formed when a 10 acre piece of the mountain fell off the syncline. It is a very popular attraction and it can be crowed on nice days. Most people only go 150-200 feet into the cave. After that, the going gets pretty tough. Expect to crawl and climb through the next 300 feet or so, heavier individuals and those who are out of shape may have difficulty exploring the last 300 feet of cave. A headlamp or flashlight is a must. There are bats in this cave. Most are the small pip or Eastern Pipistrelle bat. It is illegal to disturb them so be careful as some rest rather low on the walls and head clearance can be limited. In places, you may find yourself up close and personal with these bats. Expect the cave to be about 57 degrees. It will be damp and muddy, especially after a rain.

After exploring the cave, return to the path, bear right, and follow it to the next feature which is the crevice area. There are 3 main crevices here. The first one is called the Right Angle Crevice. The easiest way to enter this crevice is through the north end. To get there follow the path from where the crevice first appears to the end of the crevice. This is the north end. If you stand on the bottom of the crevice and look up toward the north entrance, the rock appears to be the face of the devil. Entering the crevice from the north and then looking east you will see a small opening in the rock. You can go to the left of this opening and arrive at the entrance to the Parallel Crevice or climb down into the hole and make your way into the Devil's Ice Box. Climbing through the cave and crevice area is extremely strenuous. For those less adventurous exit the crevice and return to the path. Climbing down into the next crevice, the Parallel Crevice, is easier and you can walk from there into the Devils Ice Box if you wish.

The Devils Ice Box is another crevice feature. Standing in the opening will demonstrate why this feature is called the Devil's Ice Box. Cold air is forced out of the crevice and it supplies hikers with cooling air in the summer and warmer air in the winter. This is a good place to sit and rest.

Exit the Ice Box and return to the trail. Travel a little further and there is the bowl area. These are washed out areas of sandstone and they are quite unique. On the opposite side of the trail from the bowls is another washed out feature called Bear Cave. It is not a true cave but another bowl. Observing these bowls will show you how 10 acres of the mountain was able to fall.

Continuing on the path will take you to Twin Falls. These falls are most active in the winter and spring, especially after it rains. Take time to enjoy the view. This is the center of the syncline. You can see how the whole area was formed by looking at the geology of the rocks around the falls. From the Twin Falls, the path descends down towards Lee Creek. As it descends, notice all of the different plants in the forest. Once you have descended toward Lee Creek, there will be a spring called Cold Spring. This spring was used by early settlers and by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC built most of Devil's Den State Park back in the 1930's. As you follow the trail along Lee Creek, keep a look out for fish and other life in the stream. There will be visible rock foundations that were part of the Donaldson Homestead. All that remains of the Homestead are a few rocks in the creek and surrounding area.

The Devil's Den Self Guided Trail ends in a loop, right back where it began. If you packed a picnic lunch, take time to enjoy it at the Lee Creek Picnic Area. Grills are available for cookouts at this picnic area.

You can read more articles by this author about the trails at Devil's Den State Park by clicking on the links below:

Gorley King Horse Trail at Devils Den State Park

Vista Horse Trail at Devil's Den State Park

Old Road Horse Trail at Devil's Den State Park