A Hiker's Path: Crossing the Devil's Backbone in Shades State Park

The weather has been pretty cold in Indiana as of late. Winter is here for sure. But I am one of those people that love to hike in the winter.

I decided to make the drive up north to the Pine Hills Nature Preserve up at Shades State Park.

Pine Hills Nature Preserve was one of the first nature preserves that was dedicated in Indiana by The Nature Conservancy. It was dedicated as a preserve in 1969, but was designated a National Natural Landmark before that in 1968.

The preserve consists of 470 acres. The trail that runs through the preserve is about 3 1/2 miles in length and is a loop trail. The trailhead begins in the parking lot for trail No. 10 in Shades State Park.

The trail is described as difficult in ease of hiking and if you ever get to hike there, you will see why. Sugar Creek and Indian Creek, (a tributary of Sugar Creek) along with Clifty Creek, pass through the preserve.

There are some pretty awesome and significant rock formations and other unique features found in the preserve.

I put on extra layers of clothing for this hike.

When I finally arrived at the preserve, I headed straight for the trail and took of down the path to see what the day would bring! The sky overhead was quite overcast but the clouds could not dampen my spirit.

The beginning of the trail took me through some beautiful Indiana hardwood trees. The forest was damp from recent rains. The landscape around me was filled with winter colors. Shades of the gray bark of the trees and the brown color of old leaves on the ground, could leave one feeling a bit melancholy. but not this hiker.

The winter sky, filtered through the bare tree branches, and green moss on the old logs added just enough light and color to brighten the scenery.

Eventually, I made my way to the “Turkey Backbone.” This high, narrow ridge is surrounded by native hemlock trees, relics from a time when much of Indiana was a forest of mixed hardwoods and evergreens.

On the backside of this part of the trail, I descended into a thick hemlock grove. The trees were stunning to observe with their fine, feathery needles. I descended down a wooden staircase and into the creek bottom. I followed the trail to my next stop, the “Devil’s Backbone."

The hard part of getting to this section of the trail is that I would have to cross the creek. The trail cuts right through it. When I arrived at the creek, it was covered with ice. It was not a bad crossing. I just chose my steps carefully!

The “backbone" is another narrow, high cliff, 100 feet high and 6 feet across. It can be intimidating to cross over it, but it’s an adventure as well. There are old carvings in the rock, some dating back to the 1800s.

There are no rails on either side so caution must be observed when climbing and crossing. I carefully made my way to the top after a bit of effort.

There was quite a view looking down from where I stood a hundred feet up. (If you are subject to vertigo, then I would not recommend this).

When I made it back down off the backbone, I followed the trail a short way and soon came to the "Honey-Comb" rock. This is a big sandstone wall that has weathered over a period of time so that it looks like a honeycomb, with "pockets" along the side.

There are other things to see in this challenging preserve.

It had been a good hike and a wonderful way to spend my afternoon.

This preserve is an amazing place to visit. It is located in Montgomery County on Ind. 234.

I plan to return in warmer weather.

I found a quote for your week that I have used before with this preserve. It seems so fitting.

“Now we enter the ancient wood. In what wild forms the gnarled and mossy boughs are twisted, what a sensation of sacred repose. — Henry James Slack, 1818–1896, The Ministry of the Beautiful, "Conversation III: The Oak-wood" 

Until the next trail, Susan

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Hiking columnist visits Pine Hills Nature Preserve in Indiana