Devils Backbone, Boulder, Utah

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Just two miles West of Boulder, Utah, Forest Service road 153 rides around the large Box-Death Hollow. This is where about twenty five square miles of the Plateau has slid downhill long ago exposing up to an 800 foot depression with exposed cliffs, including Devils Backbone in the Northern tip of the slide. I made the circle from the Boulder on the East around Box-Death Hollow and South to Escalante, Utah.

The road starts out paved; but after a few miles turns into dirt by the left turn for the Native American restaurant. Then the dirt road goes continually uphill to and past Devils Backbone. The scrub junipers turn into a Ponderosa Pine forest as I gain altitude. In the pine forest Box-Death Hollow is somewhat visible to the left (West); but the best views of the hollow are at Devils Backbone and again on the far West side (looking East). Gaining more altitude some aspen and blue spruce trees come into view.

I get to some views of Box-Death Hollow and I have no idea why the Hollow appears on the right side...except maybe its a paradox cuz there is no depression here on the Forest Service map.

I soon find the Devils Backbone parking area. With no signs saying the not to camp, I think that the parking area is legal camping. I got out my quart of cold hydro and had a nice walk to the neat Devils Backbone bridge. My walk was a long one as I looked for different places to burn mega-pixels in the bridge area. I was very dry as I returned to Old Blue for hydro and to scoot onward.

I did pass some nice views of Box-Death Hollow. I drove a nice uphill for a while and saw some aspen trees. Then I drove a relatively level area in the Ponderosa Pine for a while.

After my left turn to stay on FS 153 toward Escalante, I drove a nice long downhill. There were many more views of Box-Death Hollow.

I saw a nice private ranch after I left the Dixie N Forest. Then I got to Escalante and dropped off some post cards for my friends.

Completed: Much more to see and do before my next camp in the mountains.

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Photos

Hells Backbone sign
Dixie N Forest
FS 153