Pine Hills Nature Preserve Trail (Devil's Backbone) Hiking Guide
Pine Hills was Indiana's first dedicated state nature preserve, and it protects some of the strangest ground in the state. Streams swollen with meltwater from the last glaciers cut tight, winding gorges here, leaving four narrow rock ridges called backbones standing 70 to 100 feet above the valley floor. The trail crosses them, including Devil's Backbone, which narrows to about six feet across.
Permit: Pine Hills has no separate fee, but parking is inside Shades State Park, so the state park entrance fee applies: $7 per day for a vehicle with Indiana plates, $15 for out-of-state plates, $2 per walk-in or cyclist age 5 and over. The $50 resident and $120 nonresident annual passes are accepted.
Distance and Footing
The DNR describes the preserve trail as 1.32 miles one way and moderate to rugged, with very steep sections, poor footing and exposure to steep, rocky bluffs. Hiking Project maps the same one-way distance at 1.3 miles, so the round trip from the trailhead is about 2.6 miles; its profile has most of the roughly 200 feet of elevation change on the walk back out. Expect creek crossings and eroded, steep slopes in the hemlock groves. Parking is inside Shades State Park; follow the park's signs to the Pine Hills lot and Trail 10, which crosses State Road 234 into the preserve.
Four Backbones
The preserve's trail guide numbers the stops. The trail first crosses Turkey Backbone and drops through a hemlock grove, then reaches the U-shaped notch in Mill Cut Backbone, where the Pine Hill Woolen Mill company dammed Clifty Creek and ran water through a flume to its wheel; the mill was moved in 1873. Next comes The Slide, where the far bank of Clifty Creek has been scraped bare by repeated rock slides, before a crossing of Clifty Creek leads to Devil's Backbone. Beyond it, Honeycomb Rock is a sandstone wall weathered into pockets where Clifty and Indian creeks join.
Crossing Devil's Backbone
At its narrowest the ridge is about six feet wide with a 100-foot drop on each side, and the DNR advises groups with small children not to attempt it. The trail rejoins itself at the Clifty Creek crossing, so anyone who would rather skip the crest can wait there. On top, look for the carvings: a life-size relief of the devil cut in 1910, birds thought to be passenger pigeons, and dates from the mid-1800s. The way down the front of the ridge is steep and runs through hemlocks.
Nature Preserve Rules
Because this is a dedicated nature preserve, the rules are stricter than in the rest of Shades. Stay on the marked trail, keep pets leashed, and carry out all litter. Rock climbing, hunting, fires, picnicking, camping and vehicles are all banned. The trail guide asks visitors to register at the box before leaving. Leashed dogs are allowed, but the narrow, exposed crest of Devil's Backbone is no place for a dog that pulls.
High Water and Seasonal Closures
The route crosses Clifty Creek more than once, and the crossings get harder when Indian and Clifty creeks run high, so check the Shades alerts after heavy rain. Pine Hills sits within the state park, so it is also off limits during the two late-fall firearms deer-reduction hunts at Shades. In late fall and winter the evergreens stand out among the bare hardwoods: white pine, hemlock and Canada yew that have survived here since the climate was much colder.
Hiking tips for Pine Hills Nature Preserve Trail (Devil's Backbone)
- Wear boots with good tread; the DNR warns of steep sections with poor footing near the bluffs.
- Decide before you reach Devil's Backbone who in the group will cross and who will wait at the creek junction.
- Register at the preserve's trail box on the way in or out.
- Pick a dry day; creek crossings get harder after rain.
- Bring the Shades map, since the preserve trail is a spur off the park's Trail 10.
Nearby trails to explore
- Shades State Park Trail 2 (Lover's Leap and Pearl Ravine)
- Turkey Run Trail 3 (Rocky Hollow and the Ladders)
- Turkey Run 5-Mile Challenge Loop
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Devil's Backbone is the kind of crossing people like to do with someone nearby. Plan a Pine Hills hike on TrailMates, use the event's group chat to agree on the Shades gate time and who is driving from Indianapolis, and meet at the Pine Hills lot. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.