Type of Use: Foot, horse.
Length/Rating: 11 Miles in Total/Most Difficult
Other Recreation Activities: Canoeing, backpacking, wilderness use, birdwatching, sightseeing, photography, picnicking, camping, primitive camping, mushroom/berry picking.
Nearby Facilities: North Fork Recreation Area, Noblett Lake Recreation Area, Ozark Trail.
Grand Gulf State Park, Bull Shoals Lake, Jacks Fork River.
Devil's Backbone Wilderness, named after a long narrow ridge known to the early settlers, has a unique blend of Ozark flora and fauna in a rugged land dressed by beautiful mountains, valleys, and springs. With 6,595 acres inside its boundary, this is ideal for a day's hike, or backpacking. Three designated trailheads, Collins Ridge, McGarr Ridge and Raccoon Hollow, provide convenient entry to the area. North Fork River cuts through the heart of the Wilderness; thus the Raccoon Hollow section west of the river is not connected to the main trail. There is another access at the Blue Spring parking area in North Fork Campground.
North Fork of the White River is one of the crown jewels of the Ozark float streams. Blue Spring, Amber Spring and McGarr Spring supply high quality water to the river year-round. The largest watershed within the area is Crooked Branch, which flows into North Fork. It winds through a twisting six-mile course in the Wilderness while gaining only two and a half linear miles"as the crow flies." One of its horseshoe bends has created the striking Devil's Backbone. The Devil's Backbone rises from 820 feet above sea level to 1,020 feet, then falls back to 720 feet within less than a quarter mile. It offers spectacular views of the Crooked Branch valley to the east and west. Another point of interest is McGarr Ridge, overlooking the North Fork River 300 feet below.
The forest is dominated by a variety of oaks, hickory and shortleaf pine. Dogwood, redbud, and, wild azaleas give the Wilderness a burst of color in the spring. In fall the oaks, sweetgum, and sugar maple put on a show of yellow, orange and red. Along the river banks, one can find sycamore, Ozark witch hazel, elm, and other bottomland trees.
Scattered limestone glades and other openings provide opportunities to view wildlife. White-tailed deer, gray squirrel, raccoon, coyote, red and gray foxes, bobcat and striped skunk are some of the mammals native to the area. Wild turkey, red-tailed hawk, great horned owl, turkey vulture, great blue heron, pileated woodpecker and various songbirds can also be seen. There are two kinds of poisonous snakes -- the copperhead and Eastern timber rattier. Among the more uncommon species are black bear, bald eagle, gray bat, a rare crayfish, and possibly mountain lion.
North Fork Recreation Area is located on the north edge of the Wilderness and provides quality camping and picnic opportunities.
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