The Devils Backbone Wilderness is one of eight wilderness areas protected and preserved in the

U.S. State In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. The

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

designated the wilderness area in 1980, and it now has a total of 6,595 acres (26 km²). Devil's Backbone is located within the Willow Springs section of the Ava-Cassville-Willow Springs Ranger District, of the

Mark Twain National Forest Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) is a U.S. National Forest located in the southern half of Missouri. MTNF was established on September 11, 1939. It is named for author Mark Twain, a Missouri native. The MTNF covers of which is public owned, ...

, near

Willow Springs, Missouri Willow Springs is a city in Howell County, Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains of the United States. The population was 2,184 at the 2010 census. History Willow Springs was so named from its position at the site of a spring, surrounded by willows ...

. It was named for a prominent ridge down the center of the area. Horseback riding is popular on a network of trails in the wilderness. Devils Backbone offers a variety of recreational activities for visitors. In the spring season,

dogwood ''Cornus'' is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Most are deciduous trees or shru ...

, redbud, and

serviceberry ''Amelanchier'' ( ), also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry (or just sarvis), juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild-plum or chuckley pear,A Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants/ref> is a g ...

trees are flowering in full force. Then, in fall the foliage of the oaks,

sassafras ''Sassafras'' is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.Wolfe, Jack A. & Wehr, Wesley C. 1987. The sassafras is an ornamental tree. "Middle E ...

, and

red maple ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nati ...

s begin to turn a vast array of reds, yellows, and oranges. The North Fork River is also main attraction for visitors to the area. There are three springs within Devils Backbone that feed the North Fork (Blue, Amber, and McGarr). There is even a canoe launch for the river which offers smallmouth bass, blue gill, and rock bass

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techni ...

opportunities. For those interested in

wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted f ...

White-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

(''Odocoileus virginiana''), red and

grey fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener, the diminutive island fox (''Urocyon littoral ...

(''Vulpes vulpes'' and ''Urycyon cinereoargenteus''),

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IU ...

s (''Lynx rufus''),

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...

s (''Mephitis mephitis''), squirrels (''Sciurus niger'' and ''S. carolinensis''),

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological ni ...

s (''Canis latrans''), and

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight o ...

s (''Procyon lotor'') can be seen roaming the limestone glades. Visitors, especially hikers should be aware of potentially threatening (but easily avoided) copperhead snakes (''Agkistrodon contortrix'') and Eastern

timber rattlesnake The timber rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, or banded rattlesnake (''Crotalus horridus'') Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of ...

s (''Crotalus horridus'') are likewise commonly seen.

External links

* * IUCN Category Ib Protected areas of Ozark County, Missouri Wilderness areas of Missouri Mark Twain National Forest {{Missouri-protected-area-stub

See also

External links