Devil's Den Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Devil's Den State Park. I-540 Exit #53 West Fork, Ark. 170 southwest 27 km. I-540 Exit #45 Winslow, Ark. 74 west 11 km. ()
Open:	All year. [2006]
Fee:	free. [2006]
Classification:	Tectonic cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	L=170 m. self guided
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Devil's Den State Park, 11333 West Arkansas Highway 74, West Fork, AR 72774, Tel: +1-479-761-3325 or 1-800-264-2417 (cabin reservations only). E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Devil's Den State Park offers a picturesque valley in the northwestern Ozarks called Lee Creek Valley. There is a peaceful lake at the center of the park and the main activities are hiking and backpacking. Although the center of the Ozarks is composed mostly of sandstone, it is at the border between the older limestones and the younger sandstones covering it. At the west end of the park is Farmer's Cave, a small, gated limestone cave. It may be visited on special cave trekking tours only after appointment.

But the main feature of the park, the reason why many outdoor enthusiasts visit Devil's Den State Park, are numerous sandstone crevice caves. The longest of those caves is Devil's Den Cave. Numerous caves may be visited self-guided, following the 2.5 km long Devils Den Trail. The loop was built during the 1930's and on the 90 minutes hike Devil's Ice Box, Twin Falls, Cold Springs, and of course Devil's Den Cave can be visited. During the summer there is a strenuous guided cave exploration hike offered once a week. Start is at the parking lot at the south edge of Hwy 170 Bridge over Lee Creek. It is also possible to start from the Visitors Center.

The Yellow Rock Trail is a little longer, a loop of almost 5 km which takes about two hours. The highlights are more crevices, namely Wild Dog Crevice, The Devil's Teapot, The Devil's Race Track, and Yellow Rock. On summer weekends this trail is much less crowded. It begins near Camping Area 'A' and at the Pavilion on Hwy 170 west of the Dam Area.