A little while ago Zac stumbled on an interesting area called the Devil’s Punchbowl. We had never really heard much about it, but when we did some research it seemed like a great place to go explore. Located about an hour and a half from us, we loaded up three other guys and we set out to tackle the 3 mile each way trek to the Devils Chair.
What makes the Devils Chair so interesting is that it is positioned about 200 feet up on a small rock that overlooks the intersection of two fault lines. This viewpoint showcases a piece of landscape that is literally jumbled by the movement of the earth below it. The hike itself is not extremely difficult, but it is a good push and should not be taken lightly.
From the parking lot you set out on a trail head that is in the South East end and after about 5 minutes of walking you will see a sign telling you that you are headed to Devils Chair. From there you follow a well maintained road that has signs at almost every major junction so you do not get lost. As this is the major hike in this park it has really been taken care of well. The trail hugs the mountain for most of its length, but as you start to get higher it does open into some pretty amazing views of the surrounding landscape. We stopped about half way in to take some epic pictures looking over the park.
When you are nearing the Devils Chair you will start a descent that will take you down around 200-300 feet of elevation. It is nice going down but it’s a good push when you are coming back up so just remember that.
The Devils Chair itself is accessible via a series of steps that lead you right down onto a rock platform that overlooks the geography of the area. We spent a good 20 minutes there taking in the views and eating lunch before heading back on the trail.
After that you simply head back the way that you came to return to the parking lot. I would also recommend that you hike the one mile Devils Punchbowl as well as it provides some really beautiful views of the different rock formations.
Duration: 3 hours and 45 minutes
Length: 7.4 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 2297 ft
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Trail map: Click Here
Check out the rest of the pictures below and let us know what you think in the comments.
Check out our Photo Guide (Right click and open in a new tab for best result)
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