In addition to geology, the following native plants can be seen along the trail: True Mountain Mahogany, Great Plains Yucca, Rubber Rabbitbrush, and Plains Prickly Pear Cactus. What’s more, the overlook is a suitable place to relax and eat lunch because it has a couple of benches. If the Keyhole is closed then you can get a similar view from the overlook that is located off the western half of the Wild Loop and just south of the Keyhole. The Dakota Sandstone was formerly an ancient beach created by erosion from ancient mountains mixed with an ancient sea to the east. The Devil’s Backbone is Dakota Sandstone that was deposited in the Cretaceous period (145.5 Mya to 65.5 Mya). The following picture shows soft, gray rock of the Jurassic period in the foreground and Devil’s Backbone to the left.
In fact, a prehistoric elephant with five foot long tusks was found at Devil’s Backbone. There are a lot of fossils found in the Morrision formation because this sedimentary layer was formerly a wet swamp land that formed soft rocks able to preserve fossils. The following picture shows a transition from the red sandstone of the Triassic Period to the soft, gray rock of the Morrison formation from the Jurassic period (199.6 Mya to 145.5 Mya).
The western portion of the Wild Loop is only accessible by hikers and includes a small climb in elevation (~200 feet). The red mounds in the following picture are not natural because they were created during the mining of Gypsum. The bricks below the bench at interpretive station #2 were left over from Alfred Wild’s estate. In addition to growing hops and mining for Gypsum, Alfred Wild found clay at Devil’s Backbone and used the clay to make bricks. The transition from oldest to youngest is an example of the law of superposition which states that younger rocks should be on top of older rocks. Because of the uplifting, the rocks seen on the trail transition from oldest to youngest as you climb in elevation on the Wild Loop trail. The eastern sedimentary rock layers (i.e., behind the homes) and western sedimentary rock layers (i.e., Devil’s Backbone) used to be horizontally continuous layers before they were uplifted and then eroded into the valley that exists today. What remains, are exposed layers of sedimentary rocks.Īcross the valley to the east and behind the homes, lies a matching set of sedimentary rock layers. 65 million years ago, the sedimentary layers at Devil’s Backbone were uplifted to form a mound/hill. The protruding rocks in the following picture are from the Triassic period. The next geological feature to notice on the Wild Loop trail is the sedimentary rocks that protrude at an angle. Alfred Wild did well selling Gypsum because it was, and still is, used to make plaster and dry wall for home building. He discovered Gypsum when the Louden irrigation ditch repeatedly absorbed water instead of transporting it. Alfred Wild was a businessman in the 1800s who grew hops for beer. Gypsum was deposited in the Triassic Period (251.0 Mya to 199.6 Mya) and is very porous because it is comprised of dead sea creatures. Gypsum rocks are the little white rocks seen in the following picture. The first kind of rock to spot on the Wild Loop is Gypsum which can be seen on the left side of the trail after crossing the second bridge.
All of the rocks seen at Devil’s Backbone are sedimentary rocks. There are three kinds of rocks: metamorphic (e.g., Rocky Mountains), igneous rock (e.g., Horsetooth Rock), and sedimentary rock (e.g., Devil’s Backbone). The “Interpretive Guide” brochure describes the historical and geological significance of six interpretive stations located on the Wild Loop trail. Parents can make the hike interactive by picking up an “Interpretive Guide” brochure at the trailhead. The trail is a great place for kids to learn local history and geology which is why it makes my list of Best Fort Collins Hikes for Kids. The Wild Loop trail is 2.5 mile loop and climbs approximately 200 feet in elevation.
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