Devil's Standtable Nature Trail

After the Giant City Nature Trail, we headed to a shorter trail not far away: Devil's Standtable. While ominous-sounding, the hike led quickly through the still-barren forest to a set of sandstone bluffs. We made a turn followed along the base until there it was the Standtable.



Full Profile

From shifting and erosion, a flat portion stood out atop a pillar of rock. While picturesque, it was much more a "We came and we saw and we walked away" site. I think this effect was partly a lack of dramatic buildup due to the trail's much shorter length of about 1/3 mile. There was also an element of not being in the scene due to the distance at which the rock formation stood. No scaling. No sitting on top and staring at the forest below.



Closer View

Though with a bit of summer forest cover, the Standtable probably gives more of a sense of being a "gem in the rough". The location also intrigued me because of the large number of pigeons which nested in the spaces along the cliff faces in the area (pigeons are acually wildlife and not city dwellers, after all). In total, while not as whole as other trails, I would suggest taking the short hike and catch a look. What can your experience be?