A USGS search shows roughly 239 geographic features named with “Devil” (creeks, ridges, lakes, etc.), plus ~300 places with “Hell” in the name. “Satan” and “Satan’s” appear in a handful of additional cases.
Here is a list of notable U.S. locations with “Devil” in their name, ranging from natural landmarks to towns and trails. These places often carry mysterious, legendary, or rugged connotations:
🔥 Natural Landmarks and Parks
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Devils Tower – Wyoming
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Iconic butte and sacred Native American site; featured in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
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Devils Postpile – California
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National monument with unique columnar basalt formations.
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Devil’s Den – Pennsylvania
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Rocky Civil War battlefield site in Gettysburg.
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Devils Lake – Wisconsin
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Popular park with hiking, climbing, and glacial formations.
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Devils Garden – Utah
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Area in Arches National Park with numerous rock formations.
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Devil’s Bridge – Arizona
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Natural sandstone arch near Sedona.
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Devil’s Punchbowl – California (and also in Oregon)
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Scenic oceanfront collapsed sea cave or canyon.
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Devil’s Backbone – Indiana and Texas
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Ridge trail in Indiana; scenic drive in Texas Hill Country.
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Devil’s Hole – Nevada
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Geothermal pool; part of Death Valley National Park; habitat for endangered pupfish.
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Devil’s Courthouse – North Carolina
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Mountain peak on the Blue Ridge Parkway with Cherokee legends.
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Devils River – Texas
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Remote and pristine river known for rugged kayaking.
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Devils Gulch – South Dakota
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Site of Jesse James’ alleged escape.
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Devil’s Golf Course – California
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Jagged salt flats in Death Valley National Park.
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Devil’s Head – Colorado
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Fire lookout with a strenuous hike and panoramic views.
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Devil’s Kitchen – Colorado & Utah
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Rock formations found in places like Colorado National Monument.
🏞️ Other Notable Places
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Devil’s Canyon – Multiple states (California, Utah, Texas)
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Devil’s Slide – Utah and California
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Strange rock formation; also a coastal trail in CA.
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Devil’s Lake – North Dakota and Michigan (towns and lakes)
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Devil’s Den State Park – Arkansas
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Devil’s Garden Wilderness – Utah
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Devil’s Fork State Park – South Carolina
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Devil’s River State Natural Area – Texas
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Devil’s Path – Catskills, New York (infamous hiking trail)
- Devil’s Den, Florida (a spring north of Gainesville. Additionally:
🔭 Rivers, Lakes, Mountains & Geological Features
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Devil Track River, Minnesota – flows from Devil Track Lake into Lake Superior Reddit+4Sharon A. Hill+4newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com+4Wikipedia
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Seven Devils Lake region in Arkansas – includes Seven Devils Dam and reservoir Sharon A. Hill
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Devils Paw, Alaska – a rugged granite peak on the Alaska/BC border Eos
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Devils Creek / Pass / Dome, Washington’s Northern Cascades – multiple features sharing the “Devil” theme in a notably rugged terrain LAist+4Explorersweb+4WIRED+4
📍 Lesser‑Known & Local Landmarks
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Devil’s Tramping Ground, North Carolina – a legendary barren circle where nothing grows, steeped in folklore
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Devil Town, Ohio – an unincorporated settlement once known for its salty tannery breeze and a resident fond of the word “devil”
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Satan’s Kingdom, Vermont – a rocky region named for its infertile soil; similarly named communities exist in Connecticut and Massachusetts
🌲 Devilled Abundance in New England
According to a New England folklore compilation, the region is rich with names like:
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Devil’s Bog, Devil’s Chair, Devil’s Half Acre, Devil’s Horseshoe, Devil’s Bean Pot, Devil’s Slide, Devil’s Washbowl, Devil’s Den, Devil’s Dishpan, Devil’s Rock and more across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com
🧠 Historical & Cultural Context
📚 Why the Devil? Reasons Behind the Names:
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Puritan & settler influence: early colonizers often renamed Indigenous sacred sites using Christian demonology to marginalize indigenous cultures
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Descriptive reactions: rugged, menacing, remote, or treacherous places inspired names like “Devil’s Canyon,” “Devil’s Ravine,” or “Devils Slide”
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Mistranslation: Names like “Devils Tower” may stem from misinterpretations of Native language terms such as “Bad God Tower”
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