What’s In A Name?

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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

  1. Devils Tower – Wyoming

    • Iconic butte and sacred Native American site; featured in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

  2. Devils Postpile – California

    • National monument with unique columnar basalt formations.

  3. Devil’s Den – Pennsylvania

    • Rocky Civil War battlefield site in Gettysburg.

  4. Devils Lake – Wisconsin

    • Popular park with hiking, climbing, and glacial formations.

  5. Devils Garden – Utah

    • Area in Arches National Park with numerous rock formations.

  6. Devil’s Bridge – Arizona

    • Natural sandstone arch near Sedona.

  7. Devil’s Punchbowl – California (and also in Oregon)

    • Scenic oceanfront collapsed sea cave or canyon.

  8. Devil’s Backbone – Indiana and Texas

    • Ridge trail in Indiana; scenic drive in Texas Hill Country.

  9. Devil’s Hole – Nevada

    • Geothermal pool; part of Death Valley National Park; habitat for endangered pupfish.

  10. Devil’s Courthouse – North Carolina

  • Mountain peak on the Blue Ridge Parkway with Cherokee legends.

  1. Devils River – Texas

  • Remote and pristine river known for rugged kayaking.

  1. Devils Gulch – South Dakota

  • Site of Jesse James’ alleged escape.

  1. Devil’s Golf Course – California

  • Jagged salt flats in Death Valley National Park.

  1. Devil’s Head – Colorado

  • Fire lookout with a strenuous hike and panoramic views.

  1. Devil’s Kitchen – Colorado & Utah

  • Rock formations found in places like Colorado National Monument.

🏞️ Other Notable Places

  1. Devil’s Canyon – Multiple states (California, Utah, Texas)

  2. Devil’s Slide – Utah and California

    • Strange rock formation; also a coastal trail in CA.

  3. Devil’s Lake – North Dakota and Michigan (towns and lakes)

  4. Devil’s Den State Park – Arkansas

  5. Devil’s Garden Wilderness – Utah

  6. Devil’s Fork State Park – South Carolina

  7. Devil’s River State Natural Area – Texas

  8. Devil’s Path – Catskills, New York (infamous hiking trail)

  9. Devil’s Den, Florida (a spring north of Gainesville. Additionally:

    🔭 Rivers, Lakes, Mountains & Geological Features

    📍 Lesser‑Known & Local Landmarks

    • Devil’s Tramping Ground, North Carolina – a legendary barren circle where nothing grows, steeped in folklore

    • Devil Town, Ohio – an unincorporated settlement once known for its salty tannery breeze and a resident fond of the word “devil”

    • 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:

    • 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:

    1. Puritan & settler influence: early colonizers often renamed Indigenous sacred sites using Christian demonology to marginalize indigenous cultures

    2. Descriptive reactions: rugged, menacing, remote, or treacherous places inspired names like “Devil’s Canyon,” “Devil’s Ravine,” or “Devils Slide”

    3. Mistranslation: Names like “Devils Tower” may stem from misinterpretations of Native language terms such as “Bad God Tower”