Our next stop in Craters of the Moon was the far less windy Devil’s Orchard, a curious landscape which gained its name from a visiting minister who declared the collection of jagged lava formations and weather-beaten trees to be a garden fit for the devil himself.

The Devil’s Orchard trail is neither strenuous nor lengthy; it’s entirely flat and paved, and it’s only half a mile, which is short enough for even the laziest tourists.  And the Orchard even has a little something to offer to those who prefer some color in their scenery!

If you thought I was kidding about the Orchard having a little something to offer, I wasn’t.  Those purple flowers are very common, but they’re not overwhelming because they’re little.

Remember the Inferno Cone Overlook?  It’s not too far away from the Orchard.  In fact, you can see the hill and its lone tree at the top of this photo:

There are live trees in the Orchard, but unsurprisingly, they’re far less fascinating than the incomparable natural sculptures of long-dead trees that dot the landscape.  The dead trees are like modern art, except they’re actually aesthetically appealing.

Though the weather-beaten forms are appealing enough on their own, a number of the trees are even more eye-catching thanks to Witch’s Broom, a bizarre disease that causes dense growths of branches.

Near the end of my walk through the Devil’s Orchard, I came across a reminder of the presence of wildlife in the park.  One particular animal, defiantly ignoring the “wet cement” signs, took a stroll on the path before it dried.