Cowboy Trail

The trail follows the corridor of a railroad that once ran across northern Nebraska, hauling cattle, grain, and passengers between the ranch towns strung along the line. When the railroad was abandoned, the state acquired the corridor and set about converting it into a public trail, part of a national movement to turn disused rail lines into paths.

Because it follows a rail grade, the Cowboy Trail is remarkably level and gentle, engineered long ago to keep trains from climbing steep hills. That makes it welcoming to casual riders and walkers, who can cover long distances without hard climbs while soaking in country that most travelers only glimpse from a highway.

For much of its length the trail crosses the Sandhills, the vast region of grass-covered dunes that blankets north-central Nebraska. It is one of the largest grass-stabilized dune fields in the world, an ocean of rolling green anchored by native prairie, dotted with cattle, windmills, and shallow lakes.

This is deep ranching country, and the trail threads through the small towns that grew up along the old railroad to serve the cattle industry. Valentine, in Cherry County, is the largest of them, a genuine cowboy town that gives the trail its flavor and serves as a base for exploring the surrounding Sandhills and river country.

The signature feature near Valentine is the long railroad bridge over the Niobrara River, a former trestle roughly a quarter mile in length that carries the trail high across the valley. From up on the deck you look down on the clear, spring-fed Niobrara and out across a broad sweep of grassland, a viewpoint few roads can match.

The Niobrara itself is one of the great rivers of the plains, a National Scenic River famous for its canoeing, its waterfalls, and the meeting of eastern and western ecosystems along its banks. The Cowboy Trail's crossing of it ties the path to one of Nebraska's most celebrated natural landmarks.

Late spring and early fall are the sweet spots, with mild temperatures and greening or golden grass, ideal for long rides across the open country. Summer is warm and can be windy on the exposed prairie, so early starts and plenty of water are wise.

Fall brings crisp air and thinner traffic, a fine time for the Niobrara valley's color. Winter is cold and can be snowy on the Sandhills, and the trail quiets down, though a clear winter day on the empty grade has a stark beauty all its own.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.