Nebraska National Forest at Halsey

At the turn of the twentieth century, foresters and boosters looked at the vast, treeless Sandhills and wondered whether trees could be made to grow there. The idea was championed by early conservationists, and a federal forest reserve was established in the region, with the goal of raising a working forest and a nursery to supply seedlings for planting across the plains. Beginning in the early 1900s, crews planted seedlings by hand across the dunes.

It was a monumental effort, and not an easy one. Wildfires, harsh weather, and the simple difficulty of establishing trees in sandy, dry ground meant many losses and much replanting over the decades. But enough took hold to create the forest that stands today, the largest human-planted forest in the nation, a living monument to a stubborn and visionary experiment in reshaping the land.

What makes Halsey so striking is the contrast. Step out of the pines and you are instantly in the open Sandhills, the largest sand dune formation in the Western Hemisphere, its dunes held in place by a fragile skin of grass. The abrupt boundary between planted forest and native grassland is unlike anything else, and it makes vivid just how deliberate and artificial the forest is.

That juxtaposition also creates rich edges for wildlife. Deer, turkey, grouse, and many birds move between the woods and the grass, and the mix of habitats supports more variety than either would alone. Exploring the forest and its grassland surroundings together gives the fullest sense of the place and the ambition behind it.

One of the forest's landmarks is the Scott Lookout Tower, a fire lookout that rises above the trees and offers a sweeping view over the woodland and the endless dunes beyond. Climbing it drives home how small the planted forest is against the immensity of the Sandhills, and how far the grass runs in every direction.

The Middle Loup River threads through the area, one of the clear, spring-fed streams that lace the Sandhills and give the dry-seeming country its hidden abundance of water. Trails wind through the forest for hikers and riders, and campgrounds let visitors stay the night in the rare shade, listening to the wind move differently through planted pines than through open grass.

The forest sits in the heart of the Sandhills, a landscape long used as some of the finest cattle range in the country and, for thousands of years before that, part of the homeland of Plains peoples who hunted and traveled its grasslands. Today it is ranching country, thinly settled and enormous, with an emptiness and quiet that many travelers find deeply restorative.

Because the area is remote, a visit takes some planning. Fuel and supplies are limited nearby, so it pays to stock up in advance, and dry-season fire restrictions should always be respected in a forest that has fought wildfire throughout its existence. Those who make the trip find a genuinely singular place, a hand-made woodland in one of the least crowded corners of the plains.

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