Trail Treks
A Guide to Hiking Western Nebraska's Historic Trails
Trail Treks are truly wild lands, with little human influence on the natural landscapes. Access to public lands and recreational opportunities in Western Nebraska is an important natural amenity contributing to a high quality of life for residents, neighboring communities, the people of Nebraska and visitors from across the nation. Welcome to the trails of Western Nebraska.
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A Guide to Hiking Western Nebraska's Historic Trails
NEBRASKAKANSASWYOMINGCOLORADO DAKOTASOUTH RAPID CITY CHEYENNEDENVER LINCOLNOMAHA GERING SCOTTSBLUFF GERING
2TRAIL TREKS 1 Welcome to Trail Treks 2 Table of Contents 3 Territory Overview 5 Scotts Bluff National Monument 9 Scotts Bluff National Monument Trails 11 Monument Valley Pathways 13 Monument Valley Pathways Map 15 Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area 19 Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area Trails 21 Chimney Rock National Historic Site 22 Chimney Rock Map 23 Agate Fossil Beds National Monument 25 Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Map 27 Courthouse and Jail Rocks 28 Courthouse and Jail Rocks Map 29 Additional Information 31 Nebraska Wildlife 33 Index 34 Notes 1 2 34 5 6 The numbered orange shapes correspond to the locations pictured on the area overview map on pages 5-6. Table of Contents
3 TRAIL TREKS % % % % % S t a t e H w y 7 1 State Hwy 88 HUSHwy26Scn w y 2 9 State H State Hwy 29 Hwy 92 Hwy 26 U S H w y 2 H6 wy92 State Hwy 71 S t a t e H w y 7 1 State Hwy 88 Hwy 26 He nry Ly man Ba ya Ge ring McGrew Melbe ta Morrill Minata re Mitc he ll Ha rris burg Sc ottsbluff 5 34 2 1
4TRAIL TREKS % State Hwy 92 Hwy 62A (Link) USHwy 385 a rd Bridge port Broadwater 6 % Scotts Bluff National Monument % Monument Valley Pathways % Wildcat Hills S tate Recreation Area % Chimney Rock National Historic S ite % Agate Fossil B eds National Monument % Courthouse A nd Jail Rocks 1 2 3 4 5 6
Scotts Bluff National Monument
Oregon Trail Half-mile pathway. Trailhead west of Summit Road near Visitor Center at covered wagons. Asphalt with a gravel section, following historic Oregon/ California Trails through Mitchell Pass. Gentle rise to the trail’s end. Rating: Easy.
Rules, signage and cautions: Open year-round, sunrise to sunset. National park rules apply. Pack out garbage. No removal of plants, animals, rocks or artifacts or defacing of rocks with graffiti. No off-trail hiking. Pets must be leashed. Bring water. Watch for rattlesnakes. Abundant informational and cautionary signage. Benches along
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How to get there: One mile west of Gering on Old Oregon Trail Road. About four miles of trails, including three main trails and additional overlook paths from the Summit Road parking area. For experienced hikers, hiking unmarked South Bluff is an option.
Amenities and attractions: Oregon Trail, California Trail and Pony Express history, including swales left by pioneer traffic. Visitor center and museum. Covered wagons and historic trail markers. Birds and deer.
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Rules, signage and cautions: Same as other trails. The rock along the trail is soft and crumbly with steep drop-
Amenities and attractions: Tunnel through the bluff. Panoramic views of the North Platte Valley from
the summit. Benches. Abundant informational and cautionary signage, including rods that measure erosion over time. Birds and deer.
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Asphalt trail 1.6 miles long. Trailheads north of visitor center parking lot and near Summit Road parking area. Wheelchair-accessible for a few hundred yards from the visitor center, then a steep climb to the summit with steep sections and multiple switchbacks. Rating: Difficult.
Saddle Rock Trail
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trails. Restrooms in visitor center and museum.
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Amenities and attractions: The only trail in Scotts Bluff National Monument that allows bicycling. Panoramic views of the Monument’s “five rocks” – Dome, Crown, Sentinel, Eagle and Saddle – as well as Mitchell
Pass. Birds, deer and prairie plants. Rules, signage and cautions: Same as other trails.
offs; leaving the trail can be extremely dangerous.
Prairie View Trail
Asphalt trail 1.2 miles long from the Visitor Center to the eastern boundary of Scotts Bluff National Monument, connecting with Monument Valley Pathway in Gering. Trailheads at Visitor Center parking area and at west end of U Street. Level but steep in places, with an elevation change of about 50 feet. Rating: Moderate.
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9 TRAIL TREKS Oregon Trail -- .5 Miles Saddle Rock -- 2 Miles Summit Road -- 2.3 Miles Scotts Bluff National Monument
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South of the river, a highway bridge takes users to Terrytown, where more than three miles of pathway take users past Terry’s Lake and Terry Carpenter Park, the Carpenter Center and on to the Gering connection at Country Club Road. The seven-acre lake offers fishing, picnic sites, shelters and a Gering’splayground.three miles of pathway gives
Monument Valley Pathways
How to get there: Multiple access points linking Scotts Bluff County’s three adjacent cities, Scottsbluff, Terrytown and Gering, through about 14 connected miles of paved trails, with future sections planned.
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The pathway includes about seven miles of trail in Scottsbluff, more than three miles in Terrytown and more than three miles in Gering. Year-round access, sunrise to sunset. Parking in many areas. Most sections wheelchair accessible. Rating: Easy.
Amenities and attractions: Almost two miles of pathway along the North Platte River, with opportunities for fishing, wildlife photography and bird-watching. North of the river in
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Scottsbluff, the trail passes Scottsbluff Family YMCA, the YMCA’s Trails West camp, Riverside Park, Riverside Discovery Center zoo, baseball fields, Westmoor Park, Carpenter Park, two dog parks and Western Nebraska Community College. Pedestrian overpass over Highway 26.
Rules, signage and cautions: Bicycling, roller skates and roller blades, skateboards, wheelchairs and motorized wheelchairs are allowed. Other motorized vehicles prohibited. Alcohol use, firearms, fireworks and trespassing off-trail are prohibited. Bicyclists should ride single file and announce their presence to walkers.
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Benches and informational signs common. Parks, playground equipment, shelters, picnic and outdoor cooking facilities.
users a close-up view of Scotts Bluff National Monument with access to the Monument’s trail system. Along U street, it passes the city’s dog park and Gering High School.
Exposure to vehicle traffic at road crossings. Steep ramps on pedestrian bridge. No swimming, boating, diving or walking on ice allowed in Terry’s lake.
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Monument Valley Pathways Map
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Rules, signage and cautions: Recreation area is open year-round. A park entry permit is required and may be purchased at the Nature Center. Motorized vehicles prohibited on trails. Dogs must be leashed. Camping and campfires allowed only in designated areas. Fireworks and littering prohibited. Bring water and insect repellant. Watch for rattlesnakes.
Northlook Trail
How to get there: About 10 miles south of Gering on Highway 71. More than three miles of trails through canyons and rocky bluffs of the 1,094-acre park. Five main trails form a connected web that includes several other shorter trails.
Amenities and attractions: Panoramic view of the North Platte Valley from a ridgetop. Access to one of the highest points in the park. Nature Center nearby with displays, programs and
Turkey Run Trail
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A 1.25-mile trail with two trailheads along the park road. Groomed dirt path with rugged terrain and steep sections.
A mile-long out-and-back trail with its trailhead near the Wildcat Hills Nature Center parking area. Groomed dirt path, level but rough in places. Rating: Easy.
gifts, and a multi-sport shooting range on site. Picnic and camping areas available. Deer, bighorn sheep, turkeys and other birds.
Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area 3
Amenities and attractions: Abundant timber offers shade in hot weather. Picnic and camping areas available. Historic shelters nearby. Access to Nature Center with displays, programs and gifts and a multi-sport shooting range on site. Deer, bighorn sheep, turkeys and other birds.
A .4-mile trail with its trailhead at the stone shelter at the end of the picnic area park road. Dirt path, rough in places with rugged terrain and steep sections. Follows a ridge and intersects with Turkey Run Trail. Rating: Moderate.
Descends and climbs out of a valley. Rating: Moderate.
Amenities and attractions: Historic stone shelter and stone steps placed by Civilian Conservation Corps workers nearly a century ago. Ridgetop view of
Muley Trail
central recreation area with views of North Platte Valley. Viewpoints. Picnic and camping areas near trailhead. Deer, bighorn sheep, turkeys and other birds.
Amenities and attractions: Runs below Monument View Trail near one of the only creek drainages in the park. The most primitive trail through the park’s least-visited areas. Deer, bighorn sheep, turkeys and other birds.
Rules, signage and cautions: Same as other trails.
Cedar Ridge Trail
Rules, signage and cautions: Same as other trails.
A 1.25-mile trail, one of the longest in the recreation area. Two trailheads, both at intersections linking it to the Monument View and Turkey Run trails. The northernmost part of the park property also offers access from an unmarked parking area on Old Stagehill Road. Rough dirt path with rugged terrain and steep sections. Descends and climbs out of a valley. Rating: Difficult.
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Monument View Trail
Rules, signage and cautions: Same as other trails.
Almost a mile long, with its lone trailhead at the end of the main road on the park’s eastern border, near the Old Stagehill Road gate. Groomed dirt path, fairly level but rough in places. Rating: Easy.
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Amenities and attractions: Selfie station for photos. Access to one of the highest points in the park. Ridgetop view of recreation area and North Platte Valley. Picnic and camping areas available. Deer, bighorn sheep, turkeys and other birds.
Rules, signage and cautions: Same as other trails.
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19 TRAIL TREKS Monument View -- 1 Mile Northlook Trail -- 1 Mile Muley Trail -- 1.2 Miles Wildcat Hills State Recreation
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A .6-mile trail with unmarked trailhead at western edge of Chimney Rock Pioneer Cemetery parking lot. Short but rough, ungroomed dirt trail with steep sections, leading to a marker at the foot of the rock. Rating: Moderate.
North Platte Valley. Chimney Rock’s significance to America’s western history, including the Oregon Trail, California Trail and Pony Express. Geologic remnant of erosion of bluffs in North Platte Valley, rising 325 feet from conical base. Dating from sediments in Oligocene Age more than 23 million years ago, it towers 480 feet above the valley floor.
Amenities and attractions: Visitor Center and museum nearby on County Road 75. Historic cemetery nearby with some pioneer graves. Views of
Chimney Rock Trail
Rules, signage and cautions: Parking area but no signage. Monument to property donor Roszel Frank Durnal at trail’s end. Bring water and insect repellant. Watch for rattlesnakes.
Chimney Rock National Historic Site 4
How to get there: About 20 miles southeast of Gering on Highway 92. Accessible from Morrill County Road 75, then west on Chimney Rock Road. One path on public land designated as a National Historic Site in 1956.
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Chimney Rock Trail Bureau of Management,LandNebraska
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Daemonelix Trail
The mile-long Daemonelix Trail, located near the Monument entrance, features an on-site fossil exhibits of the spiral corkscrew fossil of the Paleocastor, an ancient land beaver that lived in the area. The groomed gravel trail includes a gentle climb to the exhibits.
Amenities and attractions: Displays of burrows. Views of the Niobrara Valley. Rules, signage and cautions: Open year-round, sunrise to sunset. National park rules apply. Pack out garbage. No removal of plants, animals, rock or artifacts or defacing of rocks with graffiti. Pets must be leashed.
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
How to get there: About 47 miles from Scottsbluff. Travel west to Mitchell and turn north on Highway 29 for 37 miles to the Monument entrance at the Niobrara River. The visitor center is about three miles east of the highway. The Monument has more than three miles of trail, including an unpaved path. Improved trails include the Deamonelix Trail and the Fossil Hills Trail. An unpaved one-mile path off the Fossil Hills Trail leads west to a restored homestead, “Bone Cabin,” used after 1914 as the temporary residence for scientists who worked nearby fossil quarries. Paper trail guides are available in the visitor center.
Rating: Easy.
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Bring water. Watch for rattlesnakes. Abundant informational and cautionary signage. Benches along trails. Restrooms in visitor center. Cellphone coverage limited. Free WiFi at visitor center. Nearest services, including fuel, are more than 30 miles from the Monument.
The 2.8-mile Fossil Hills Trail leads from the visitor center to historic fossil quarry sites, studied by the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh almost 20 years after rancher James Cook discovered fossilized bones in the mid-1880s. Fossils of 14 animals, some 20 million years old, were found during the
Rules, signage and cautions: Same as other trails.
Fossil Hills Trail
studies. Gentle rise of about 250 feet elevation from the parking area. Rating: Easy. Amenities and attractions: Interpretive signs with photos featuring paleontology history. Bridge over river. Visitor center with displays of fossils and Native American artifacts from collection composed of gifts from friends of Cook. Niobrara River wetlands. Deer, sandhill cranes and other prairie birds and plants. Link to mile-long Bone Cabin path.
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Fossil Hills John Cook's
25 TRAIL TREKS Fossil Hills Bone Cabin Loop -- 1 mile
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Amenities and attractions: Two rocks rising more than 240 feet above nearby Pumpkin Creek form the easternmost features of the Wildcat Hills formation. Recognized and named by pioneer travelers. Significant to the histories of the Oregon Trail and California Trail, Pony Express, Mormon Trail, Sidney-
Rules, signage and cautions: Open year-round, sunrise to sunset. National park rules apply. Pack out garbage. No removal of plants, animals, rock or artifacts or defacing of rocks with graffiti. Benches but no other signage or services on-site.
How to get there : About 36 miles southeast of Gering on Highway 92, then five miles south on Highway 88. Accessible from a short drive west on Morrill County Road 81, just past a historical marker on the highway. Public land on National Register of Historic Places. Short but rough, ungroomed dirt trails with steep sections. Rating: Easy.
Courthouse and Jail Rocks
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Deadwood gold rush, stagecoach and military trail, as well as Native American lore. Archaeological site and ruins of Pony Express Station.
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´ 0.5 Miles Parking Area Sources: Esri, HERE,
• Hike quietly. Speak in low voices and turn your cell phone down, if not off. Enjoy the sounds of nature and let others do the same.
•habits.Leave
what you find. The only souvenirs a hiker should come with are photographs and happy memories. (And maybe an improved fitness level!)
• When bringing a pet on a hike, be sure to keep it on a leash and under control. Don’t forget to pack out pet waste as well.
• Don’t toss your trash – not even biodegradable items. If you packed it in, pack it back out.
Trail Etiquette:
Most hikers enjoy their fair share of peace and solitude on the trail; odds are you’ll eventually end up sharing the trail with others. But don’t worry, whether you’re sharing the outdoors with mountain bikers, equestrians or fellow hikers, there are a few unwritten rules that can help make your time on the trails more pleasant. Some commonly observed practices are:
• Hikers going downhill yield to those hiking uphill.
Additional Information
• Don’t feed the wildlife. While many animals stay hidden, others are not so shy. Giving these creatures food only disrupts their natural foraging
• If taking a break, move off the trail to allow others to pass by unobstructed.
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• Flashlight; headlamp and extra
• Plenty of food; beyond the minimum expectation
• Knife or multi-tool; gear repair kit
•batteriesFire;matches, lighter, tinder
• Hiking boots or shoes
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• First aid kit; including foot care and insect repellent
• If hiking in a group, don’t take up the whole width of the trail; allow others to pass.
The exact items that you bring can be tailored to the trip you’re taking. When deciding what to bring, consider factors like weather, difficulty, duration, and distance from help. These items should be on your essentials hiking checklist:•Hiking backpack
• Shelter; tent, rain gear
• Binoculars
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• Plenty of water; beyond the minimum expectation
• Sun protection; sunglasses, sunprotective clothes and sunscreen
• Notepad and writing utensil
• Weather-appropriate clothing (think moisture-wicking and layers) and extra clothes
• Camera
What to Bring Hiking:
• Help preserve the trail by staying on the trail. Widening a trail by going around puddles, etc., is bad for trail sustainability.
Trails are a shared public space. Safety and courtesy make for a positive trail experience for everyone, so please respect your fellow trail users.
• Navigation tools; maps, compass, altimeter, GPS device, personal locator beacon
Notes:
Bald Eagle
MuskratKingfisher BighornCanadaBeaverGooseSheep
Belted
Western Nebraska is home to a plethora of amazing wildlife, including native animals and migrating birds.
Nebraska Wildlife
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Great Blue Heron
WhitetailPaintedDeerTurtleDeer
Mule
32TRAIL TREKS Wild ImmatureTurkeyBaldEagleOspreyGraySquirrel
33 TRAIL TREKS Credits Photos and Content: • Steve Frederick Maps: • North Platte NRD • City of Scottsbluff • City of Gering • ESRI • USGS • NASA • FEMA Trail Treks Partners: • Scotts Bluff Area Visitors Bureau • Gering Visitors Bureau • Nebraska Tourism Commission • City of Gering • City of Scottsbluff • Tri-Cities Active Living Council
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VISITGERING.COMVISITSCOTTSBLUFF.COM
