My roadtrip to explore Nebraska started along Highway 83 from South Dakota into the “Heart City” of Valentine. Every year on Valentine’s Day the city transforms and celebrates the day of love. A beautiful little city with a very welcoming visitor center giving me lots of suggestions on what to see in the area.
Smith Falls State Park
My first day was a hike to Smith Falls. A natural spring fed waterfall down a 70 foot high rock face, the highest falls in the state. Travelling about 5 miles on a bumpy muddy road making it an interesting drive to get to the falls. The hike itself was about a half hour which included walking across the famous Verdigre Bridge.
The falls were lovely to see and if the weather had been warmer I probably would have dipped my toes in at the bottom of the falls. My morning walk was very enjoyable however when I got back to my van it was covered by weird bugs! I didn’t get any pictures but the underside of their wings were bright red and I tried to find what they were, perhaps a Boxelder bug? I had to clear my door before even trying to get inside; I didn’t want any unwanted visitors.
After touring around the town center I stayed at the city park campground that was only $5. The next morning I got my bike out and rode along the Cowboy Trail just outside of Valentine crossing a former railroad bridge – a quarter-mile long and 148 feet high – spanning the Niobrara river.
The Cowboy Trail is developed between Valentine and Norfolk, which consists of 187 miles of crushed limestone surfaces. The trail was great to ride on, but I only road 10 km along it while enjoying the beautiful Nebraska countryside.
Explore Nebraska Sandhills
After my bike ride and some breakfast, I continued traveling along highway 83 and then west on highway 2 so I could view and experience the Sandhills. The Sandhills are sand dunes being stablized by mixed grasses covering over one quarter of the state mainly in the north central area. The dunes were designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1984.
The wind sculpted fine grains of quartz into dunes between 5000 and 8000 years ago. Some dunes can be 20 miles (32 km) long and up to 400 feet high making for very expansive vistas along the highway. The area is known to be continuously windy with nearly a million acres of freshwater wetlands. An interesting and stunning area to visit.
Carhenge
Nebraska’s answer to Stonehenge. In 1987 creator Jim Reinders decide to make a replical of Stonehenge using vintage automobiles. All 38 of the major stones at Stonehenge are artistically represented at Carhenge.
I had visited Stonehenge in England and was facsinated to see this creation. I was awe struck with the creativity and planning to put this together. It is fun to walk around the area and I was able to take some great pictures. I am so happy I made the journey to Alliance to see this eccentric and really cool place.
I found a great free camping spot at Bayard City Campground. They had water and electricity hookups and I could stay for 3 nights free of charge, which I took advantage of. A bonus when van travelling, giving me lots of time to explore Nebaska.
Chiminey Rock
Chimney Rock with it’s unique formation has become one of the most famous landmarks in the American West. It is visible for miles which made it a significant landmark for measuring the progress west for travellng emigrants along the Oregon Trail. Until this road trip I didn’t know much about the migration of people travelling west in mid 1800’s and found the history really interesting.
Scotts Bluff
I truly enjoyed my day at Scotts Bluff on my explore Nebraska roadtrip. At the vistor’s center I learned about the history of wagon trains along the 2000 mile Oregon Trail which skirted the rugged Scotts Bluff. I had a wonderful history lesson learning so much about the people who risked their lives travelling west.
Then I took the scenic drive through 3 tunnels to the summit viewpoint at the top of the 800 foot bluff. A short hike led me to stunning views in all directions. From the summit I could see Chimney Rock in the distance. It was 23 miles away, about the distance a wagon train would have travelled in a day.
Bailey Yard & the Golden Spike
I visited Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center. I am not a train enthusiast but found this museum and working rail yard fascinating. Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska is the largest railroad classification yard in the world. The yard covers 2,850 acres, reaching a total length of eight miles. My pictures don’t really do justice to the expansiveness.
Bailey Yard has 17 receiving and 16 departure tracks handling 14,000 rail cars every 24 hours. From the two “hump” yards they sort 3,000 cars daily.
Using a mound cresting 34 feet for eastbound trains and 20 feet for those heading west, the hump yards allow four cars a minute to roll gently into any of 114 “bowl” tracks. Then from here they become part of trains headed for destinations in the East, West and Gulf Coasts of America, as well as the Canadian and Mexican borders. An average of 139 trains per day travel through.
The yard also has a huge locomotive repair shop where they maintain and repair over 750 engines each month. I spent time in the tower learning about orphan trains. This was a time in our history where young children were picked up from the streets of larger cites like New York and sent to families all over the states. A really informative couple hours at another great historical site as I explore Nebraska.
Explore Nebraska camping spots
My first time in Nebraska was so much fun and informative. I met some great people and stayed at some lovely campgrounds. I am happy I chose to explore Nebraska this trip! Now heading into Kansas.
Where I stayed:
- Valentine City Park Campground
- Bayard City Campground
- Ogallala Walmart
- Hershey Lake Wildlife Management Area
- Karer Park in McCook