Cowboy Trail

This article is about the Cowboy Trail in Nebraska, USA. For the Cowboy Trail in Alberta, Canada, see Alberta Highway 22.

Cowboy Trail
Flooding in June 2010 collapsed this former railroad bridge carrying the Cowboy Trail across the Elkhorn River near Norfolk.^[1]
Established	1996^[2]
Length	195 miles (314 km)^[3]
Location	northern Nebraska^[3]
Designation	National Recreational Trail
Trailheads	Norfolk, Nebraska Valentine, Nebraska^[4]
Use	Hiking, Cycling, and Horseback Riding^[4]
Elevation
Grade	2% or less^[4]
Hiking details
Surface	finely crushed gravel, short sections have concrete^[2]
Right of way	Chicago and North Western Railway^[3]

The Cowboy Trail is a rail trail in northern Nebraska. It is a multi-use recreational trail suitable for bicycling, walking and horseback riding. It occupies an abandoned Chicago and North Western Railway corridor. When complete, the trail will run from Chadron to Norfolk, a length of 321 miles (517 km), making it the longest rails-to-trails conversion in the United States. It is Nebraska's first state recreational trail. The trail runs across the Outback area of Nebraska.

History

Built by the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad (a predecessor company of the Chicago & North Western Railway) in the late 1870s and early 1880s, the "Cowboy Line" was abandoned by the C&NW in 1992. The following year, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy purchased the railroad's right-of-way for $6.2 million and donated it to the state of Nebraska. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is responsible for the development and maintenance of the trail.

Development of the trail has occurred at a rate of about 10 to 20 miles (15 to 30 km) each year.^[5] In the summer of 2009, the final segment between Valentine and Norfolk was completed, producing a continuous segment of 195 miles (314 km).^[6]

A short-line railroad (the Nebkota Railway) did operate on the westernmost 74 miles (119 km) of the Cowboy Trail (from Chadron to Merriman) until 2007. The Cowboy Trail in that section was to be built on an easement parallel to the railroad. In view of the abandonment of the final section, details of where the last section of the Cowboy Trail will be built are still being worked out.

Trail guide

Long trestle bridge; twelve trestle pillars

Bridge across Niobrara River southeast of Valentine

There are 29 communities along the length of the Cowboy Trail. Major cities on the trail include (from west to east):

Trailheads are located in Valentine and Norfolk. Completed sections of the trail are crushed limestone. There are 221 bridges on the trail; all bridges have been converted for recreational use. The bridge across the Niobrara River east of Valentine is a quarter-mile long (400 m) and 148 feet (45 m) high; the bridge across Long Pine Creek at Long Pine is 595 feet (181 m) long and 145 feet (44 m) high.

The trail parallels US 20 and US 275 for almost its entire length. A variety of landscapes are found along the trail: the Pine Ridge, the Sandhills, and the valleys of the Niobrara River, Long Pine Creek and the Elkhorn River.

References

↑ Duggan, Joe. "Elkhorn River bucks the Cowboy Trail". Lincoln Journal Star. 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
1 2 "Construction". Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
1 2 3 "Cowboy Trail Guide: Maps, Businesses, Mileage, and More". BikeCowboyTrail. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
1 2 3 "General Information". Cowboy Recreation and Nature Trail. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
↑ Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. "Cowboy Trail Sections". Archived from the original on 2006-11-03. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
↑ Kane, Jerry (Fall/Winter 2009). "Cowboy Trail now complete from Norfolk to Valentine". Outdoor Nebraska p. 3. Published by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln, NE.

External links

Protected areas of Nebraska

Federal

National Monuments	Agate Fossil Beds Homestead Scotts Bluff

National Historic Trails	California Trail Lewis & Clark Trail Mormon Trail Oregon Trail Pony Express Trail

National Wildlife Refuges	Boyer Chute Crescent Lake DeSoto Fort Niobrara John and Louise Seier Karl E. Mundt North Platte Rainwater Basin Valentine

National Forests	Nebraska Samuel R. McKelvie

National Grasslands	Oglala (Hudson-Meng Bison Kill & Toadstool Geologic Park)

USFS National Recreation Areas	Pine Ridge

National Wilderness	Fort Niobrara Soldier Creek

Wild and Scenic Rivers	Missouri Niobrara

State

State Parks	Chadron Eugene T. Mahoney Fort Robinson Indian Cave Niobrara Platte River Ponca Smith Falls

State Historical Parks	Ashfall Fossil Beds Ash Hollow Arbor Lodge Bowring Ranch Buffalo Bill Ranch Fort Atkinson Fort Hartsuff Fort Kearny Rock Creek Station

State Recreation Areas	Alexandria Arnold Atkinson Lake Blue River Bluestem Bowman Lake Box Butte Reservoir Branched Oak Bridgeport Brownville Calamus Champion Lake Cheyenne Conestoga Cottonmill Crystal Lake Dead Timber DLD Enders Reservoir Fort Kearny Fremont Lakes Gallagher Canyon Johnson Lake Keller Park Lake Maloney Lake McConaughy Lake Minatare Lake Ogallala Lewis and Clark Long Lake Long Pine Louisville Medicine Creek Memphis Merritt Reservoir Mormon Island North Loup Olive Creek Oliver Reservoir Pawnee Lake Pelican Point Pibel Lake Pioneer Red Willow Reservoir Riverview Marina Rock Creek Lake Rock Creek Station Rockford Sandy Channel Schramm Park Sherman Reservoir Stagecoach Summit Lake Sutherland Reservoir Swanson Reservoir Two Rivers Union Pacific Verdon Victoria Springs Wagon Train Walgren Lake War Axe Wildcat Hills Willow Creek Windmill

State Recreation Trails	Cowboy Trail

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (web)

Coordinates: 42°00′13.3″N 97°25′33.9″W / 42.003694°N 97.426083°W / 42.003694; -97.426083

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