Cowboy Trail Forum

Hi, my wife and I cycled the Cowboytrail in August 2016. Here is the link to the videoclip with a few impressions (I shortened the long version including German narration to this short version with soundtrack only) http://tinyurl.com/cowboytrail

Awesome. Thanks for sharing this clip. Looks like you had a good trip. I hope to ride the trail next summer.

Thanks for sharing!! Hope you enjoyed the trail.

Nice! Thanks for posting. My wife and I are thinking of doing part of this trail. Is the trail surface suitable for a road bike? I have ridden on crushed limestone and had no problems.

It is much coarser than the crushed limestone of the Katy trail , I would suggest atleast a 1.5 inch cross over if not a mountain bike. We went woth fat tires my only regret was our weight

Great video, thanks for sharing!

This was an amazing video --as a local I recognize many of these locations and even caught a peak of our motel on the left corner of your American Flag Hay Bale stop. :) FYI: Each year for our annual celebration "Hay Days" (Aug 17-20,2017) there is a different hay sculpture erected in that very same spot! A little birdie told me this year there would be a "HayMaze"!

If we were to do the entire trail from Norfolk to Valentine, what are our options for getting back to our car in Norfolk? Any other suggestions for those wishing to do the entire train but only one way?

Similar question: If starting in Valentine, how to return from Norfolk.

Talk to Panda Transportation, based in Valentine (click Valentine on the map above, scroll down and click the Panda link). They're the only shuttle that I'm aware of along the trail. They will take you to/from pretty much any point in the state of Nebraska.

You might also be able to find a traditional taxi company based in one of the major towns like Norfolk, assuming they have a vehicle that can accommodate your gear.

Transportation can be a significant part of your expenses, but that's not surprising when you think about it. To carry you from one end of the trail to the other, the driver is spending pretty much a whole day driving round trip, plus putting hundreds of miles on their vehicle. Just another necessary cost to build into your trip budget.

Good luck and happy trails!

At the Sandhills Guest House Motel in Atkinson we have made numerous efforts to help accommodate those riding the trail. Just last fall we had a father & son riding and the father fell ill partway through their trip. We checked with locals through social media and found them an inexpensive (free) delivery back to their vehicle in Norfolk the very same day. Highway 20 (parallel to the trail for the most part) is well traveled by locals --most of whom can be trusted and are willing to help someone out. We are very happy to help make these connections when needed.

Cowboy Trail Nebraska: Norfolk to Battle Creek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4B0qYcwyoM

Cowboy Trail Nebraska: Battle Creek to Meadow Grove
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2SsHySfw_w

This is MY Neligh - Cowboy Trail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oRQRduGVo

Cowboy Trail: Neligh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZHbwZyx5X8

Cowboy Trail Nebraska
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pHH2S7aR4k

Cowboy Trail, October 2008
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg8-aJ5XAuo

Cowboy Trail: Norfolk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo0JhjUhkbI

Cowboy Trail Nebraska: Valentine area
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQMBGtMPwLk

Cowboy Trail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuQAPDJQT7Q

My boyfriend and I did the Katy trail two years ago and loved it! We are looking at doing the Cowboy trail and wondered how it compared - shaded paths, surface type, accommodations along the way. I see a lot about riding along a highway? Do you detour to the highway for a reason?

My son and I rode Norfolk to Atkinson three years ago. Things may have changed since then, but probably not much.

- You'll see a lot more people on the Katy than Cowboy. We saw hardly anyone else on Cowboy, except for a few locals riding around their towns' part of the trail. This is probably due to several factors, including how much each state promotes the trail, how well-known each trail is in the cycling community, and each trail's proximity to large population centers.

- There's less maintenance on the Cowboy - some sections were "weedy".

- Both trails are about the same in flatness.

- Both have small towns at similar distances along the trail, with enough food, lodging, and camping services.

- Both trails let you see an amazing slice of small town Americana, with wonderful people.

- Both trails use the same type of small crushed gravel.

Regarding the highway, there were I think two places where a bridge was out on the trail, so we hard to detour over to the highway which was parallel to the trail, maybe 1/4 mile away. Each detour was brief, maybe a mile or two if I remember correctly.

I'd certainly recommend the Cowboy trail. It's definitely different than the Katy, quieter, but shares a lot of the characteristics that make the Katy such a great experience.

Thinking of backpacking Norfolk to Neligh and back with friends early August. Anyone done this? What is the weather like around then? I see comments regarding the wind. Water sources for filtering?

Go to Cowboy Trail Home on the menu above and then find weather or click this: http://www.bikecowboytrail.com/cowboy-trail-weather.aspx
it is weather and you can see projected weather reports.

Does anyone have any experiences that they might share about running any sections of the Cowboy Trail?

I would love to see more 'Running' related events in all the different areas along the 'Cowboy Trail'. Whether if it's a runners hike, fun run or race. That would be great. Thanks for your time.

I would love to talk to someone that has ridden on The Cowboy Trail. Will horses really cross the bridges?

Planning to do the trail from Norfolk to Valentine. I'm looking for places to eat along the way. Specifically what are the options like between Ainsworth and Valentine. Google showed a diner in Wood Lake that was permanently closed. That seems like a long stretch with out many options.

There is a fantastic diner right off the trail as you come into to stuart. Right on Highway 20 on right as you come into town. Always busy with locals
cast iron bar and grill, plan a stop here, nothing quite this good in Bassett which is 20 miles West

Pack some food! You're in the heart of the sandhills west of Ainsworth, in my opinion, because it's wide open spaces. Bar in Johnstown and then I don't recall anything until Valentine.

Best prime rib you'll ever eat is at the L-BAR-B restaurant in Clearwater - it's a must stop

We will be driving through Valentine in a rental car. Anywhere nearby that rents bikes?

There are no places to get bike tire patches or pumps in Neligh, Oakdale, Tilden or Meadow Grove. Maybe a gas station would have been able to fix a tire- thankfully we didn't have to find out as we didn't get any flats. People we talked to in Meadow Grove as we dropped off the car had had 4 flat tires between Norfolk and Meadow Grove.

The section from Neligh to Oakdale is slightly downhill so it is easy going. Oakdale to Tilden is flat and has a pretty thick layer of new gravel which makes for mucky traveling. We opted to ride on 275 for much of that section. Tilden to Meadow Grove was flat with not to much extra gravel and the trail goes farther away from 275 right near Meadow Grove so there isn't as much car noise.

It took us about 3 hours to do the whole 18 miles

I thought we were the only ones on the trail good to hear you made it

7 miles west of atkinson, hit a patch of goat heads ( un seen ) and cause three flats. Did not expect goat heads this time of year. We think we got them when we peddled around a gate that was too narrow for our bikes but not sure ,

Here is the full blog post on our short leg

https://travelreporter.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/the-cowboy-trail-and-sand-hills-nebraska/

I was thinking of late September or early October to beat the heat.

I rode the trail the last week of September and it was wonderful. If it's hot jump in the spring fed long pine creek at the state recreation area...good stuff.

We are thinking of doing an out and back trip from Norfolk. When weather hits and it rains how is the trail? Hate to be stuck somewhere unable to get back. Thanks.

The trail does alright, I would say it depends more on your bike/tire selection. I've ridden on it in the rain and it's not bad at all on a MTB. If it gets too messy you can always bail and ride on HWY 275/20.

Hi:

We are coming in from Ogallala, NE, pulling a small pop up tent trailer. We'd like to stop in Valentine and unload our bikes for a short ride up the Cowboy Trail. Where can we safely park our car and camper?

Barb & Paul Molina

Also, would like to see a response to May question referring to ruts on Valentine trail from 4 wheeler usage.

You could park in Valentine's city park (North side of town) and go to the trail head from there but be prepared for a tough climb coming out of the park to get to the trail head. I believe there is some adequate parking at the trail head as well next to the little liquor store, if you're just going for a short ride.

How is the trail by Valentine? Last I heard it was full of runs from four wheelers.

I meant ruts.

I was there in late April and it was fine!

My husband and I take an adventure bike trip every May. We were thinking of revisiting the Katy or the Ohio to Erie but I had mentioned the Cowboy. My husband says he has heard many tales of horrendous thorns on the trail. Is this really true? I appreciate the feedback from May riders.

I have not ridden the trail, I plan to this summer. However, I grew up in the Sandhills and yes, those thorns are bad. Kevlar and semi solid tires are a must to ride. The weight will pay for itself. But the views in the Sandhills are amazing and you will never forget the night sky.

I rode the trail in 2016. No thorns. Don't worrry.

Hermann

6 friends rode it end-to-end last summer and between them had 1 flat. They rode with good puncture resistant tires but nothing unusual or special.

Big thorns on the trail about a half mile west of town at Ainsworth. However, they are only on the trail in front of the agricultural supply business, about 500'. You can use the highway and bypass them. No other hazards noted between Ainsworth and Johnstown.

The thorns won't come out until mid to late summer , hence the differing opinions on this subject. Unless there are holdovers from the previous year, but I would expect the problem gets worse in the later summer

I ride the trail in late September/early October every year. Thorns aren't an issue.

Is harvest dust a problem in mid- to late September?

So, odd question for you folks who have used this website for your trip planning.
How many other bike trails used this web designer for their sites?

-bikecando.com
-bikekatytrail.com
-bikecowboytrail.com
All appear to be from exact same designer. I REALLY like this format and would research more trails.

Thanks for the note - glad you like the websites!

There are two others....

Silver Comet / Chief Ladiga trails in Georgia and Alabama:
http://www.bikeSilverComet.com

Rock Island trail, which intersects the Katy Trail (and the websites intersect somewhat too):
http://www.bikeRockIsland.com

If you know of any other long trails out there that don't yet have good websites, I'm open to suggestions for other sites!

Happy trails!

Ray,

THANK YOU for your work on this and the other sites.
I need to tell you more about WHY I’m SO happy with your site design.
My oldest daughter and I biked the Katy Trail in September, 2014. My youngest and I biked the GAP/C&O in September of this year. Both girls were 9yrs old when they took their trips. Both were also out of school for the duration of their trip, including travel to/from our home. As part of the conditions for their time off school (and to get myself out of carrying their textbooks along) I had to incorporate academic work into the trip itself. Geography, math, history, budget/finance and speech all were covered. In the winter, the girls laid out the endpoints of the trip and did the math and mapping of “how many days?” and “how far can we go each day”, “is it uphill/downhill and how much?”, “Where can we camp, get food, water?”, “What do we want to see?” “If we have a breakdown, where can we go?” “Is there something historically significant?”... We bought or library-loaned books on the areas we were going and read about the history and I even made the girls work up a budget for us for camping, food, drink, souvenirs, repairs, etc. We had tens of hours of prep-time in January and February prior to each of our trips. We’ve photo-documented the whole thing as they are in a Bicycling 4-H project as well. It was AT LEAST two weeks of classroom work rolled into a well-planned and executed trip.
After we returned the girls each had/have to do a Powerpoint (technology) presentation for their wing (grades K-5) of the school. –My youngest does hers tomorrow! I will bring in the tandem bike and gear and all the kids will get to ding the bell and try sitting on it and see the little stove and other cool stuff we used…
All that said, can you imagine how valuable your site was in planning our trip?? The girls and I have spent HOURS on your websites and have found them to be the clearest, most straightforward way to plan a

bike trip. So easy a child can do it. LITERALLY!
Thank you for your efforts on these. I’m sure they require a lot of resources be assembled during creation and updated as businesses/contacts change. Now we’re spoiled and have a hard time using any other sites. We’ve never done the Cowboy or the Silver Comet, but I’ve bookmarked those sites and one of those will be our next trip.
THANKS AGAIN!!

Sorry if my post was duplicated)

Awf Hand - sorry I'm slow to reply, but I love your description what an amazing learning experience you were able to give your kids. It's gratifying to know that one of my websites was able to play a key part in that. I love running these websites, and hearing stories like yours makes it all worthwhile. Good luck with your future trips!

Ray - don't you do the C and O/Great Allegheny Passage as well? The design of the site looks very similar.

Not sure what your definition of long trails is - or how short/long you want to work on....but...

Longleaf Trace in Mississippi isn't that long but could use some work. Found it fairly hard to find information. So could the Pine Creek Trail has a good/active Facebook page and a really good guidebook but no much in terms of a web presence (that I could find) Same with the famous Mickelson Trail in SD. Good guide book that can be downloaded as a PDF but not an active web presence/discussion forum (again - that I can find.)

As noted - there's some online information for all of them, but I really appreciate the active Comment Forums and the trip planning resources that you offer.

Finally - the Prairie Spirit Trail in Kansas and the newly developing Flint Hills Nature Trail in that state could also use some additional website work/design in my opinion.

Thank you for the heads-up on those other trails!

I will definitely take a look and see how well they fit. I love doing these websites and am always happy to have a new one to work on (and yes BikeCandO.com is one of mine)

Thanks again and happy trails!

I find this , as well as the other trails utilising these page templates, to be very useful when viewed on a desktop monitor. Very good planning tools.I think it would be useful to integrate google maps into the content..I find myself toggling between pages to look at topography , terrain details.
Keep up the good work Mr. Ray

My sister and brother-in-law managed Hidden Paradise in 1950. As a 15 year old, I went along, as a summer job, to help with picking up trash after the Saturday night dance and keeping the place clean. My Grandpa gave me a fly rod to take along and I fished in Long Pine Creek every day and caught lots trout. Great memories!!

I'm planning a bike trip to the Cowboy Trail next spring. How are the bike trail conditions? Thanks for sharing!
AC

I have biked on a lot of trails in different states but I cannot understand why this trail (Cowboy)is not kept up and promoted like other state trails do.
Nebraska is missing out on a lot of tourism and their dollars.

We stopped at Valentine on our way to Spearfish. We had a such great time on the trail we plan to ride more of it next year. The suppers at the Peppermill Restaurant were so large that my wife and I could split a meal and still have plenty. Lodging at the Econo Lodge was more then adequate.

Thank you for the post. This is helpful in my planning.

Can't seem to find where to park at a trailhead in Valentine. Can you advise, please?

Ask any of the locals they are friendly and have all the answers.

I see on the RideWithGPS website/maps it shows the trail west of Valentine all the way to German Settlement Road.

Wondering if anyone with local/first-hand knowledge has actually ridden this stretch of 15-18 miles west of Valentine.

Thanks!

Asking the question as I am considering an end-to-end ride next June and am dreaming/planning. Thanks again.

Hate to rain on your parade. Lots of the trail is not well maintained or used. The bikers prefer to ride along the highway as it has 8 foot shoulders and has minimal traffic. There are few stretches that are worth traveling on. West of Norfolk the trail follows the rivet....nice. once it gets to where it parralells the highway you are best to travel on the road. There are a few stretches away from the highway the best are onthe way through Lone Pine. There is a new cell tower 10 miles west of Wood Lake. From there it is 15iles to Valentine. It is definitely the place to ride the trail. Traveling through the sandhills and crossing the Niobrara. A trip you won't forge.

Thanks for the feedback. I plan to give it a go from Norfolk to Valentine next summer. I kind of like an adventure. I am planning to stop at Valentine. Thanks again for the feedback. It is very helpful.

Can you travel west from Kilgore at all? Thanks.

Anyone biking to Valentine from Norfolk? I could drive your vehicle to Valentine as I want to hike from Valentine to Norfolk.

I walked from Valentine to Ainsworth. I think the trail as a whole is not going to work out. Most of it parralells HWY 20 which has 8 feet shoulders and has minimal traffic. It is a great highway for cross-country cycling. The only bikes I saw were on the highway. There are many sandburrs growing on the trail. Without puncture proof tires, trying to ride on it would be foolish. The best 15 miles to hike or bike. Are the 15 miles east of Valentine. It would be an easy bike ride as it is all slightly downhill. It stays away from the highway and it is gorgeous. It goes through the sandhills and is very quiet and peaceful. You get to cross the entire Niobrara river valley and to the Railroad Bridge that is nearly a mile long and the view is awesome. Aside from that section you can see most of what trail offers from your car driving down HWY 20. They are building a cell phone tower at mile 15 there is a windmill right east of it. It is about 10 miles west of Wood Lake. Get on the trail there and ride or walk to Valentine you will love it and remember it! Someone in Valentine the provides canoe trips should get some bikes to rent and shuttle people out there. It would be a big hit. The trail is in very good condition the whole way.

I plan to hike from Norfolk to Valentine, and I was just wondering if you can camp along the trail or if it is necessary to find campsites in each town.

You will need to stop at one of the small towns along the trail and camp. The trail is technically closed at sunset. Most all of the towns have a place where you can camp, some charge a small fee, and others are free.

Have you done the hike? I plan to do the same next weekend. To you have transportation arranged to Valentine?

Want to find a ride with anyone going from Norfolk to Valentine between August 20 and 22. 4028907361