Cowboy Trail Forum

I sent in a post earlier last week asking for status of trail. Well I found out first hand. myself with 6 other guys started in Valentine. Best part of trip was the bridge just outside of Valentine. Trail then went to "heck" three words to describe the trail conditins....terrible...terrible...terrible. Bumpy, washboard, tractor tire ruts, animal tracks destroyed the trail. Keep in mind we are 7 guys that bike a lot, so we are not new to trails. we all had slime, I had tire liners and slime and most of us still got multiple flat tires. We had lunch in Johnstown. Trail was so bad we road highway most of the time. First night we stayed in Basset. Great campground right in the Fairgrounds, with a donation box. We were all so happy for a hot shower we gave extra donations. Road to Newport for breakfast at Sunny's second morning. Road then to Atkinson for lunch on second day. STOP AT RHONDA'S FOR LUNCH. very best food EVER..we didn't want to leave. Road on to O'neil and stayed night. Camped at part just south of trail. Had somewhat of a hot shower there. Third day- kept riding, and outside of Ewing exactly sure where but there will be a sign that says Trail Closed to the Public. Believe this sign....you keep riding and there is no trail....we had to turn around and head back and get on the highway. Had lunch in Tilden. Now on to Norfolk, saw another sign that said Trail Closed to Public. We believed it this time, we asked some locals and they gave us directions around the bridge that the Lincoln Journal Star says was put in and operational. We got to Norfolk, and that was it. I will add more as I think of it. But pretty dissappointed on how and why the state or whom ever let the trail get into such bad shape. All along the trail, there was not reallyk a town that "welcomed" bikers or tried to cator to cyclists. Again, big opportunities missed here by the state and the small towns along the way. But as I finish this, we had a great time, hangin

I am biking the country right now and am in Omaha. I want to go to Deadwood, SD so was thinking of taking the Cowboy Trail. I hear everything you are saying about the trail conditions, but how are the roads nearby the trail. I am guessing you were on 20. Is that okay to ride on. Any advice you have would be helpful as I am on my own and thousands of miles from home

Hi Levi,

I just got back from the Cowboy Trail a couple weeks ago. I did end up taking Highway 20 from Valentine to Bassett. The highway is great. Minimal hills and good to great shoulders. Definitely recommended. The trail pretty much runs parrallel with the highway so you could bounce back and fourth if you feel one or the other is not to your liking.

Thanks for confirming. Was planning an end-to-end Cowboy trip this summer, did KATY last year. Due to little feedback on the trail, and discouraging reports of conditions, did the Allegheny-C&O trail instead. Amazing journey. If Nebraska doesn't want the visitors, other states are very successful in gaining support.

My two cents about the trail. We arrived in Norfolk on a Saturday afternoon, hoping to ride to Battle Creek and back for a short ride. Not possible, there is a bridge out so our ride was less than 12 miles round trip. Very disappointed and unfortunately, it didn't get much better. The next day we decided to start in Tilden, thinking we would head west to Clearwater and back, and if we wanted to go longer we would keep going east toward Meadow Grove and back. That didn't happen either! You can't get to Clearwater from Neligh and probably never will again. The bridge was washed out and if you look at an aerial map, you'll see that about 5 miles of the trail was also washed out. Our total mileage that day was 36 miles and for me, that was plenty. The trail was rough and not maintained at all. In the Oakdale area, there is pink crushed rock on a long stretch that made biking extremely difficult. Next to the trail is a concrete / crushed rock dealer, so I guess he has used the trail for his waste? Not sure, but hated it.

The Cowboy Trail could be a real jewel through the state but I fear it will simply be left to deteriorate until there's nothing left. Our Governor and legislators will NEVER make it a priority and I find it sad that such a great tourist attraction is going to waste.

I just wish the Cowboy Trail would not be represented as this long continuous trail across Nebraska, because it's not, and I feel sorry for bikers who plan their vacations around riding the entire trail. You can't do it and if I was coming from out of state, I would be extremely disappointed.

We sit enjoying the beautiful Nebraska sunset at Neligh and find ourselves in full agreement. Nebraska needs to develop their diamond in the rough. The folks along the Katy and the Gap have it dialed in. Let's not just talk to each other at this forum, but also make contacts to any town and state official and rail trail organization that will listen. We get what we are willing to work hard for and support.

Thank you for all your comments. I was on the trail in early spring and it was terrible. Then I saw numerous articles that the trail was open, the surface redone and the bridges finished. I guess not! I was also planning a long trip on the Cowboy Trail and now will do the Katy or the Wabash in Iowa. What a sad waste of a what could be a beautiful trail and a boon to the small towns along the trail. What a waste!

unfriendly owners rooms need some serious cleaning.Wouldn't recommend this motel to any one,drive on travelers.

Thank you for the heads up! I was thinking of staying there. :) I will pass this motel up.

Here's a synopsis of our trip report.

The trail is very rough from Valentine to Johnstown (our Day 1 and 8.2 mph average, keep in mind we couldn't crank it due to some of the boy's bikes/conditioning). I rode with seven Boy Scouts (ages 12-17) and another adult leader. We were fortunate to have sag support from two others (Day 2 on). Am blogging about the 5 day journey and will post a link (50, 50, 43, 46, 11).

Slime your time, thorn resistant tubes double tube them (cut a tube and place it around your tire), buy slime guard, replace tires. With that you'll have a shot on the Valentine to Johnstown segment. That 40 mile plus stretch blows.

About 7 miles East of Valentine the surface turns to a washboard / ribbon. Watch for snakes (don't worry they're not just jumping all the time, but be careful). The washboard is nasty. Our group had 8 mountain bikes from good (Trek/Giant) to a couple of Wal-mart models (ruggized though) and my older Specialized Hybrid (1998 vintage). I was ok but bouncing a lot. Only 1 flat from Valentine to Arabia - mine. Looked like a possible snake bite

From Arabia to Wood Lake the sand burs were awful. 9 more flats across 2 bikes (2 on mine). At that point we slimed, double tube every bike. We feared only 3 might make it. We had only 4 more flats the rest of the way - some due to older tire and slime build up.

The final pain from Wood Lake to Johnstown was cow paths/holes. It was as choppy as the wasboard junk. Not fun.

From about 4 miles East of Johnston to the end the trail was pretty good. Some loose spots. When you get ride if of the crushed red rock to and see limestone - you're in a good trail.



We camped in Ainsworth, Atkinson (Day 2), Ewing (Day 3) and Battle Creek (Day 4). All were awesome towns/villages. We were impressed with every town / village as well. Some great city parks that allow camping and state recreation areas.

The trail does improv

From what I am reading on the trail conditions for the past months of 2011, the trail is a bit rough. Is that a normal and ongoing condition?

The reason I ask, it sound like I would want to ride my loaded hybrid and not the touring bike. Would like to spend 3 or 4 days on the trail next Spring, late April, 2012. Any advice or tips concerning a multi-day ride and camping would be appreciated.

Would be wanting to ride the trail with little or no hwy riding if possible so are there segments of the trail to avoid?

This is a good ride but not like the Katy Trail near you in Missouri. It is fairly level and mostly in the open. While they've used crushed limestone, they also throw in some pink granite ballast from the CNW RR in some sections. I had to walk my bike and trailer for a ways.
You need to take snack food with you for the mornings and maybe noon meal. You can camp at the City Park at Battle Creek and Neligh ($5). Ride the center of the trail because they have this "goathead" sandbur that loves bicycle tires. Some listed restaurants have been closed for years. You could call Cleveland Bicycle next Spring for advice. (402-371-3325) Even though the trail slowed me down pulling a Burley, I think I'll be back next September. Great people there.

Thanks for the information Russ!

I rode on March 24th, 2012 from Norfolk trailhead to Oakdale. The bridge just out of Norfolk is still not completed. But is was a short ride on the road to a place where I could access the trail again. There are no signs explaining how to do this, so ask someone first. The trail is soft with sand in many places. It was a fun ride but tough cycling. I agree not as nice as the Katy Trail in Missouri but still a good trail to ride.

Pat and Darrell,

I'm going with a boyscout troop the first week of June. We had an expert mechanic along for the ride. We're planning the full ride from Valentine east to Norfolk with SAG support (two vehicles). Thanks for the insights. Also the bridge near Norfolk - any GPS or directions? Thx!

Hi, All,
My husband, brother and I, all in early 50s, plan to ride the trail west to east, starting in Valentine, and 20 to 50 miles per day. Can anyone tell me the condition of the trail from Valentine to Neligh? We plan to sleep in hotels and eat in restaurants on the way. We'll do this in the middle of May. Thanks!

Did you make the ride? How was it? Any hints, things to notice along the way? We are leaving June 21 to ride from Valentine to Neligh.

The trail is in bad shape from Valentine to Johnstown. Just take the highway shoulder for that section. Johnstown to Neligh is in better shape. Some bumpy sections and soft sections, but to be expected over 200 miles. Jump on the highway for a bit if you get tired of the trail. Be comfortable with changing a flat tire or two. I had slime tubes and was fortunate not to have a flat. I had touring tires which was a mistake as I sunk into the soft sections easily. Cross tires with small knobs would have been a better choice. The bridge outside of Norfolk was not open yet, but a county black top is close and connects back to the trail just before Norfolk.

Thanks for the update!

Abby, agree with Steve's assessment. The trail is very rough from Valentine to Johnstown. I rode with seven BoyScouts (ages 12-17) and another adult leader. We were fortunate to have sag support from two others (Day 2 on). Am blogging about the 5 day journey and will post a link (50, 50, 43, 46, 11).

Slime your time, thorn resistant tubes double tube them (cut a tube and place it around your tire), buy slime guard, replace tires. With that you'll have a shot on the Valentine to Johnstown segment. That 40 mile plus stretch blows.

About 7 miles East of Valentine the surface turns to a washboard / ribbon. Watch for snakes (don't worry they're not just jumping all the time, but be careful). The washboard is nasty. Our group had 8 mountain bikes from good (Trek/Giant) to a couple of Wal-mart models (ruggized though) and my older Specialized Hybrid (1998 vintage). I was ok but bouncing a lot. Only 1 flat from Valentine to Arabia - mine. Looked like a possible snake bite

From Arabia to Wood Lake the sand burs were awful. 9 more flats across 2 bikes (2 on mine). At that point we slimed, double tube every bike. We feared only 3 might make it. We had only 4 more flats the rest of the way - some due to older tire and slime build up.

The final pain from Wood Lake to Johnstown was cow paths/holes. It was as choppy as the wasboard junk. Not fun.

From about 4 miles East of Johnston to the end the trail was pretty good. Some loose spots. When you get ride if of the crushed red rock to and see limestone - you're in a good trail.

We camped in Ainsworth, Atkinson, Ewing and Battle Creek. All were awesome towns/villages. We were impressed with every town / village as well. Some great city parks that allow camping and state recreation areas.

Hey everyone, first time on the site. I just got off the phone with Duane Westerholdt and he said that they are probably going to pull the barricades on the new bridge next week, and that right now you can ride about two miles west but the contractor is still doing pavement work out there so be wary of newly poured roadwork.
So good news, sounds like it'll be up and running around this time next week.

Great news! I was there in March and had to wander a bit to find the trail, because the bridge was still out. Yeah! :) Thank you so much for the update.
Pat

We were just there yesterday.....don't see that happening. The whole trail was a mess, terrible, terrible, terrible shape. Huge opportunity lost by the state of Nebraska not maintaining the trail. We had 7 guys ride the whole thing from Valentine to Norfolk this week. I will be writing a whole review soon. Newspaper had article that said bridge was done, NO WAY was it done. Also part of the trail was gone.....no where to be seen. do yourself a favor wait a year.

We have a group of 7 guys head from Valentine to Norfolk in about a week. Reading the posts on here, it would all suggest trail conditions are not the best. We are planning on camping in Valentine, then Bassett one night and then Ewing. Any suggestions on where to camp for those areas. Also looking for good places to eat. And of course, any input on trail conidtions is always helpful.

We are going June 21, will you post updates when you finish?

I got back from a ride from Stuart to Valentine and back a couple weeks ago. Camped only in Valentine.
Highly recommend Riverside Campground and RV Park (www.valentinecamp.com). We stayed in a cabin. $25 a night per person. Had a fridge, microwave, firepit, clean showers and bathrooms. The owner even let us borrow his truck to head to Valentine, which is 2 miles away, for groceries and beer.

Ainsworth has several options from Subway to Diners. That should put you from Valentine around lunchtime. Wood Lake has a cafe that's supposed to be pretty good. That's the only place to stop for food or water between Valentine and Ainsworth as Arabia is not a town but a ranch and Johnstown has nothing to offer.

Bassett is decent sized and a good place to stop for groceries. They have gas station also but I don't remember much for restaurants.

Highway is recommended from Valentine to Johnstown. Even all the way to Bassett. North and south of Ainsworth provided thorns on the trail both ways. The trail from Bassett to Stuart isn't bad. A couple hickups but worth checking out.

Enjoy your trip.

Rob, thanks for the report.

We're (BoyScout Troop) are leaving Valentine heading East on Saturday morning (to Norfolk). We hope to stay on the trail as much as we can but may opt for Highway 20. We're bring spare tubes and lots of slime. Mountain Bikes and 1 hyrid (no road bikes)

Hi Dave,
If you're mountain bikes have at least a front shock, the trails might not be too bad for you guys. I had a cross bike with no suspension so it was rough in some spots. Spare tubes and slime will definitely help.

We're taking a ride from Atkinson to Valentine and back next Friday. Can anyone comment on the trail conditions on that stretch?

Did you hear anything back? We aren't riding until June but would like to see more discussion on the forum!

I delayed a planned Cowboy Trail trip for another year - going to do the Allegheny, C&O Canal Trail instead. No progress on trail repairs, no progress on trail extension, and poor reports on trail maintenance.

Hi Abby,
Just got back from the ride. We started in Stuart and rode to Valentine. 85 miles each way. The limestone is a little thick due to minimal traffic but not unrideable by any means, however, there has been some cattle and horse traffic so some of the stretches were bumpy for around 100 yards in a few spots. One stretch just north of Johnstown was so bad I had to walk my bike for about a 1/4 of a mile because the trail was so rough. I jumped on highway 20 after that all the way to Valentine. A friend continued on the trail and said he came across a lot of washboards up to around 6 miles south of Valentine.

On the way back I took highway 20 until Basset and was much better. Minimal hills for a few miles but flat the rest with good shoulders. You could take highway 20 all the way to O'Neill with minimal hills and still have a good ride, or hop on the trail for a change of pace, but highway seemed faster and more comfortable in the long run. We had several flats primarily south and north of Ainsworth with thorns and one or two on the rest of the trail also, but highway we had no flats.

Regardless, the scenery was great and we'll definitely be doing it again next year. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks so much! It helps a lot. We'll be traveling with 2 kids, the 11year old will ride her own bike (she is very experienced but still only 11!!) and 8 yr old on a tandem. How was the traffic on 20? We've decided to take a car as a sag since we are also bringing our dog (and heaven forbid she should get hot :)). So I figure we can always shuttle the kids past a bad part. Just my husband and I are planning to do the GAP/C&O the end of September.

The traffic on 20 was fairly busy. Quite a few semis. Not sure I'd take a child on the shoulder. I would stick to the trail. I would say about 70% of the trail was parallel with highway 20 so getting off the highway to the trail was pretty easy. Where were you going to start and finish?

We are going to start in Valentine and finish around Neligh or wherever we end up. We are going to leave a car at the police station there. Since we are taking a sag wagon this time it seems pretty easy. I've never done a ride with any kind of support. This will probably lead to overpacking. :) Thanks for the traffic info. She was a trooper last year riding with logging trucks in Idaho but it took a few years off my life!!!

Thanks everyone for your interest in the Cowboy Trail. Here at Game and Parks Commission, we just learned this BikeCowboyTrail.com site existed so sorry for the delay on getting responses back about current trail conditions.

The following press release is set to go out today and should answer most of the inquiries. If any questions still exist, feel free to shoot an email directly over or post a follow up here. Thanks again.

Cowboy Trail Re-Opened from Norfolk to Valentine!
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission recently re-opened 68 miles of the Cowboy Trail, which was damaged in the June 2010 flood of the Elkhorn River. Approximately 72 miles of trail, from Norfolk to O’Neill, were closed and multiple bridges damaged from the event. Three areas of the trail remain closed due to safety concerns, but alternate routes have been designated around those segments. The alternate routes take users on street, so the rules of the road apply. Cyclists, equestrians and pedestrians should stay alert when using the designated alternate routes. The map of the trail, including the alternate routes may be found at: http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/gisapps/trails/. Users may encounter rough surfacing in some locations, but the trail is still passable. Those areas of rough surfacing have been identified on the map.

A new bridge is being designed to replace the old Railroad Bridge along with a wash out of the trail near Norfolk and is expected to be completed by spring of 2012. Trail surfacing repair to 11.5 miles of trail from Norfolk to Neligh will occur by the end of fall of 2011. An additional 12 miles of trail from Neligh to O’Neill and replacement of a bridge near Ewing are slated to be completed by fall of 2012. Funding for these projects will be from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Recreational Trails Program of the Federal Highway Administration and the Cowboy Trail Maintenance Cash Fund from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

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