Cowboy Trail Forum

We are planning a ride from Santa Clara, CA to Brooklyn, NY. This ride will take place in 2026. We have come through that area in 2011 and 2021. In 2021 I was in contact with you about using the trail. We did get on a section of it and tire and tube exchange was needed on both wheels due to flats caused by several punctures at once. We would love to use the trail but cannot afford the risk having the team experience these issues. Do you know how much maintenance the trail receives throughout the riding season. We will be leaving Cody on August 21stheading to Bassett. We can modify our route if the trail is in good conditions. If not we will stay on our current route. you can see more about what we are doing by visiting baytobrooklyn.org. all my contact information can be found there.
Thank you

Greetings! Thanks for reaching out. I understand your concern about puncture vine, it can be nasty at times and can certainly ruin a trip if not prepared for a double flat. We are attempting some new mechanical control methods this year which actually picks up the seed, often referred to as a goathead. I hope this greatly reduces the presence of puncture vine on the trail. Check the forum to see if cyclists report fewer issues with flats from goatheads in the coming years. All trails and roads pose potential flat hazards, best you can do is try to mitigate and be prepared. I have had luck running slime in my tubes and if I do pick up few goatheads, don't pull them out, the thorn acts like a plug and helps the sealant seal the air leak. I hope you come out to ride the trail!

A promising sign last year was that the trail had a new maintenance man, Tom Theis who covers the trail from O'Neill to Valentine, and the trail was in a much, much better condition than it has been in the four or five years that I've ridden it out and back. He was keeping the goat heads down, and mowing and trimming were much better than in the past so hopefully he's taking care of it again this year! Keep up the good work tom!

Hi, I see that there is camping in several of the towns along the trail, but what if you're riding the trail on horseback? Is there anywhere to camp with your horse? Thanks.

I don't have that information available unfortunately. Check with the each city you would like to stay at. Many have rodeos or do 4h livestock events and have corrals with hay and water for a fee or may permit horses at the campground. Google each city office and you will find their phone number and can point you to who to call to set it up.

I will be hiking the Cowboy Trail starting 23 May. Just wondering about the Lone Pine trail closure and detour. For someone hiking and NOT riding, can you make it past the trail closure/issues or do you still need to take the detour?

Any way to get back to Norfolk from Valentine if one rides solo one way?

North Fork Outfitting in Norfolk offers shuttles and is great. 402-316-0157 or https://www.nforkoutfitting.com/

Other option is to rent a uhaul truck in Valentine and drive it back to Norfolk but I have heard the service can sometimes be spotty as it's more of a car dealer / shop that happens to have uhaul rentals. Highly recommend calling and planning well in advance if you go this route.

Registration is now open for the 35th annual Tour de Nebraska that will take bicyclists on a 250-mile loop through east central Nebraska in June 20-25 [2023].
...
Highlights of the 2023 tour include the Hwy. 14 Brewing Company and a street festival in Albion, Divots Brewery plus live music in Norfolk, a two-day gravel adventure that includes the Cowboy Trail, as well as tubing and kayaking options on the Elkhorn River.
...

Published by North Platte Bulletin 12/7/2022
Full article: https://northplattebulletin.com/tour-de-nebraska-bicycle-ride-announces-2023-route/

My wife and I have ridden this ride numerous times and will most likely again this year. As with all group rides, weather is a central figure in how much the rides are enjoyed. Hopefully, we get weather like last year, and not the year previous. One of the changes this ride has made is staying two nights in a town before being required to move on. This minimizes the weather element. There are only three days of riding where the riders must get to the next destination point. This gives a few days to sit out because of inclement weather, or just rider fatigue, if needed. Most don't, but there are days that just aren't that fit for riding so staying in the tent, gym, or hotel and relaxing and not being forced into getting to the next point is a nice option. Also, some modifications into rider safety during extreme heat, and excessive wind or rain were made last year, and was much appreciated. Earlier starting times for heat (if needed), more sags for excessive wind, and unexpected issues were also added.....and appreciated.

I'm planning to ride the Cowboy Trail from Valentine to Norfolk in the spring of 2023 as part of a three trail trip: Katy, Cowboy, and Mickelson. What's the earliest I can expect decent temperatures and riding conditions on the Cowboy trail?

Greetings! If you are ok with colder weather it is doable as early as late March. Depending on our precipitation during the winter, there may still be snow drifts in spots. I typically think that mid - late April is about when we get into decent weather, 40's overnight and low 60's during the day. That all being said I've been on the trail in early May and encountered snow storms so YMMV. Best bet is to watch forecast and gear up appropriately as the weather can be unpredictable at times.

It appears that if following your order of rides you will start with the Katy, move on to the Cowboy, and finish it off with the Mickelson. The Katy will certainly be warmer, and the Mickelson will certainly be colder. I'm older so cold weather doesn't interest me as much as it did when I was younger. For me PERSONALLY I'd wait until at least until May if I could. There's also the potential for soggy riding from melted snow much earlier than that imo. Since you've picked all limestone trails I'm assuming you're aware of what it takes to ride these kinds of trails.....the good things....and the bad. My wife and I did a three-trail ride to your north a few years ago (Centennial, Coeur d'Alene, and the Hiawatha). We've also done the Katy, Cowboy, and Mickelson. I've enjoyed them all, but found timing pretty important on all of them. I've seen too much smoke up north late in the year, and too much rain south at times. Imo if you have to nail down a timeline, you'll just have to take a little risk, but the later you can wait to make your decision the better imo.

There is debris blocking the trail in Battle Creek from a grain elevator tower that collapsed from a recent wind storm. The co-op is having a contractor clean it up on Thursday next week but for the time being you just need to detour around the debris by using city streets.

Here is the location of the blockage: https://goo.gl/maps/MyWfTHrJPPxbsL6C9

I've done the trail from Norfolk to Valentine and back for the last 5 years. Every year from O'Neill to Valentine the trail would suffer from varying degrees of suckitude.....unmowed, untrimmed, countless goatheads, etc. This year it was great, actually better than the trail east of O'Neill. We found the reason for this was a new man taking care of the trail from O'Neill west. I think that his name was Tom Theis and he just took the job this year. We ran into him twice, which is the first time that I've ever run into anyone taking care of the trail. He's taking the job seriously and we talked about his battle with goatheads, using a roller to compact the trail, and the many things he's doing to make the west end of the trail a joy to ride. I hope they can keep him. As always, from O'Neill east the trail often suffers from thick gravel that isn't compacted in areas. I was surprised when Tom told me that he has a roller to compact the new gravel, because they apparently never use it from O'Neill east. If the trail can keep Tom, and take care of the issues that always are present east of O'Neill, the Cowboy Trail could be right up there with the Katy or Wabash. Looking forward to next year!

This is music to my ears. I only wish I had this information before we rode the Katy and Mickelson again this year. I would have really, really liked to spread the word.

We are considering the Cowboy Trail for next summer. Is the trail doable from Chadron to Valentine? Or is that just a hope for the future? Thanks

The trail is not developed west of Valentine except for a 15 mile stretch between Gordon and Rushville. Hwy 20 is actually pretty decent to ride on if you are wanting to go all the way to Chadron.

Unfortunately we had some damage to the trail occur between Bassett and Newport. Someone decided to drive livestock down the trail for about one mile. Use this google map link to see the damaged area. We should be able to clean this up early next week but for the time being the trail is passable here but will be rough from the hoof prints.

https://goo.gl/maps/jeJgkciUyLiDaa6o8

Sad.... it's been 5 years since we rode. Saw places then where cattle and tractors (not 4 wheelers, but saw those as well) left marks on the trail. Not so bad to impede ride, but...
I hope to ride the trail again. Would love to see it finished to Chadron... but I know take time, $$ and workers. All hard to come by and coordinate.

This segment has been dragged and rolled with a compacter. Note that it will need some rain to harden completely but is in a lot better shape now.

I hope the necessary party was sent the bill!

My 11-year-old and I completed the trail from Valentine to Norfolk in two and a half days (7/29-8/1). My son was running on standard 700 X 35 tires with Mr Tuffy tire liners and thorn resistant tubes. I was running 700 X 40 Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires with a thorn resistant tube on the rear, standard tube on the front. Neither of use suffered any flats. Everyone I talked to about the trail told me horror stories about all the flats people get on the trail, but we seemed to have lucked out. We were very conscious about not riding our bikes on grassy (green) areas around the trail. If we needed to leave the trail, we always dismounted our bikes and walked them. Before we remounted the bikes, we inspected the tires for thorns. My son found two thorns this way but removed them before they could do any damage. My wife sagged for us, so we were able to travel light and took a “rest” date in the middle to check out some of the attractions. We also got extremely lucky with the weather. The first day was only in the 80s and the other days were in the low 90s. The day after we finished it was 103 in Norfolk. The winds were not really a factor. We did have a 15 mph side wind on the second day, but that was just a little bit of a nuisance. If it would have been a head wind it would have been a much more difficult ride. Below are my notes on the trail and some of the other things we did. Our main issue was that ground squirrels like to dig holes on the trail and if you aren’t paying attention, you can lose control of your bike.

Day 1 - Valentine to Johnstown. Rode 36 miles in the morning and then went tubing down the Niobrara River in the afternoon. The trail surface was generally in good condition and hard packed.

Day 2 - Johnstown to Ainsworth- surface was generally good with a few light gravel/sandy spots where holes had been filled in. There is about a mile or so of trail in Ainsworth that is paved.
Ainsworth to Long Pine- surface was generally good with a few light gravel/sandy spots where holes had been filled in. The bridge outside of Long Pine is a slightly smaller version of the one in Valentine and is pretty cool.
Long Pine to Bassett – The bridge just outside of Long Pine is out so you will need to detour to the highway for a few miles and then you can get back on the trail. The trail was pretty good the whole way with no issues. We stopped at the Bassett Lodge for lunch. I recommend the chicken fried steak sandwich and my son recommends the bacon cheeseburger and brownie sundae.
Bassett to Stuart – there are long stretches that have a lot of sand/light gravel on them. This was challenging but did not require us to stop. The trail gets better as you get closer to Stuart.
Stuart to Atkinson – trail was pretty good throughout.
Atkinson to Emmett – trail was generally good with a few sandy/light gravel spots.

Day 3 – My son called for a rest day. We went to Ashfall Fossils Beds in the morning. If you are into fossils at all this is a must see. In the evening we went to a chicken dinner at the American Legion hall in Atkinson (last Sunday of every month) and then to dirt track car races in Stuart (every Sunday in the Summer).

Day 4 – Emmett to O’Neill – trail was good, there were some washouts at intersections.
O’Neill to Inman - trail was generally good with a few sandy/light gravel spots. There is a long-paved section in O’Neill. We saw a lot of thorn plants but fortunately no thorns.
Inman to Ewing – there was one very sandy/light gravel section right outside of Inman where we had to dismount and walk for a short distance. The remainder of the section was good.
Ewing to Clearwater – trail was generally good.
Clearwater to Neligh – there are two detours, you can jump on the highway and back onto the trail. Other than that the trail is in generally good condition.
Neligh to Oakdale – trail was closed right outside of Neligh. We took the highway all the way to Oakdale
Oakdale to Tilden- a lot of sections with heavy sand/light gravel. We had to dismount and walk on two portions.
Tilden to Meadow Grove– Starts out with heavy sand/light sand. We had to dismount and walk on one section. The trail improves as you go.
Meadow Grove to Norfolk – this portion of the trail is really good. The last few miles into Norfolk are paved.

Thank you for your post. We'll be doing the trail later this week and your update is fabulous! Appreciate you taking the time to write it!

Thanks for the great information!!!

Great post. Thanks! Oh, and congratulations for completing the journey. I bet your son talks about this for a long time.

Just curious - I read the Nebraska website and they recommend a puncture resistant or solid tire for the trail. Based on your experiences riding this trail, how bad is the sandbur this time of year and have you ridden the trail with normal tubed bike tires?

Thanks for your insights!

I’ve bee told you have two options if you want to ride the trail regardless of timing1) tubeless with slime, or tires with liners AND Thorn resistant tubes with or without slime in the tubes. Where we ride it liners have served us well. This time of year the thorns are less of a problem but still exist.

If you do need assistance on western end of trail... True Value Hardware in Valentine is great. Apparently they bought out the bike shop.They fixed me up after 2nd flat:fast,friendly, knowledgeable,and cheap!

As the others have stated - use thorn resistant tires, slime tubes, or run tubeless. Goatheads seem to be really prevalent near Ainsworth. Generally if I stay away from the grassy edge and be vigilant at driveway/road crossings to dodge puncture vine plants - I don't have any issue. Also I have had luck leaving the goathead on the tire when running tube sealant or tubeless. It seems to act like a plug giving the sealant a smaller hole to attempt to seal. Still carry at least two additional tubes and have an air source of your choice. YMMV!

We will do a self supported ride from west to east starting the 1st or 2nd of September. If anyone has any suggestions for what not to miss along the way or what to miss or avoid, including things on or off the trail, please pass them along.

There's lots of stuff to see if you are willing to explore the towns a bit. Many have small museums that refer to local history, but some are open by appointment only so do some research. Some of my favorite sites are the L-Bow-Room in Johnstown, Newport Pool Hall, Long Pine SRA, Bassett Lodge and Range Cafe, Brush Creek Brewing Co in Atkinson, and Neligh Mill. If you can make it up to Ashfall Fossil Beds it is definitely worth a visit - you need a state park permit to access FYI.

We came across a rodeo, car racing and an outside movie showing. We met people along the way at small restaurants that made our trip. The people in the communities make the trip. We YoYo’d so we saw many of the same people on our way back.

I'm planning a cross country SOLO Rv trip intending to bike in several areas. The Cedar Valley trail in IA, the Heartland/P Bunyan in MN, returning to the Mickelson Tr in SD, and the High Trestle Trail in IA.. I was going to stop and ride part of the Cowboy Trail but after reading the comments I have about lost any enthusiasm for it. I was planning on staying in Valentine and riding a bit but being by myself I'm concerned about the spurs and the surface. (I've got an Ebike (assist). and don't want to be changing a flat or flats. Too bad. I wanted to be able to say that I'd ridden a rails to trails in NE.to add to my collection ( I've done the Katy, the Silver Comet, the Minute Men, ... Washington DC/Alexandria, Memphis of course, the Great American Tobacco Trail, the Little Miami Trail). fun!

And Natchez Trace too!

We just road from Valentine to Johnstown and didn't have any issues with thorns. As long as you don't ride on the green spaces around the trail you should be okay. You should definetly check out the railroad bridge just outside of Valentine.

Does anyone know if there are shuttles that go along the trail? we are starting in stuart and hiking 4 days to valentine. need to know if we can take a shuttle back, or should we just leave a car in stuart and in valentine.

The only shuttle service I know of along the Cowboy Trail is North Fork Outfitting in Norfolk. Leaving a car in Stuart and Valentine is good a good alternative if you are not wanting to pay for shuttle service.

Looking for co peddler to do sections of the trail on bicycles..I am open to suggestions??you can text me at 402 710 9876

My girlfriend and I are planning to the hike the trail in early September and we would like to know if there are any current closures along the trail as of 7-10-22.

If any closures, are there detours that can be taken to get back on the trail?

Yes.
- A large bridge over the Elkhorn River between Oakdale and Neligh is still out so you will need to take the highway shoulder between Oakdale and Neligh for about 4 miles.
- Just west of Neligh there is a short stretch next to the river that has been eroded severely. You will be able to see some construction cones on the trail, you will need to walk adjacent highway shoulder for roughly 1/4mile and then can jump back on. Or if comfortable you can probably hike through the damaged section, stay away from the edge though.
- Between Neligh and Clearwater there is a section of trail that is permanently closed due the river reclaiming the trail in this section. You will need to take 519th ave back to the highway and ride around on the highway for about 3 miles. You can take 517th ave and head south to get back on to the cowboy trail. About a 2.5 mile detour for this one.
- The next closed spot is on the east edge of Long Pine. A large section of the trail embankment was washed out due to a culvert failure from the flood. To detour around, take 440th rd to the highway and then come back in to Long Pine and find the trail by the park on the main road, about 2.5 miles.

On NGPC's online trail map it will show a closure just east of the Niobrara River trail bridge, it is passable at the moment but exercise caution. These detours are likely to remain the same for the remainder of 2022.

This was extremely through and helpful, thank you!!

Does anyone know of any hiking time records from Norfolk to Valentine?

I'm not aware of a record for hiking the trail. I think most folks hiking the trail do 15-20 miles per day. Strava or other fitness tracker sites might have some hiking trips recorded there.

Thank you! A few friends and I are going to do a test hike in October. Next year we are going to try to do the whole thing in 7 days.

Hallo Andi, tolle Strecke hast du dir da rausgesucht. Ich verfolge dich mit dem Finger auf der Landkarte. Lass‘ es dir gutgehen. Ride on. Herzliche Grüße Dirk

The Nebraska state trails interactive map shows a few closures between Clearwater and Neligh. Can anyone confirm these are current closures? We’re looking at riding mid August. From what I have found on this forum, these closures have been on the map for quite some time. Appreciate any info! Thanks

Yes.
- A large bridge over the Elkhorn River between Oakdale and Neligh is still out so you will need to take the highway shoulder between Oakdale and Neligh for about 4 miles.
- Just west of Neligh there is a short stretch next to the river that has been eroded severely. You will be able to see some construction cones on the trail, you will need to walk adjacent highway shoulder for roughly 1/4mile and then can jump back on. Or if comfortable you can probably hike through the damaged section, stay away from the edge though.
- Between Neligh and Clearwater there is a section of trail that is permanently closed due the river reclaiming the trail in this section. You will need to take 519th ave back to the highway and ride around on the highway for about 3 miles. You can take 517th ave and head south to get back on to the cowboy trail. About a 2.5 mile detour for this one.
- The next closed spot is on the east edge of Long Pine. A large section of the trail embankment was washed out due to a culvert failure from the flood. To detour around, take 440th rd to the highway and then come back in to Long Pine and find the trail by the park on the main road, about 2.5 miles.


We are working on repairs for the sites except clearwater. They involve FEMA and are taking time to get feasible repairs approved.

I am sure happy that I decided to check the Forum. I will be hiking the trail in June and had no idea that there were trail closures. This saved me miles of hiking! Thank you for the information. If there are any updates to these trail closures, please update on forum. I will be hiking June 7 - June 15.

Just found the interactive trail map. The map indicates that there is a closure just outside of Valentine. Does anyone know if this is correct?

There is a spot of significant hillside erosion due to a failed culvert from the 2019 flood which has yet to be repaired as well. It is passable at the moment but is being monitored.

Thank you for the information, Alex!

We plan on riding the trail in a few weeks. Thanks for the update on trail conditions! The interactive NGP map shows that the trail is closed going East from Valentive just past the large bridge. Does anyone know if this is still closed? If it is closed, is there a detour or do you have to go back to Valentine and get on Highway 20?

Thanks!

Trail is still passable by Valentine, see comment above. Have a good trip!

What size tire would be best for the trail? My options are 29x2.2 or 29x3.0.

Thanks!

Both would be great - personally I'd run 3.0 at a nice supple low psi.

Curious if anyone has experience riding a trike on the Cowboy...

I ride a lot and mostly crushed limestone trails. I have been on a lot of the great ones, including KATY and the Mickelson (600+ miles on the Mickelson).

I have read here about the burs, etc--just wanting some opinions...I have an ICE Sprint with E-assist--willing to make any tire changes I need to.

Any thoughts, advice?

Pat

Not riding a trike personally but I know of people that have on the Cowboy Trail - goatheads are most prevalent between Ainsworth and Johnstown. I recommend using a thorn resistant tire and running slime (or other sealant) in your tubes. This has worked well for me and in my experience leaving goatheads in the tire acts like a plug so the slime can seal a smaller hole vs if you pull them out. Be sure to carry multiple extra tubes - in your case with multiple tires sizes id bring 2 extra for each wheel, pre packed with slime, and tube changing tools/air/knowledge. While some stores carry common tubes in the larger towns, the more specialized sizes will be difficult to find outside of Cleveland Bike and Sport in Norfolk.

The Cowboy Trail can be great, but you do have to be prepared, have backup plans, and be flexible as flats, severe weather, wind, heat, etc. can ruin a ride pretty quick due to the remoteness of the area. That being said you are often along a highway and friendly locals are usually willing to help someone in need, if you don't have a sag.

Husband and I enjoy tandem biking. What are the trail conditions and what is the surface of the trail made of? Asphalt? Dirt? Chipped stone? Thanks in advance for your input.

The trail is a combination of all those surfaces. That and Sandy or lose gravel. It might be a real challenge for tandem riders. Be interesting to hear other thoughts.

Depending upon your tire choice it could be very challenging. Trail conditions get rougher on the western portion. I rode from Norfolk to Valentine and back last Sept and wrote a short review of the trip talking about accommodations and trail conditions. I did it on a mtn bike with tire liners and had no problems.

Just to add to what Cynthia posted....we have met several tandems on rides. Didn't stop and ask how it was going, but it appeared to me that they were leaving fairly deep tracks.

This is really sad as it was getting in good shape. In fact I preferred it over other limestone trails....the Wabash for example. I'm guessing it is going to be awhile now.

I had the opportunity to talk with a lady recently who has done the cowboy trail several times, and seems to have a real fondness for it. One thing she said that did stick with me....."You are not very far from a good highway with shoulders. Don't let your ego get the best of you. If you see deep soft gravel covered with goat head thorns ahead, hit the road and come back on a little later. You'll enjoy the ride much more."