Cowboy Trail Forum

Just an FYI. There is new gravel that has made the sect from Norfolk to O’Neal very difficult. Deep sand and gravel. We are going across the country and this was a huge disappointment. We are on gravel bikes with 38mm tires with packs . we came across two women that were giving up after falling several times. We finally finished on highway 20. I made a call into the trail manager Alex to express my disappointment but never heard back.

I agree. Worst trail conditions I have ever experienced in all the trail riding I have done. It's inexcusable.
Gap trail, Katy trail, c&o trail and Alps to Ocean and Otago in New Zealand have none of these issues. Why can't these people get it right?

How long is the stretch of new gravel? I am heading to Valentine tomorrow to ride the trail back to Norfolk. I am riding recumbent and this could be a game changer for me. It surely isn't loose gravel all the way from Norfolk to O'neill.

Somewhere between Neligh and Norfolk the sand traps got the best of me. It was about 20 feet long and about 6 inches deep. After a few maneuvers I got stuck and stoped dead and went over. The rest of the trail is good to moderate. You have to stay alert for the drifts of sand and small sand holes. You'll have to get out and push through a few places if you're not used to it.

Thanks for reporting these conditions. A unprecedented flood in 2019 had deposited a lot of silt on the trail and eroded the base material in a number of areas which is likely the cause of these soft spots. We made a bunch of temporary repairs to re-open the trail so folks could use it until a permanent fix could be done. If you recall the exact location of any of these areas please report them here: https://arcg.is/1HPvbv

We are in Bassett riding west to east on 700x38mm tires. The reported goat heads are not out yet. There are brushy parts of the trail and some gravel patches but for strong riders with good bike handling skills everything east of lone pine is a good ride. There is a detour around a section of closed trail east of lone pine.

The cowboy trail has been fraught with issues since its opening, and the flooding is just one issue imo. Another has been lack of interest from riders. There is the "If you build it they will come" crowd, and then there is the "We will fix if we see interest" crowd. Both have legitimate concerns imo. When it was first opened it was in pretty good shape imo, but it was frustrating to see so many taking the highway anyway. We rode from Norfolk to Neligh and back and only saw one other individual......a bird watcher on foot.....on the trail. It is my sincere hope that covid will bring out some more outdoors people to such a fun pastime.

As for us, retirement is giving us the chance to try some new trails.......Coeur d'Alene, Hiawatha, Mickelson (we've done that one before), Katy, and the Mopac, Homestead and Standing Bear in Nebraska. We'll have a better chance to evaluate after this year.

Thank You opedaler for your comments. I agree with your thoughts-
riders still taking the highway. One thing that is wrong is the negative comments other riders post as to repairs done to the trail but not posted on their completion . Riders do not want to go half way through an area they heard was to be repaired but not posted as completed ie trail sign for completed work or updates posted at trailheads.
I have ridden all of the trail you listed and more. When doing so talking to other riders they have a bad opinion of the cowboy trail with bridges out, loose gravel, goat heads poor sign instructions as well as slow repairs. I live in Papillion and have not tried to ride the trail since the flood and was hopping to ride late this year if I hear better reviews on the trail. WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?

As I have said in previous posts, my husband and I rode this trail in 2017. It was challenging at times, but still rideable.
We rode Ranz recumbents (V and Formula LE) with 20 " wheel on front and 26" on back. We got off the trail at Ainsworth just before the Co-Op. A local person told us that the stickers were really bad along that area. The only other highway riding we did was where we had to get off at Clearwater because the bridge was out (and it is still out), due to the flooding that they had years ago.

Getting a rails to trail up and going is a lot of work. You have to have people that want to do a lot of hard work as well as all the paperwork and struggles dealing with people not on board.

Any of these trails that are up and running and have really good conditions have been there because of dedicated interested people who have put in a lot of hard work.. not to mention maintenance.

It's the old rock and hard place...Make a trail and they'll come...maybe. Fix it and they'll come ...maybe.

Problems or no...I hope someday to ride The Cowboy Trail again. Things are never easy... but if people wait for easy..it will never happen!.

Not a park. There is some grass with cactus near the high school. No bathrooms no tables there is water. Stay at the Bassett lodge if you spend the night here. It’s awesome.

There is a nice park in Bassett. You have to leave the trail and ride south to the edge of town. It's right across the highway. Water, open shelter w/picnic tables, several buildings.

Not a park. There is some grass with cactus near the high school. No bathrooms no tables there is water. Stay at the Bassett lodge if you spend the night here. It’s awesome.

Nebraska needs to up their game. My son and friend just biked Lincoln to Black Hills and they hated the Cowboy Trail due to goatheads and a range of poor trail conditions...ended up doing mostly highway. They were worried Mickelson Trail would be similar but it was great and they loved it. Some of the camping options in towns along the Cowboy Trail were pretty weak too. For example, why have a campground but lock the bathroom?

Bet the locked bathroom was in Woodlake? We experienced that. We rode back in 2017 and it was mostly ridable. We did get off the trail at Clearwater for a spell because the river washed out crossing. There was one bridge had a big hole washed out at bridge 184 (I think) potential for a bad wreck. We did ride all of the trail except for the part there at Clearwater. Wasn't always easy. Either we were lucky in respect to goatheads or maybe not as bad the year we rode? No flat tires but we generally stopped and carried our bikes across the roadway because it seemed like there were more goatheads at those crossings. We always checked our tires before we started again. Things you really shouldn't have to do to have an enjoyable ride. That could be a great trail. I suppose part of problem is maybe they don't get enough traffic, but hard to get traffic when people hear how much trouble they can potentially have. Even with all those troubles I hope to be able to go back and ride again someday... I would really like to see the trail finished to Chadron, but I suppose that's a long ways in the future, if ever.

Want to ride oneway... Any suggestions on shuttling our car from Valentine to Norfolk ?? Would plan to ride the last week of june 2021.. Thanks..

My friend and I recently used a uhaul for transportation. We rented one in Oneill, left our cars and put the bicycles in the uhaul. We then drove to Valentine and turned in the uhaul. An option to consider!

North Fork Outfitting in Norfolk offers shuttle service. 402-316-0157
Total cost with tax is $401.25 for up to 4 riders.

Did check with North Fork Outfitting, they would charge $401 for one person oneway even if you meet them at Valeentine for their return trip back to Norfolk, that was without any gear my body only..

that is actually the price for up to 4 riders with bikes and any gear/ trailers etc...about $100 each with tax....

We used the shuttle to Valentine. Tony picked us up in Norfolk at our hotel and droped us off in Valentine at our hotel. It was a Three hour ride with all our gear. Some people on this forum seem to be a little out of sorts with this but really it's the normal for all other shuttles here and everywhere else. Tony was also a good source for info on the trail.

Hi all - the Cowboy Trail area got hammered pretty good by the storm yesterday. Please help by reporting any downed trees, flooding, etc. here: https://arcg.is/1HPvbv

Does anyone know if dogs on leashes are allowed on the Cowboy Trail? Or is it prohibited since horses are on the trail as well?

Pets must be on a leash no longer than 6', but yes they are allowed.

This campground seems abandoned - we scoped it out in May 2021.
The grass was mowed, but the water was off and that bathrooms were locked. The nearby house seemed abandoned and the buildings were nearly falling over.

The other commenter is correct about the pool hall - its located directly south of the trail in the middle of Newport. They have various snacks + cold drinks for sale using the honors system. I called a phone number on the vending machine outside and was told that I could camp behind the pool hall and that there was water in front of the city hall nearby. There didn't appear to be any restrooms, but there were a few homes that seemed occupied nearby.

Agree about The Eight Ball(I think it is called). We were there in 2014...did not realize you could go in. We were back the next day and a local told us it was open and honor system. It is a nice little place...but as stated...no facilities.

+1 for the Newport Pool Hall. Good spot for camping w/water just down the road by the community center and church. Melissa and Shawn have a special thing going there, and talked to us about plans to possibly install a restroom near the pool hall for bike campers. I hope travelers stop and support the pool hall and their efforts. Was truly one of the highlights of our trip.

A few miles out of Neligh there is a detour. It's the section that veers away from the highway and a missed scenic opportunity. Connect back to the trail where it becomes visible from the road. The stooges that work on this trail set a sand trap for me this morning that I couldn't get out of. Despite having fairly good mountain bike skills six inches of loose material and about twenty feet of it got the best of me and I went down before I could unclip. Surprisingly the rest of the trail is solid and quick going. Don't know why the trail conditions are so inconsistent. Neligh to Norfolk is pretty scenic with river views at the end. Lots of opportunities for food and water along this section.

Trail conditions in this part are good. A few stretches have the red rock fines laid to thick. I don't know what possessed whomever to do this. Somebody should get a tractor and scrape it off. It will never sink in to the base. The parts with the grey rock are the best with only a thin layer on top of the base. You can make good time on this. Ewing has a market but it's closed on Sunday. Up the road there is a Hiway Mart with snacks and drinks. You can see it from the trail on the left. After Clearwater there is a detour pointing to the highway. The trail bridge is out. There is no signage on where to get back on the trail. The best thing to do is ride on the road till you see the orange pylons where the trail used to be. This part has been washed out by the river. After you pass these look for the next dirt path back to the trail and your on your way to Neligh in about two miles.

Has anyone camped here? I could not find any information anywhere which shows it is OK.

Have not camped there before. I have camped at the park in town next to the little shelter they have.

There is a small pool hall... The Eight Ball (I think) . Snacks and memorabilia. The camping may only be a small city park. Facilities??? There is nice camping in next town east, Stuart. It has been four years since we rode the trail.

You can camp at the Newport Pool Hall.

Trail conditions were good all the way. We had a headwind almost the whole way and gave up and got on the highway about ten miles before O'Neill. This was the part that someone mentioned had goatheads so I can't comment on that. The road parallels at this point so we didn't miss anything and made better time. West to East is better but no guarantee that the winds may change. The Newport Pool Hall has water, drinks and snacks for cyclists. Stuart has a good grocery store with benches on both sides of the street to eat your lunch. Atkinson has a covered picnic area with cold water at the spigot.

Hi Peter! Love the updates! It was great seeing you folks riding the trail Friday! Thanks again for using our shuttle! Hope the rest of your trip goes great!

Rode the trail today from Valentine to Bassett. The trail conditions were great with the wind at my back. I ride with full panniers on 32cc Panaracer gravel king sk and had no problems. The trail is hard pack with 1/4 rock fines. In some places the fines drift into small piles but are not a problem if you pay attention. Heading west at Long Pine the bridge is out. Detour to the highway and pickup the trail where you can find it on the left after the silos. The highway is great with little traffic, very polite drivers and lots of clean shoulder to ride on. About half way on the trail you will find that Johnstown has a picnic shelter, toilets and water.

Someone mentioned earlier that you can connect to the trail after the detour heading east by heading out to the highway and turning right on 440th Rd.

My buddy and I are returning home in late August via Nebraska and are planning a full day to do part of the Cowboy Trail. We would like to pick out a 60-70 mile segment and cover that in an out and back. Since neither of us have been there any recommendations on favorite parts of the trail, places to see, lodging and places to eat would be appreciated.

Thx

Gus

The trail between Valentine and Long Pine is typically considered the most scenic. Valentine to Johnstown and back would be about 72 miles. There's a fun bar in Johnstown called L-Bow-Room to have lunch at. There's lots of great things to do in Valentine as well like tubing/canoeing down the Niobrara.

Lots of great things to do in Norfolk too! We've got tubing and kayaking on the Elkhorn River and the North Fork River Trail, as well as an amazing new downtown Riverpoint Shopping and Entertainment District!

Don't miss the canoeing/tubing/kayaking in Valentine. We've done that long before there was a cowboy trial. Outfitters there are very user friendly.

EDIT: I wouldn't recommend canoeing over the fourth of July......especially if you have youngsters along. It's very, very busy and there are a lot of college kids during that time frame......plus the kids might see some things they shouldn't.

For all those that cycle through, there are goatheads between Atkinson and Neligh. We went on the road for this section. We are on narrow tires and the loose gravel around Tilden made us work hard.

We've been riding round trips between Norfolk and Tilden and have had no problems, but I did stop a couple riding the trail from Valentine to Norfolk. I talked to them west of Neligh. They were currently on the shoulder of 275 because of a wash-out detour between Clearwater and a little west of Neligh. I gave them a heads up that there would be another detour between Neligh and Oakdale. They were from Alaska and it appeared they had extensive trail experience. They had wide tires and were loaded down pretty well, but also also mentioned thorn issues. Their problem was solved by going tubless and it eliminated the need to ride the road outside of flooding detours. They did carry tubes for emergency use, but had not had to use them as the slime plugged the holes sufficiently. I'm not sure how wide their tires were, but they were considerably wider than the 40mm we've been using on all limestone trails currently. It seemed to eliminate the soft surface problems some have mentioned.

Are there any bus routes or shuttles to Valentine nebraska

Yes, I believe there Is a shuttle that runs from Norfolk to Valentine. Sorry, I don’t have details. ?? The Cowboy Trail!

Thier is a place out of Norfolk NE that does shuttles. here is their website. I have never used them but have had friends who used them for a float trip.

Hi folks! Full service Shuttle either way nforkoutfitting.com 402-316-0157 North Fork Outfitting on Facebook! Norfolk to Valentine shuttle is $401.25 tax included for up to 4 riders.(additional charge for larger groups)

Has anyone recently used Panda Transportation from Valentine to Norfolk?

I haven't but the guy that did this writeup on is Cowboy Trail trip claims he did - https://lethaltri.com/2018/07/03/biking-the-cowboy-trail/

There is also North Fork Outfitting in Norfolk that does shuttle service for the trail.

thanks Alex. My contact is 402-316-0157 or nforkoutfitting.com! North Fork Outfitting on Facebook!

Hey folks, North Fork Outfitting in beautiful Norfolk,NE offers a full service shuttle, as well as Specialized Rental bikes and gear! Call 402-316-0157 or visit nforkoutfitting.com for reservations. Weekends are booked thru June, weekday trips available.

We camped here in May 2021 - excellent campground! There is water, toilets, electricity, around 10 picnic tables + 1 awning to keep out of the rain.
Bathrooms are well stocked with TP, napkins and soap. There is a guest book in a mailbox as well as a small electrical area - they ask for donations to support the energy used.

Anyone want to join a bunch of folks pedaling the Trail early July (July 5, 6 and part of the 7th) 2021?
I am with a non-profit bicycle touring club (People Cycling) and a group of us (24) are going cross country next year from Seattle to NYC.
On July 4 we go from White River, SD to Valentine so we can pedal the Cowboy Trail.
The fifth of July we pedal from Valentine to Ainsworth (short day, but our overall average is 62~) then on July 6th we continue to O'Neill. Then the next day we will only be on the Trail for about 30-40 miles, because we depart south towards Albion (probably after Clearwater or Neligh).
Anyone who wants to pedal along with us for any of what I mention above let me know. We are using indoor lodging and have a luggage truck (no SAG). And we ALWAYS have an evening happy hour (as long as you are nice we will give you a free beer!).
Regards, Rick of Bicycle Habitat, NYC

Myself and friends would be interested in riding with you on July 7.

Please contact us to help plan this trip! Visit www.visitnorfolkne.com or call 402-371-2932. We'd love to help.

I'm planning a similar solo trip about that time. When do you plan to leave Seattle? I'm trying to ride as many rail trails as I can manage going across the country. It would be fun to ride with you for a bit.

I'm riding Seattle to DC (June thru Aug 2021). Looks like your group will be about a 2 weeks ahead of me as I anticipate riding thru Valentine on 7/19. Enjoy the ride!!

Just touching base - Rickonabike here and our x-c tour is set and we will be on the Cowboy Trail early July. Robin: love to have you join us (and any others as well) we are under the umbrella of People Cycling (dot org) a non-profit bicycling club. If you use my name at then tag on gmail dot com you can drop me an email. Or thru People Cycling

Watched a video of a couple who rode the Cowboy within the last year. Lots of spots they needed to walk their bikes because the limestone and some red stuff was so soft. Also they had to ride on Highway 20 as parts of the trail looked like they were not rideable (like tall grass and no trail). Is the trail a thru trail. Will the trail be hard-packed in September?

Greetings! There are some sections of the trail that still have damage from the 2019 flooding. The trail has been fixed with some temporary repairs to make it passable but some areas are a rough still. When the flood occurred, in addition to removing vast sections of the limestone surfacing, it deposited sand in many locations which makes the trail difficult to compact properly.

Here's a list of the main detours you will need to do this year.

- The Elkhorn river eroded around the the trail bridge over it between Oakdale and Neligh. Use the highway shoulder between Oakdale and Neligh for about 4 miles.

- Just west of Neligh there is a short stretch next to the Elkhorn river that has eroded into the trail right of way severely. You will be able to see some construction cones on the trail. You will need to ride on the adjacent highway shoulder for roughly 1/4 mile and then can jump back on the trail.

- Between Neligh and Clearwater there is a section of trail that is permanently closed due the Elkhorn 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. There is a sign directing you to the highway when you should get off the 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.


The online trail map shows the closed sections in red where impassable flood damages exist.

https://maps.outdoornebraska.gov/Trails/

I recommend when riding the trail to use a gravel or mountain bike if possible. Something with a 40c+ tire width is best to help with the softer sections of the trail.

Seems like there is another trail closure according to the map, right outside of Valentine past the Niobrara bridge. Seems like a shame to miss the cool bridge view, so I might just ride over it and backtrack if needed along highway 20/83/Blue Star Memorial Highway.

2021 plan end to end and return -- Norfork to valentine--
Where is safe place to leave vehicle. This would be a--
My guess 8 or 10 day trip. Self supported, camping

When my son and I did a multi-day trip about 5 years ago, we left our car at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park, where the trail starts in Norfolk. Just call the park office in advance and let them know. Of course car break-ins can happen any time and anywhere, but this felt like a safe place when we used it.
https://bikecowboytrail.com/ta-ha-zouka-park.aspx

Another option - if you are spending a night in Norfolk at the start or end of your trip - many hotels would let you leave your car if you are spending money at their establishment. I don't know about specific ones in Norfolk, but you could call and ask a bunch of places if it seems like a good option to you.

Good luck, hope you have a great trip!

Nice clean rooms. Friendly staff will be staying again. Best price in town

Nice clean rooms. Friendly staff will be staying again. Best price in town

Does anyone know of someone who has walked the entire trail yet? I am planning on walking from Norfolk to Valentine and back starting next week. Just curious.

Yes—if you google it some newspaper articles about it come up.

Are you documenting your trip?