Current Trail Detours - 2025

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Alex from Lincoln on 5/5/2025 1:58:28 PM:

Greetings all - looking forward to another trail season. I've been getting calls and emails about visiting the trail so I thought I'd post an updated list of detours for those planning trips this year. As always I will post on here if we get any new damage or temp closures that arise.

Here's a list of current closures and detours:

- A bridge approach to our bridge, No. 211, 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.

- 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.

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 in the area. These detours are likely to remain the same for the remainder of 2025.

Happy Trails!

John Brett - HikingAmerica.com from Washington DC on 5/25/2026 7:10:17 AM:

Hey Cowboy Trail community —

Back in May 2025, this post discussed bridge outages causing trail closures. We're now a year out from that report and wondering if anyone has current intel on conditions. Are those bridges repaired? Any sections still closed?

Asking because Bernie Krausse, who's attempting what may be the first known thru-hike of the Great American Rail-Trail, should be arriving in the Norfolk area within the next week. The Cowboy Trail is a key segment of his westbound route, so we want to make sure he's got accurate, current information before he gets there.

Any updates — good or bad — would be hugely appreciated. ??
— John, HikingAmerica.com
P.S. you can follow Bernie's journey at: https://www.hikingamerica.com/tag/great-american-rail-trail/

216.73.216.200

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