steve from Saint Louis on 9/17/2018 2:31:53 PM:
Camping is only allowed along the Cowboy Trail in designated camping areas, which are generally located in towns along the trail. I camped in Norfolk, O'Neill, and Valentine while doing some biking on the Cowboy and have no complaints about those locations. Valentine City Park was maybe a mile off the trail, but the others were right along the trail.
The cowboy has no shade and scenery that does not seem to change for miles so not sure why someone would want to spend a lot time hiking on this trail.