Biking Nebraska's Cowboy Trail

The Cowboy Trail is one of the longest in the country at 189 miles, with another 126 miles planned. The trail follows the route of the old Chicago and Northwestern Railroad. In 1992, the corridor was no longer being used and was bought by the Rail-to-Trail Conservancy which then gave it to the State of Nebraska to develop the trail. In 2001, it was designated a National Recreational Trail and is now a gateway to the American National Trail System which is being developed as a 4000 mile cross-country trail system.

A few short segments are paved but most are crushed gravel.  I often spotted the trail alongside US 20 as I drove through Nebraska heading to Valentine. Much of the trail is a narrow gravel path seen below, often along the highway, and I never saw anyone on the trail, but considering its 189 mile length, that does not seen strange.

In Valentine, I parked at the picnic area along the trail, which is concrete through town.

Below is a view of the famous trestle, the trail's big drawing feature, as seen from the US Highway 20 bridge. The Niobrara National Scenic River is below the 150 foot tall metal trestle.

Here's the 1/4 mile long trestle surface...

Here's a view of the Niobrara River from the trestle...

It's difficult to get a view of the trestle from atop the trestle, but here you get an idea of its 15 story height...

The trail is also quite scenic...

Just a couple miles east of Valentine, Nebraska, is a parking area off US 20 which allows you to walk a quarter mile or so to reach the top of the trestle if you don't want to bike the trail or walk a mile from town to the trestle.