Anyone travel this part of Nebraska

[63air]

In the near future I will be heading the Airstream out to West Yellowstone and will of course be going through Nebraska. In looking at the atlas I see a road in Nebraska, route 2 from Grand Island to Alliance that is marked as scenic and looks worthy of some Airstream travel. However, it looks pretty desolate. One county appears to have only a single town.

What is there to see on this on this route and what kind of services are available along the way especially in the way of gas;my 4x4 loves that.

[NorCal Bambi]

Make sure you don't miss the Nebraska National Forest.
Don from Northern California

[eljay]

Well, the cows definitely outnumber the people. I have lived in North Platte, Mullen, and Alliance. Highway 2 is "scenic" if you like sandhills, windmills and cows. There are some spectacular sunsets to be taken in along that route. As for services, not much to be had from Grand Island to Alliance. Assistance would have to come out of North Platte, Valentine, Grand Island or Alliance or the local folks who are known for their courtesy and resourcefulness. Almost every little town has a gas station but they only operate during daylight hours and are pricey. The places roll up the sidewalks at sunset. Unless things have changed dramatically you should be able to find gas at Dunning, Thedford, Mullen, and/or Hyannis.

The Nebraska National Forest at Halsey brings up memories of pine scented breezes and bird songs. It was a regular campsite for my Dad who travelled in a VW camper.

Highway 2 was pretty rough and there are lots of deer. Would I take an Airstream on it? Yes. But I'm crazy like that.

[Danetree]

Don't miis Car Henge just out side of Alliance. A must see to belive.

[Melody Ranch]

I rode a motorcycle from Valentine south on 281. I about broke my neck gawking at the sign that said "Scenic Overlook" and the "Nebraska State Forest." Someone once said that there was nothing between Amarillo and the Arctic except a barbed wire fence....and it blew down. (paraphrased) Well, this part of Nebraska fits that picture. West Texas has more geographic scenery if not population. Regardless ....the Sand Hills are awe inspiring.

[elh3946]

We love traveling through the Sand Hills of Nebraska! And the Nebraska National Forest is unique in the U.S. -- it's the largest human-planted forest in the U.S. The section west of Halsey has a nice campground (most of the sites are small, but we found one we could fit a 33' fifth wheel in a few years ago).

Also, the Chadron area in the northwestern corner of Nebraska is quite scenic, and the Chadron State Park is very nice.

Linda

[Ray Eklund]

63air: If I were to live anywhere in Nebraska check out the Fort Robinson, Nebraska area, just west of Crawford. If you rate Las Vegas, Nevada as #1 for casino gambling, Fort Robinson is NW of Alliance. See my input on the Western Boondocking forum with directions.

We are planning on heading out there as soon... as I get the replacement sink faucet in the AS, which should be before the moon is full. Although the Nebraska National Forest is a sight to see... as you can count the trees in an afternoon, the Badlands of western Nebraska will haunt you for many years. You will also come back as if you have left part of your soul in the Pine Ridge running into Wyoming. The wonderful part of this area is the history, the geology and the beautiful scenery.

May our paths cross...

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

63air: If I were to live anywhere in Nebraska check out the Fort Robinson, Nebraska area, just west of Crawford. If you rate Las Vegas, Nevada as #1 for casino gambling, Fort Robinson is the scenic spot to Nebraska, just NW of Alliance an hour or so. See my input on the Western Boondocking forum with directions.

We are planning on heading out there as soon... as I get the replacement sink faucet in the AS, which should be before the moon is full. Although the Nebraska National Forest is a sight to see... as you can count the trees in an afternoon, the Badlands of western Nebraska will haunt you for many years. You will also come back as if you have left part of your soul in the Pine Ridge running into Wyoming. The wonderful part of this area is the history, the geology and the beautiful scenery.

May our paths cross...

If you have kids with you, plan on an extra two days at the Fort.

[Poprivet]

Ahh - Nebraska. One of the great things about Nebraska is most travelers think it's just I-80 and corn fields. That leaves the treasures not over crowded. Get off the main route and explore - Many of the small farm town welcome RV'ers and have free camping in their city parks - some even with hookups. I recommend you send for the state tourism package. As with most states, you get lots of good stuff.

[overlander63]

If you are train buff, Gibbon Junction is the busiest railroad junction in North America. There are usually 100+ trains a day through there.

[RedSHED]

I once rode a bike across Nebraska en route Colorado. We took 5 days to cover 500 miles, and really enjoyed it. We took a variety of back roads from the Missouri River to Kearney, then along the Platte to Colorado. An extremely pleasant ride. Rolling hills in the eastern part, sand hills in the west, and the UP railway for company. Very nice people, decent little towns, stuff to see every once in a while. I can't say enough nice about it. Much more rewarding than the Rockies, I think.

[Caryl]

Last summer, on the way back from Rocky Mountain National Park to Illinois, we decided to take Rt. 20 through Nebraska and Iowa to see the Sand Hill area. We went north from the Park on I25 to Wyoming and then took smaller roads to Ft. Laramie and Independence Rock. Ft. Laramie is a well re-constructed fort with an outstanding bookstore and is well interpreted. It is well worth an hour or more stop. Near by is Independence Rock which is huge and was a landmark that the emigrants on the Oregon Trail anticipated as the midpoint in the journey west. The emigrants carved their names and date of travel on the rock. It is awesome to read those names and reflect on their journey as compared with ours.

Although I have seen many forts, read many books and visited many Native American sites, I guess my visit to Fort Laramie deepened my wonder at what life was really like for all cultures living in what must have been a desolate, wind swept area.

In the town of Fort Laramie as you turn off for the Fort itself, there is a great cafe and a dog biscuit manufacturing operation. (I know, that combination is a little strange and it is out in the middle of nowhere...) Everyone in town goes there for lunch and the food is outstanding. Everyone talks to everyone else and the conversation can go on all afternoon if you let it. Our dog loved the biscuits and we loved the food and friendly chatter!

We found Rt. 20 and took it through Nebraska all the way to Dubuque, Iowa and had a great time on that back road. You can almost see the buffalo herds and hear the stampede along that road in Nebraska. What an experience a buffalo hunt would have been in those hills. Fort Robinson is on Route 20. That is where Crazy Horse was attacked and killed. You can learn an incredible amount about the western migration and the Native Americans if you take some time to study up before you go and stop and look at the sights while you are there.

Many of the towns on that route have city parks with a few RV spaces for the weary traveler. Usually there is an electric hook up and water nearby. We found some dump stations at some as well. There are few if any RV parks that we found--but those little city parks were quite lovely and were free to a whopping $7 for a night's rest. No problem finding gas or a diner or friendly people.

Have a great trip. I hope your journey through Nebraska and Wyoming will be as interesting as ours.

Pictures from the trip: Independence Rock, our rig in a small dusty town, the barracks at Ft. Laramie.