By Kurt E. Kinbacher, Local Cyclist
The Pine Ridge – if your legs are up to it – is one of the best features of riding in this part of the world. There are great routes to be had out of Chadron, Crawford, and Harrison. They are all worth the effort.
The Bordeaux to Deadhorse loop out of Chadron is about 35 to 40 miles depending on the exact route. I generally like to ride it east to west, but it is beautiful in both directions. The most direct route to Bordeaux Road is via Highway 20. Head due east out of Chadron, pass the Museum of the Fur Trade – always worth a visit – and take the first right. Proceed south on Bordeaux, and it will take you up to the table.
If you prefer more gravel, there are a couple alternatives. One way is to head north up Main Street, and ride past the ballpark and the County Fairgrounds to the intersection were the pavement ends. Its only about a half mile north of the railroad tracks. Take a right on Beaver Valley Road and head east. Stay on this rolling road for a long three miles. The first four-way intersection is McHenry, the next four-way is Slim Buttes, the third intersection is three-way, turn right here on Pine View – it is not marked with a street sign.
Head south and Pine View will cross the railroad tracks and then Highway 20. This next little stretch of road borders the Bordeaux Creek State Wildlife Management Area, and the views to the left are very pretty. The terrain here is undulating but the surface is very smooth. It doglegs left after about one mile, crosses the creek, and runs up a little hill before joining Bordeaux Road. Take a right here. (Riders who took the Highway to Bordeaux join the discussion at this point.) There is a gentle uphill gradient for the next four miles or so as the road parallels Big Bordeaux Creek. There is a nice little Burr Oak stand in the flats to the left. About two-and-a-half miles from Pine View, Bordeaux intersects with Egan Road on the left. (Egan Road is also good riding. The climb up to the table is steeper but shorter, and it is a good place to look for bluebirds.) Stay to the right on Bordeaux, and it doglegs back to the south down closer to the creek.
In about two miles the road passes Forest Service Road 723 on the right. That is the road to the Cliffs Trailhead and some nice riding. I like to go up that way when it is really windy – the forest provides some shelter. That intersection is not well marked, but there is a ranch house there on the left with a wooden privacy fence that offers a good landmark. There is also an old brown sign that announces: “Chadron 11 miles.” Keep going south, and from here the upgrade becomes far more noticeable. In the early spring or late fall, this is often a snow line. The first part of the climb is about a mile-and-a-half, and this is the steepest portion. It heads up into the Ponderosas and the views to the rear are incredible. Then there is a little pitch and roll across some beautiful pastures. There is an old barn on the left, and then the road makes another dogleg before a little climb up to an intersection. Table Road runs to the left, there is an old homestead on the right. Go forward (also labeled Table Road on maps), and the route veers off to the west as winds its way to the table proper after about three miles.
The road turns 90 degrees to the south at the top of the climb. Proceed south two miles, take the second section road to the right and, after a mile, cross over Highway 385. Keep going west on – you guessed it – Table Road. It is about four miles to Deadhorse Road. The view from up here is worth any headwind you might be riding into. Deadhorse is the first right that looks to go anywhere. Take a picture, then plunge down the steep grade.
The next eight miles to the Buttermilk turn are mostly downhill and completely magical. The first mile-and-and-half is a rapid descent that meanders through the pines. There is a private hunting preserve on the left; I have occasionally spotted what I think are Roe Deer in there. The road turns into a false flat about the time it hits Deadhorse Creek. It is quite verdant along both sides of the road for a little while. There is a patchwork of public and private land in here, and a family is running a small lumber operation right along the road. No need to worry about logging trucks though, traffic is always light.
Coffee Mill Butte and Flag Butte are the next markers in line. Coffee Mill is on federal land, and there is access via a double-track road. The area is recovering from the fires of 2006 and 2012, but it is coming back strong. The deadheads from the fire are pretty much cleaned out. Flag Butte is just down the road and at the very end of the pines. On holidays, someone still runs a flag up the staff. The old Flag Butte School House – now a community center – is just down the hill. It is one of just a handful of country school buildings still standing in these parts. It was in service into the 1960s. I always imagine they used to send some of the older boys up the butte to tend to the flag. Like all these old schoolhouses, there are no windows on the northside of the
building.
Buttermilk Road is about three-and-a-half mostly downhill miles from the old school. Flannagan Butte and then Rattlesnake Buttes are on the right. Buttermilk is at a four-way intersection at the base of a little hill – this is the first four-way since Flag Butte. Turn right and head back to the east. (Buttermilk is a dirt road, if it is wet – stay on Deadhorse to Highway 20 and turn right. It is about three-and-a-half mile to Chadron on a good shoulder. If its dry, use Buttermilk.) It is about three miles of rolling road through some badlands and some good grazing lands. I love this road.
There is one short-but-steep climb before Chadron Creek, and after the creek crossing there is little incline before the road comes to a T at Country Club Road. Turn left. This is the old highway, but it is gravel for about two miles. There are a series of slot canyons and three little hills in this stretch. If the road is running rough, expect some serious wash boards at the bottom of the second hill. I pick my way through here very slowly a lot of the time. At the base of the third little descent, the road turns to tarmac, passes the Dawes County Museum — also worth a visit — and dumps you into Highway 385. Turn left. There is a wide and smooth shoulder the two miles back into Chadron.
Photos courtesy Kurt E. Kinbacher