By Kurt E. Kinbacher,
Local Cyclist
The Hawthorne Loop is one of the nice rides when the winds are from the southwest. Its rolling terrain clocks in at just shy of 26 miles and has about 900 feet of elevation gain over the distance. Parts of this ride are on highways – all sections have ample shoulders. It can be ridden clockwise or counterclockwise.
Riding clockwise, head south out of Chadron on US 385 for about 2.5 miles. After passing the golf course take a right on Country Club Road. The first part of this street is paved, but the pavement ends just beyond the Dawes County Museum. The next mile-and-a-half are really beautiful as there are some wooded slot canyons to enjoy. Wild turkey and white tail deer spottings are common. This is the old highway gone a little feral, and there are a couple short climbs and descents. While the county maintains this stretch pretty religiously, it tends to develop some amazing washboards. It’s best to moderate speeds on the down hills. Seriously, they can grade it smooth, but the washboard will return in a week or two.
At Buttermilk Road, take a right. The intersection is not marked with a sign, but the road runs due west towards Chadron Creek. This 3.5 mile dirt road is one of my favorites. It climbs up and down from table to creek bed and back up. On the north side there is a mini-badlands. The Pine Ridge in all its glory is off to the south. Rattlesnake Butte is near the intersection with Deadhorse Road.
Head north on Deadhorse. This road gets a little more traffic, but it is almost all local drivers. It was built up with coarse white gravel in the spring and summer of 2020, and it has been running a little rough. This is only about a two-mile stretch. At Hawthorne Road, take a left and start a climb that goes west and then doglegs south. More mini-badlands are to the right, and this is usually a good stretch to spot pronghorns. The road turns west again and winds down to Deadhorse Creek. Enjoy the vista on the way down, and admire the two ranchsteads on the flats. In addition to cattle, they raise sheep down in there. There is often a llama kept among them as their protector. Hawthorne veers right just before Trunk Butte, and the road ends at Highway 20.
Take a left on Highway 20 and head west up a little rise and down another. Airport Road is about 1.5 miles ahead, and it is marked with a street sign. Take a right and head up hill. At the top of the hill there is a good view of the White River, and you pass over it and head north until the road turns right at a railroad trestle. This spot is known to riders as the Donkey Bridge, although the donkey has not been spotted in a couple seasons. Up the road a ways, though, is a horse pasture with some fine looking quarter horses. After four miles or so, the gravel turns to pavement at Chadron Municipal Airport, and the road joins Highway 20 again shortly thereafter.
The final stretch into Chadron is about four miles. There is one last longish climb on the highway and then a long coast back into town.