pine buttes and grasslands road trip
NOTE: Sowbelly Road, featured in this trip, is minimum maintenance and receives no snow removal. Road closed signs go up in the fall and stay well into spring when the last drifts finally melt, which is far later than on the surrounding plains. Please plan accordingly.
Discover Northwest Nebraska’s Pine Buttes and Grasslands Road Trip begins south of Crawford, Nebraska, near Fort Robinson State Park and takes adventurers west near Harrison, Nebraska, which at 4,876 feet above sea level is the state’s highest town. From there the trip heads north through one of the most picturesque and wild portions of the Pine Ridge and circles around back east through the expansive Oglala National Grassland and the unforgettable Toadstool Geological Park before returning to Crawford.
This trip is about 95 miles in length.
The beauty of this road trip is its adaptability. Though it can be driven in one day, several stops include enough opportunity for activities and camping that adventurers may want to break it up into multiple days. You can take advantage of camping opportunities at Gilbert-Baker Recreation Area or Toadstool Geological Park, or you may want to explore lodging and dining in Crawford or a cabin or RV site at Fort Robinson. You can also reverse the trip with the possibility of staying overnight in Harrison or stargazing at Gilbert-Baker then returning to explore Fort Robinson the next morning.
The lengthy road trip provides opportunities for sightseeing, birding, photography, fishing, hunting, camping, stargazing, and ample places to hike.
You’ll begin the trip (if you so choose) south of Crawford and just east of Fort Robinson State Park on Highway 20. Head west, driving through Fort Robinson, one of Nebraska’s most significant places with regard to the history of the American West. Originally a temporary camp guarding the Red Cloud Agency from 1874-1877, the fort served the U.S. Military in multiple roles until it ceased to be a military post in 1947. Just some of the fort’s prominent history includes its role during the Indian Wars, its stationing of African American “Buffalo Soldiers” in the early 1900s and its serving as a German POW camp during World War II.
Travelers can easily make a day, or even a weekend of exploring the Fort and the nearby site of the Red Cloud Agency, but two stops essential to those just making a quick stop at the fort for this road trip include the site of Crazy Horse’s death and a monument to the Cheyenne Outbreak in 1879, two major historical events which took place at the fort.
To visit the site of Crazy Horse’s death, navigate using the Google map attached to the tour or stop at the fort’s large, brick, administration building northwest of the highway and ask for directions to the nearby site. Just over 1.5 miles after leaving the fort will be a pull-off area that features the Cheyenne Outbreak State Historical Marker. A monument honoring the Cheyenne Outbreak can be seen not far west from the state historical marker.
Moving on, you’ll travel about 17 miles west along Highway 20 and turn north on Pants Butte Road about 3.5 miles east of Harrison. Continue traveling north among the pine-laden buttes of the Pine Ridge until you reach Sowbelly Road to the west. Though you’ll be heading back south, this route takes you through Sowbelly Canyon, which, legend has it, gets its name from a confrontation between a band of Cheyenne led by Chief Running Deer and U.S. soldiers from nearby Fort Robinson.
Running Deer’s group had been wintering in the canyon. Tipped off about their location, the soldiers, who intended to round up the band, rode out, so confident that they didn’t send a scout ahead or mask their approach. Aware of the approaching troops, the Cheyenne spread out through the canyon and ambushed the soldiers. The surviving troops found themselves in a narrow portion of the canyon with tall cliffs lining the sides of the ravine where a creek ran. The Cheyenne were easily able to trap the soldiers there for days until eventually their Captain devised a plan that led to their escape. While trapped in the canyon, the soldiers had only pork belly to eat, thus the name Sowbelly Canyon.
Midway through the canyon you’ll come across G.H. Coffee Park which was donated to the town of Harrison in 1976 by Guy and Ila Coffee, members of the Coffee family, prominent pioneers of Northwest Nebraska. By this time in the trip, you may be in the mood for the chance to stretch your legs a bit and grab a bite to eat. The park features multiple shelters with charcoal grills which are convenient for a pit-stop, but adventurers will want to keep in mind that Gilbert-Baker Recreation Area, the next stop on the road trip, is an equally great area that makes up for its lack of established cooking sites with a bevy of activities like hiking and fishing. Because Gilbert-Baker is a Wildlife Management Area, open fires are not allowed, so lunch (or dinner if you’re traveling the route in reverse) will need to be packed in or cooked on a portable stove.
You’ll leave Coffee Park heading southwest through the remainder of the canyon. Follow Sowbelly Road until it intersects with Monroe Canyon Road where you’ll head north until you reach Gilbert-Baker Recreation Area. The campground is a bird watcher’s paradise and the creek flowing through is one of few in the state where trout reproduce naturally.
Gilbert-Baker Wildlife Management Area encompasses 2,537 acres and is home to elk, turkey, deer and other wildlife. Hiking opportunities abound, so don’t hesitate to prolong your trip in order to take full advantage of the area. Just be sure to bring your camera along.
Drive north just a bit further along Monroe Canyon Road and you’ll find a road heading east that will take you to a Gilbert-Baker pond which is stocked with trout seasonally. The pond is also home to bass and bluegill.
Once you’re ready to move on, continue driving north on Monroe Canyon Road on your way to a trio of monuments that mark the region’s frontier history. Keep right as the road turns to gravel (a feature of all the roads from here on out), you’ll now be following Edgemont Rd and nearing Oglala National Grassland.
The grassland includes 94,000 acres of mostly mixed-grass prairie with the occasional badlands. Pronghorns, swift foxes, and coyotes are some of the wildlife you might see while traveling through. According to the U.S. Forest Service, birders can expect to find grassland birds like lark buntings, Brewer’s blackbirds, sand-pipers and chestnut-collard longspurs.
Continue northeast on Edgemont Road until you reach Montrose Road. Head east on Montrose Road until you reach a T-intersection with Pants Butte Rd. Turn north and follow the road east (Pants Butte has merged with Montrose Road, leaving you still on Montrose despite the intersection). A sure sign you’re on the right path will be the sight of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, founded in 1887, and its cemetery sitting atop a nearby hill to the east which features the gravestone of Soloman Borky, who carved the church’s alter, which still remains. Continue until you reach the church and Montrose.
It’s not known who gave the first mass in the church’s history, but it is likely the priest was from South Dakota’s Holy Rosary Mission on the Pine Ridge reservation. The church’s first marriage was May 13, 1889, between Michael J. Ruffing and Katherine Wunder. Early gravesites were marked with wooden crosses and descendants of the church’s early families continue to be buried there. The church was officially closed in 1973.
Montrose is a now defunct village located not far from where the Powder River Trail and the Cheyenne & Black Hills Stage Road intersected north of present-day Lusk, Wyoming. Settlement in the town began in 1887 or 1888 near the site of Indian Crossing on Hat Creek about a quarter of a mile from the Montrose Church.
Plan to spend some time stretching your legs in the area. You can start by touring the cemetery, but be sure to leave yourself time to make the short hike north to a pair of monuments honoring the events of the Battle of Warbonnet Creek, where the U.S. 5th Cavalry turned away what was rumored to be 800 Cheyenne who were attempting to link up with Sitting Bull in the weeks following his victory against Custer.
The battlefield monument sits on a hill that would later house a civilian built fort that served to protect Montrose during tensions that arose during the Ghost Dance War. Closer to the road, just across Warbonnet Creek, head east from the trail to the battlefield monument and you’ll find another monument honoring the encounter that led to the only casualty of the battle.
At this site, William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who was serving as a scout with the 5th Cavalry, killed and scalped the Cheyenne Yellow Hair as he and a group of warriors were attempting to cut off a pair of couriers trying to reach the main 5th Cavalry forces nearby. Cody claimed the scalp as “the first scalp for Custer,” and later featured it in his wild west shows. Though the battle featured just one casualty, it was considered a rare victory for the U.S. during fighting the fighting in 1876.
(For a more complete telling of the battle visit: https://www.historynet.com/buffalo-bills-skirmish-at-warbonnet-creek.htm)
From Montrose, head east, transitioning from Montrose Road to Hat Creek Road (be sure to head east and not south). Enjoy the sights of the Oglala National Grassland as you travel Hat Creek Road for several miles until it intersects with Toadstool Road less than a mile from the South Dakota border. Head southeast on Toadstool Road for another lengthy leg of the road trip through the grassland.
As you approach Toadstool Geological Park from the north, reference your map and take advantage of a small parking area that will offer a glimpse of Sugar Loaf Butte to the southeast. Peeking over the hills, Sugar Loaf Butte juts above its surroundings, which made it an excellent landmark for west-bound travelers of Nebraska’s frontier. The base of the butte is Pierre Shale and the peak is from the Brule Formation. The butte contains fossils from 45 million to 26 million years old. A quick hike up the hill to the southwest offers unobstructed views of the surrounding area.
From the parking area, continue heading south along Toadstool Road, following signage that will lead you to Toadstool Geological Park.
Here you’ll find one of the most fascinating landscapes of Northwest Nebraska, known for its strange geological formations and fossil deposits. Many of the rocks preserve fossils and footprints of extinct species like tortoises, rhinos, saber-toothed cats, early three-toed horses, camels, and lizards. Toadstool is another area of the road trip where adventurers could spend an entire day hiking any or all its multiple trails and visiting the nearby Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center. Camping is also possible. There is no water at the campground so be sure you still have plenty left if you plan to hike before moving on.
Just up the road is the Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center, the site of an ancient bison kill that contains the remains of up to 600 bison that are 10,000 years old. Local ranchers Bill Hudson and Albert Meng discovered the site in 1954 and it was later excavated in the 1970s. It was considered the largest Alberta Culture bison kill site ever discovered. The visitors center can be reached by car or by a lengthy hike from Toadstool Park. Once there, visitors can tour the site, a process which can take up to 45 minutes (currently the center is closed due to COVID-19, but hiking and outdoor interpretive signs are still available).
Once you’ve visited Toadstool and Hudson-Meng, head out southeast on Toadstool Road for the final leg of the road trip. Follow the road until it intersects with Highway 71. Head south on the highway toward Crawford, where you may want to take advantage of lodging and dining there or continue back to Fort Robinson for lodging opportunities there. You can also head east along Highway 20 to reach Chadron, another opportunity for lodging, dining, and continued adventures.