restful relaxation
One of the best things about Northwest Nebraska is the wide-open spaces that allow for solitary contemplation and reflection. Our Restful Relaxation Bucket List offers you several stops to get back to nature, whether it’s for an hour or a few days. Take a break, you deserve it!
Labyrinths have been well-documented throughout history. CSC’s labyrinth is a recent addition to campus, built through student and staff volunteer efforts in an abandoned water cistern used by the City of Chadron in the early 1900s. Whether you view it as a piece of land art, a quiet walk among native grasses, the ideal spot for a panoramic view or a place to refocus your mind and reduce your stress, the labyrinth is a unique spot. The labyrinth can be accessed using the trail to Briggs Pond on the CSC campus.
Surrounding the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center on the CSC campus are the heritage gardens, featuring a statue of Mari Sandoz. The campus at CSC is an affiliate site of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and a landscape steward. The plantings on the 281 acres of campus include native or well-adapted plants meant to beautify the grounds, create teaching collections and provide environmental benefits ranging from shade and wildlife habitat to water management. The Sandhills plant collection in the Heritage Gardens near the Mari Sandoz Center features Sandhills soil and plants that grow around Sandoz’s grave in neighboring Sheridan County.
Woody plants native to the Pine Ridge can be found throughout campus, offering shade to students and buildings, and teaching opportunities to botany, taxonomy and history classes. A pollinating garden attracts butterflies, bees and flies.
The Harold and Laverne Thompson Natural History Preserve was established in 1974. It includes 40 acres crisscrossed by trails around Briggs Pond on the western end of the 281-acre CSC campus. Take in the trees, wildflowers and wildlife as you stroll the reserve and enjoy a moment or two at Briggs Pond.
Located in Crawford, Charcoal House carries a range of activated charcoal products for air/vapor/water applications, odor elimination, food and beverage filtration, health and beauty products, aquarium and soil decontamination, and biochar/agrichar for gardens and yards. Store hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; 308-665-1566
The Pine Ridge National Recreation Area south of Chadron was established in 1986. Its 6,600 acres provide backcountry recreational opportunities like hiking, walking, horseback riding, hunting, nature study and cross-country skiing. Motorized recreation is not permitted, and there are no developed facilities for a true away-from-it-all experience. Bring your own supplies, including water, and remember to pack-out what you pack-in. Access points include the Roberts Tract Camping Area/Trailhead on the Pine Ridge Trail, or the East Ash Trailhead on the Pine Ridge Trail. USFS: 308-432-0300
Located six miles north of Harrison, Gilbert-Baker is home to deer, turkey, elk and a wide variety of small game and birds. Fishing is also available at the pond, which is stocked with trout, on the east side of the road. Situated where the buttes and pine trees meet the grasslands, the WMA is a quiet spot for wildlife viewing, a hike or a rest on the banks of Monroe Creek.