By Kurt E. Kinbacher

Dawes and Sioux counties in Nebraska offer bicyclists many great gravel rides. They can be strung together into bike-packing trips, or riders can base themselves out of comfortable motels, B&Bs, or accommodations at either Fort Robinson State Park or Chadron State Park.

There are a couple of important ground rules to keep in mind as you plan. First, rather than “gravel,” the county roads might best be described as mixed-surface unpaved routes. Sometimes they are more the essence of gravel – the stuff some call dirt. Others are crushed white rock embedded in the local clay soil. There are occasional stretches of proper gravel. Do not ride any of these roads when they are sopping wet. The mud out here is called “gumbo,” and it does not matter how much tire clearance you have, you will get stuck. On the other hand, a light rain will tamp down the dust. Somedays you have to roll the dice to know what road conditions might be. Keep in mind that none of the routes are particularly flat.

Secondly, the closest bike shops are 100 miles away in Scottsbluff or Rapid City, so come prepared. Walmart in Chadron carries most sizes of tubes, green slime, and a few repair tools. The local bicycle community, however, is pretty accommodating and pretty easy to find should emergency repairs arise. Please know that this is goat head country, so look up “puncture vine” before you come out. These thorns are worst in the fall, but last year’s crop always shows up again when the roads are graded in the spring. If you are running tubeless, recharge your sealant. If you run tubes, consider adding slime as mechanical barriers do fail.

Thirdly, both counties do a great job keeping the roads open, but they do get rutted, and some are prone to washboarding. Most riders out here are running hard-pack mountain bike tires on their gravel rigs. I run 2.1 inch tires on my 650b setup and 2.3 inch on my 29er. But, as they say, “ride what you brung.” Hard-tail mountain bikes do well as do 700c wheels with some aggressive tread. Maybe go as wide as your frame allows.

Finally, the highways are ridable. Both US 20 and US 385 have ample shoulders, and I use stretches of them frequently. State Highway 2/71 out of Crawford and State Highway 29 out of Harrison do not have wide shoulders, but they carry far less traffic. Be sure to bring all the food and water you need for an entire ride as the only places to resupply are Chadron, Crawford, and Harrison.