ROADS LESS TRAVELED
Discover Northwest Nebraska’s Whitney Lake Tour takes adventurers to a Northwest Nebraska destination that’s not just an area with significant Native American history, but a favorite for anglers looking to spend a day at the lake. This trip is about 34 miles long from its origin just west of Chadron.
The tour includes stops at The Council Tree, where the U.S. government met with the Lakota to discuss the sale of the Black Hills in 1875, the site where Crazy Horse and his followers camped following his surrender at Camp Robinson in 1877, and Whitney Lake, a favorite fishing destination in the area that’s great for anglers, bird watchers, photographers, and afternoon picnickers. While Whitney Lake has plenty of shore to be accessed, you may want to bring along your boat, canoe or kayak – just note that if you plan to bring the latter, you’ll share the lake with motorized watercraft.
Begin your trip heading west out of Chadron on Highway 20, dubbed Crazy Horse Memorial Highway in honor of the Lakota War Chief. Follow the highway past the turn for Whitney, about 20 miles until you reach Mansfield Rd. Head north from there about 1.75 miles until it intersects with Old Highway 20. Go East on Old Highway 20 for just under 1.5 miles to arrive at a monument honoring the site of The Council Tree, or Treaty Tree, as it is sometimes called. Further east on the road you’ll find a Nebraska State Historical Marker honoring the same site.
