Sunday, October 13, 2024

Nebraska National Forest: Canyon Loop

The whole family finally has a day off together. We opted to spend our day hiking in Nebraska National Forest near Chadron. Today's hike would start at the Cliffs Trailhead and traverse the Canyon Loop. We made the drive north and parked at the trailhead, then crossed a cattle guard and veered off into the mix of prairie and piney woods.


Almost immediately we were treated to some vibrant fall colors!


The trail mostly followed old, two-track roads through pretty, rolling terrain.



We let Rosie hike off leash and she really seemed to enjoy the freedom.





The hike offered great views off to side canyons and rugged terrain.


At other points we were up in the grasslands. We even passed a couple of windmills.


Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the hike was descending down into the small, shady canyons. It was nice to hike amongst the trees and look at the colorful leaves that littered the ground.




Soon enough, we approached the Cliffs and the end of our hike.


It was a pleasant hike, though parts of the end started to feel a bit redundant. We stopped at Runza in Alliance for dinner before making the rest of the drive home. 

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