This morning the air was even colder than yesterday, but because there was little wind it actually felt warmer. I parked at Country Club Road and started walking along the fence line north towards the North Platte River. Again, there were nice views west to Scotts Bluff.
Soon enough I found myself at the irrigation canal. Luckily the canal is pretty much dry, though there was a frozen waterfall leading into it.
I crossed the canal, then headed east on the canal road to the edge of the monument badlands. The view out over the badlands with the steam rising from the sugar factory smokestacks was interesting.
Towards the bottom of the badlands, I met the railroad tracks, walked a short distance west along the tracks and then bushwhacked north towards Owl Road and the North Platte River. On this cold day the river was like flowing slush.
The diversion canal made a small frozen waterfall as it emptied back into the river.
As I walked Owl Road between the river and the canal, I would occasionally hear the ice that formed on the canal making snapping and cracking sounds.
At the west end of Owl Road I set off traveling further west in the river floodplain. This would not be a fun walk in the summer. I'm sure it's choked with poison ivy and ticks. There were a few areas that appeared to be places where deer bedded down. However, on this cold day I saw very little wildlife.
At the western end of the monument's river boundary, I climbed a steep hill out of the floodplain, across the railroad tracks and along the western boundary which abutted corn fields. Sparrows were everywhere in this area. They perched all along the boundary fence.
I followed the boundary south to the irrigation canal. From here I followed the canal road east and back to the start of my hike at Country Club Road.
Distance hiked: 5.2 miles
Cumulative distance hiked in 2025: 22.2 miles
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