スウー郡のおすすめウォーキング＆ハイキングルート

At the visitor center you can see full skeletons of extinct Miocene mammal and learn about the natural history of prehistoric Nebraska. The Visitor Center also commemorates the pact between rancher James Cook and Chief Red Cloud of the Lakota on which the monument is founded.

The trail at Agate Fossil Beds takes you to the summit of Carnegie Hill and University Hill, both of which are crowned by rock formations with Miocene fossils. There are informative signposts that tell you about the fossils and prehistoric mammals who once walked the landscape.

At Agate Fossil Beds you can explore fossilized skeletons of Miocene mammals. The monument also preserves Lakota heritage and early ranching in Nebraska.

The campground has six sites with fire pits, picnic tables, and restrooms, but no drinking water. There are three main trails you can walk from here, including a 3 mile hike to the Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center. The Toadstool Trail has informational kiosks, and you can download a brochure from the forest service website. You may have to pay a $3 entry fee for day use.

As you follow the trail along the river bed between the Toadstool Trail and Orella Road (Forest Road 918), the path may become muddy and the trail signposts will disappear. Keep going! The trail is well worth it and provides a great deal of variety from the other trails in the grassland.

As you follow Orella Road (Forest Road 918) to connect the Bison Trail and trail along the river bed, at the point where you will summit the road you will find 360 degree views of the grasslands and buttes.

At the campground you will find six sites, three for RVs or horses and three with picnic tables and fire rings. There is a pump with drinking water and restrooms. This is a great place from which to start the Soldier Creek trails.

Soldier Creek Wilderness was once a timber reservation and grazing pasture for Fort Robinson. It became a nationally protected wilderness in 1986. There are two main loop trails — the southern Trooper Trail, which is 10.5 miles, and the northern Boots and Saddle trail of around 7 miles.