roverrocks
Expedition Leader
The wife and myself headed out on June 21 from Montrose, Colorado for a week in the Nebraska Sandhills. About 475 miles into our trip we visited the Pawnee National Grasslands and Pawnee Buttes in NE Colorado just south of where Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska intersect on the shortgrass steppes of the High Plains. We had never been to the Buttes before so we were looking forward to the summer grassland vistas, wildflowers, and any wildlife we could see. My wife took a two hour round-trip hike to the Buttes themselves and back (I am too old and worn) while I explored the area within a mile or two from the TH for wildflowers and vistas. A lovely day with the prairie breezes swaying the 2-3 foot high Needle-and-Thread grass stems/seedheads in a beautiful tapestry of motion. After this grassland interlude we headed about 15 miles north where we visited the highest point in Nebraska called Panorama Point which is just across the Nebraska/Colorado state line on a private bison ranch which charges $3 per person to visit the site. As a native Nebraskan who has not lived in Nebraska for 30 years this was rather fun for me. The Panorama Point, NE views were pretty good with a private bison herd just to the NW, lots of wildflowers all around and dark thunderstorm clouds thru which we would later travel off to the north. Here's some pictures of the Pawnee Buttes, CO area and Panorama Point, NE area. Later this week I will post some of our Nebraska Sandhills pictures from June 22-26 when we wheeled lots of little used two-track sand trails on Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska National Forest and Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest. All three are mainly fascinating Sandhills grasslands.........................but that is a different trail report in the future.
#1-Pawnee Buttes area map
#2-Pawnee Buttes sign
#3-The Pawnee Buttes from the west
#4-A closer view of the Pawnee Buttes from the west
#5-Pawnee Buttes from the south
#6-The shortgrass prairie just south of the Buttes
#7-Western Meadowlark
#8-Western Meadowlark
#1-Pawnee Buttes area map
#2-Pawnee Buttes sign
#3-The Pawnee Buttes from the west
#4-A closer view of the Pawnee Buttes from the west
#5-Pawnee Buttes from the south
#6-The shortgrass prairie just south of the Buttes
#7-Western Meadowlark
#8-Western Meadowlark
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