The Pawnee Buttes of NE Colorado and the Pawnee National Grasslands

[roverrocks]

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

 

[roverrocks]

The Pawnee Buttes of NE Colorado and the Pawnee National Grasslands cont.

More photos from the Pawnee Buttes, CO area.

#1-Pawnee Buttes Trailhead and picnic area
#2-Old Yucca seedheads and the Pawnee Buttes
#3-Pawnee Buttes Trailhead area with the Butte trail on the left
#4-Area map
#5-The Pawnee Buttes from the SW
#6-A westward grassland view from near the Buttes
#7-Storms to the NW of the Pawnee Buttes area
#8-An eastward grassland view from near the Buttes

 

[roverrocks]

The Pawnee Buttes of NE Colorado and the Pawnee National Grasslands cont.

More photos of the Pawnee Buttes, CO area.

#1-Northward storms and the western Pawnee Buttes area.
#2-Needle-and-Thread grass (Stipa) blowing in the wind
#3-Needle-and-Thread grass and Yucca south of the Pawnee Buttes
#4-Prickly Poppy
#5-Sandwort and Locoweed near the trailhead
#6-Sandwort on the shortgrass steppe
#7-Plains Prickly Pear (Opuntia)
#8-The grass-like Treadleaf Sedge (Carex filifolia) in a tight green clump. An important component of the shortgrass steppes. Also known as Blackroot. Very tough sod.

 

[roverrocks]

The Pawnee Buttes of NE Colorado and the Pawnee National Grasslands cont.

Shortgrass prairie wildflowers and plant common to the high grassland steppes of Colorado and Nebraska.

#1-Cryptantha sp.
#2-Penstemon sp.
#3-Eriogonum sp.
#4-An Evening Primrose (yellow) and the aromatic Fringed Sage
#5-A vibrant grassland Lupine
#6-Prairie flowers and grasses
#7-Evening Primrose

 

[roverrocks]

Panorama Point, Nebraska

A few photos from Panorama Point, Nebraska which is the highest point in Nebraska. This Point lies just barely north of the Colorado/Nebraska state line about 15 miles north of the Pawnee Buttes.

#1-Panorama Point, Nebraska entry kiosk on a private Bison ranch.
#2-Panoramic Point history sign.
#3-Panoramic Point at 5,424 Feet elevation with a private Bison herd in the distance on the left.
#4-Westward view from Panoramic Point with a private Bison herd on the right in the distance.
#5-A view southward into Colorado from Panoramic Point
#6-Looking NW from Panoramic Point
#7-Fat me at Panoramic Point with my Husker hat on. Football season is ONLY!!!!! two months away. GO BIG RED!!

 

[Wilbah]

Great write up Rover....I love that part of the country. So cool how the spring rains make those plants come alive.

In the mid 80's I was on a trip out there and somewhere in that area (the Pawnee Grasslands) the USDA has a soil test area/machine. Its is a "plug" (for lack of a better word) about 20 feet in diameter and is a core cut out of the ground. All the soil and plants rest in a big bowl of some sort and under the several feet of soil is an enormous balance to weigh changes in the weight of the "core". You would never know it exists except for two little strips of metal that run side by side around the entire circle (because the "core" rises and falls with rain etc.). Then about 20 feet away is a manhole cover that goes down to the workings of the "balance". All the data is sent to an office somewhere. It is fine tuned enough so that they can monitor the plant growth on it. Its pretty cool. Not that its easy to find. I was with a professor who knew took us to it.

Driving back we came up over a rise and flying low to the ground was an enormous all black plane (looked like the size of a C-130). No markings at all (not even an American flag on the tail) and it was HUGGING the ground. Absolutely scared the bee-jeebers out of me. It flew off to the northwest. Of course this was about a week after I had seen Red Dawn (the original one)....so the whole way back to Ft. Fun I was looking for parachutes and smoke. haha!