MAY 2018 • NEBRASKAland 27
such as the mountain short-horned
lizard. Creeks and intermittent streams
provide critical habitat for other
species, such as red fox.
Visitors are sure to see another large
mammal: domestic cattle. The federal
property is grazed by permits with the
Sugarloaf Grazing Association, a group
of about 30 nearby ranchers. Working
with the association, the Forest Service
uses grazing to knock back species
such as crested wheatgrass, a non-
native introduced after the Dust Bowl.
Paths Off
the Beaten Path
Hiking, bicycling and horseback
riding are gaining popularity on the
grasslands. The Bison Trail, a three-
mile hike between the Hudson-Meng
Center and Toadstool Park, has
received attention in several national
publications.
The Forest Service also is working
with advocates of the Great Plains
Trail Alliance, which has mapped a
1,500-mile hiking and biking route
from Texas to Canada. There are plans
this year to mark a new trail through
the grasslands leading to the famed
Mickelson Trail of South Dakota's
Black Hills.
On the Frontier
The area's ghost towns of Orella and
Montrose often capture the imagination
of those who enjoy frontier history.
Near Montrose is the Warbonnet
Battlefield Monument and Cody
Yellow Hair Monument. They
memorialize a conflict involving
"Buffalo Bill" Cody and Yellow
Hair, a Cheyenne warrior, in 1876.
The picturesque and well-maintained
Immaculate Conception Catholic
Church and cemetery is also a popular
stop.
Visitors can get another taste of the
Old West at the Drifter Cookshack
and High Plains Homestead. The only
restaurant in the area, it offers lodging
and more under the guise of a frontier
town.
With such diverse offerings in a
distinctive setting, visitors to the
grasslands are sure to leave with
memories unlike any they will get
anywhere else – and for a small
investment. In this enchanting country,
countless treasures await those who get
off the highway for a closer look.
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To see more photos from this story, visit
magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/digital.
A buck pronghorn stands in a pasture on the Oglala National Grassland.
