Pawnee National Grassland

Spent one night here (a friday). Got there early afternoon, and all the spots were available, most filled by that night. The views are beautiful and it's very peaceful. Storms rolled in that evening, and the winds got pretty intense in the middle of the night, I'd definitely come back and stay here if passing thru.

One of my favorites locations to view the night sky - it has changed in the last 35 years, gas wells continue to encroach, but I still find solace in the middle of the night.

Absolutely a hidden gem! We wanted to go camping last minute and since this is the first spat of warm weather in Colorado since last October, everywhere we checked for a last minute spot was full. We scanned the internet for some "off the beaten path" and found dispursed camping at Pawnee Grasslands and I can not believe I've never heard of this before. The dispursed camping is spread out and spacious giving privacy hand in hand with incredible views. Of course, as with any grasslands, it was windy but that just improved our experience really. We barely saw any people and those we did see were few and far between. Apparently we aren't the only people living in Colorado that had no clue this place existed! 5 stars, we will return! We did bring a converted bus, and it was passable but I do Recommend a high clearance vehicle to those wishing to explore the dispursed camping. Highlights Dispursed camping Reserved camping Toilets at grasslands entrance Pet friendly on leash Recommend high clearance vehicle Windy Quiet Peaceful

Hiked here for the first time last Tuesday. Was the only person hiking the Pawnee Buttes Trail at 7:30am. Saw five campers, four hikers and many, many birds during my two-hour adventure. Debated not coming here based on the variety of negative reviews and the protective trail closure. Grateful that I explored this space anyway – there's a delightful, open energy here. Overall Experience: This isn't your typical Colorado hike and this space isn't for everyone. If you enjoy chill trails in the middle of nowhere, buffalo grass and bird chirps, you'll love it here. The horseshoe shaped trail will take you right up to the two buttes, which are spectacular to see. Road Conditions: You'll drive for about 10 miles on dirt/gravel roads. They're in pretty good condition with only a few washboard moments. You'll probably be most comfortable in a high clearance vehicle, but you could safely drive here in a Jetta. Trail Closure: The signs are very clear about where you can't explore and thankfully, it's just one section of the Pawnee Buttes Trail, so it won't impact your overall experience. Private Land: The private land warnings are around the second butte and don't impact the overall trail. If I owned something that beautiful, I wouldn't want people climbing on it either. Oil Rigs & Wind Turbines: From the trail, you can see an oil rig in the distance, but it's not on the trail and you don't actively hike near it. There are also quite a few wind turbines in the opposite direction that add to the open plains allure. Shooting Range: I didn't hear this when I first arrived, but when I left I did hear some "pop-pops" in the distance. It didn't see anyone shooting and it didn't sound close to the trail, so it never felt like my life was in danger.

The road to get there was brutal. Beat to hell from the oil traffic. We got to the primary trail and it was closed for nesting. Perfect view was littered with wind turbines. The drive through this part of Nebraska is beautiful but its terrible to see this treasure full of oil rigs and wind farms and all the "grasslands" we saw were being grazed.