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Cattle graze under a range of sandhills, which can rise several hundred feet. Lakes are plentiful due to a high water table.
The sand is so close to the surface that the land is untillable, but it is perfect for livestock.
An expansive, semi-arid landscape of water, sand dunes and grass is not found solely along the coasts of America. In fact, those elements of geology can be discovered much closer to St. Louis than you might expect. If you can answer these questions, you may already know exactly where to look.
• What American state ranking 15th in size has one-third of its area covered by prairie grasses growing atop white sand, stabilized by a thin layer of fragile soil so unsuitable for crops the land has never been plowed or cultivated?
• In what state is a 272-mile, two-lane National Scenic Byway described by the late intrepid traveler and American journalist Charles Kuralt as “One of America’s 10 most beautiful highways (that will) take you to one of the last unexplored frontiers where vast treasures can be discovered."
• Where is one of the largest dark spots of land in America unmarred by artificial light, allowing for spectacular views of the night sky?
• Where can fun-loving tourists float sandy bottom rivers in circular galvanized steel cattle troughs fitted with benches?
A farm is nestled up against a high sandhill.
Still not sure? Perhaps this clue will help.
• What large bird weighing about nine pounds enjoys the same name as the land beneath its wings, and migrates along the byway each spring, landing and resting in numbers exceeding 500,000?
The answer? The Sandhills area in the state of ... Nebraska.
All were formed from blowing sand during a drought as recently as 2,800 years ago, according to radiocarbon testing, while some of the tests indicate the age of the sand to be up to 8,000 years old.
Encompassing more than 13 million acres (20,312 square miles) — an area about as large as Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island combined — this is the largest area of stabilized grass-covered sand dunes not only in America but in the Western Hemisphere.
Beneath the prairie grass-covered dunes lies somewhat of a geological paradox, contributing further to the beauty of the area, The landscape is interspersed with about 2,000 shallow lakes and more than a million acres of wetlands.
That is because while the Sandhills is generally viewed as a dry grassland, it is uniquely positioned atop the Ogallala Aquifer — one of the world’s largest aquifers. The absorbent sand quickly soaks up precipitation, and where the flat valley floors intersect the aquifer, lakes form ranging in size from 10 acres to more than 800 acres. Many can be seen along the byway.
Lake areas fluctuate seasonally, but characteristic depths are shallow, averaging between 2 and 4 feet.
While the dunes are not able to be cultivated for crops, the grass growing on top of the sand, combined with an ever-present water supply, make the ground prime for raising cattle. Over half a million graze in the Sandhills and are a major industry for the state.
While nature’s beauty is the major natural attraction the Nebraska National Scenic Byway offers, there are several additional man-made sightseeing opportunities that ensure a drive from one end of the byway to the other end is fun and educational.
In fact, the state has adopted a slogan for the byway, which follows State Route 2 for its entire length: “Sandhill Journey — You’re on 2 something.”
In Alliance, Nebraska, at one end of the Sandhills Scenic Byway the manmade attraction known as Carhenge attracts 80,000 visitors a year. A lonely steering wheel from a Buick provides a photo opportunity to the manmade attraction that mimics Stonehenge in England.
In Alliance, at the western end of Route 2, about 80,000 tourists a year stop at Carhenge. This oddity consists of 38 American-made automobiles, all painted gray to resemble the ancient stones in England. They are arranged in a 96-foot circle to mimic the (much) more historically important Stonehenge in England, which charts the phases of the sun and moon. Some are stacked on top of each other, while others are half buried in the ground. (free, donations welcome; carhenge.com)
Also in Alliance, Dobby’s Frontier Town showcases the lifelong collection of antiques and relocated buildings collected by the late Dobby Lee.
Included among the 27 restored buildings tightly grouped on an acre of ground is a log cabin built by Robert Anderson. In 1922 when he was 79 he married Daisy Graham who was 21. Anderson, a former slave and Buffalo soldier who had fought in the Indian Wars on the frontier, had been living in a house made of sod, which he felt was inappropriate for his new wife. He cut the wood and hauled it himself from northern Nebraska to Alliance, where he hand-sawed and hand-hewed the logs for his honeymoon home. (free, but donations welcome; dobbysfrontiertown.com)
Galvanized steel cattle troughs are used to float streams in the Sandhills. Credit
In the middle of the byway in Mullen, Glidden Canoe Rental offers tank trips along the Middle Loup River. Tanks are fitted with benches along the inside edge, and passengers are each given an oar, but even the best effort at coordination won’t prevent the circular cattle tank from rotating in a lazy circle as it floats along the rock-free, flat sand -stream. ($25; gliddencanoerental.com/river-adventures/)
At Halsey, visitors can head off the byway into the Nebraska National Forest’s Bessey Ranger District to visit the 22,000 acres of forested land covered with hand-planted trees. Today the forest's nursery supplies more than 2 million seedlings per year and most are used for reforestation after fires.
The Crane Trust just outside Grand Island offers a variety of sunrise and sunset viewing opportunities as well as accommodations and programs for viewing the 500,000 sandhill cranes as they migrate through Nebraska mid-February through April. ($40 for a 2 1/2 hour escorted tour; cranetrust.org)
However, the waterfowl can also be seen landing in open fields along the byway.
At the eastern end of the Sandhills National Scenic Byway in Grand Island, Nebraska, the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer is promoted as one of the top living history museums in the United States. Spread over 200 acres and 100 historic structures that have been moved and reassembled on the site to create a town and farm, visitors can explore buildings and reenactors going about their daily lives in a bustling frontier railroad town set in the 1890s.
An ultra-modern indoor museum on the edge of the village features exhibits that change throughout the year using artifacts in the museum’s vast collection. ($14; Stuhrmuseum.org)
Local museums about the Sandhills are numerous along the route and include the the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center in Alliance (free) and the Custer County Historical Society Museum in Broken Bow (free).
In Dunning, Nebraska, the Sandhills Heritage Museum presents the history of the town and the area inside what was the Home State Bank. This is one of many small museums along the Sandhills Scenic Byway.
One man-made treat along the byway might be just as much a surprise as learning about the Sandhills themselves. The rolling terrain is home to some of the world’s leading golf courses.
Perhaps the most outstanding course is the 18-hole Sand Hills Golf Club, a country club in Mullen that is consistently ranked among the top golf courses in the world. Information on the internet says the course was not so much built as it was discovered hiding among the rolling sand hills. In fact, only one hole had to be entirely built, with all the others using the natural terrain. Even the Sandhills sand under the prairie grass was found to have perfectly round grains—making it essentially identical to the "USGA greens mix," a special type of sandy soil that the United States Golf Association considers ideal for the needs of a golf green.
If you are not a member of the private club, chances are you will have trouble getting a tee time, but you can see every hole at this website: youtube.com/watch?v=vHtj_2DRaBw
Getting there: From St. Louis, the city of Grand Island, Nebraska, is the eastern starting point for the Sandhills Scenic Byway and is an eight-hour drive from St. Louis. The byway is 272 miles and ends in Alliance, Nebraska.
Grandma Lala’s Bed and Breakfast in Alliance has consistent five-star reviews. There is no website, but the Facebook page can be viewed at facebook.com/GrandmaLalasBedAndBreakfast. Contact the owners for rates at 308-762 -925.
Among the many common franchise hotels, the two-year old Comfort Suites at 228 Lake Street, Grand Island, stands out for location, spacious accommodations and a hearty breakfast. Rates start at $127.
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Our readers love to travel, especially now that we feel a little safer. If you've been on a vacation lately, we'd love to see a photo. Send one in and you may be featured, too.
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Cattle graze under a range of sandhills, which can rise several hundred feet. Lakes are plentiful due to a high water table.
A farm is nestled up against a high sandhill.
In Dunning, Nebraska, the Sandhills Heritage Museum presents the history of the town and the area inside what was the Home State Bank. This is one of many small museums along the Sandhills Scenic Byway.
In Alliance, Nebraska, at one end of the Sandhills Scenic Byway the manmade attraction known as Carhenge attracts 80,000 visitors a year. A lonely steering wheel from a Buick provides a photo opportunity to the manmade attraction that mimics Stonehenge in England.
The sand is so close to the surface that the land is untillable, but it is perfect for livestock.
Galvanized steel cattle troughs are used to float streams in the Sandhills. Credit
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