The Least Traveled Road In Nebraska Will Take You A Thousand Miles Away From It All
By Delana Lefevers|Published April 12, 2018
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Delana Lefevers
Author
As a lifelong Nebraskan, Delana loves discovering the many hidden treasures of her state. She has worked as a writer and editor since 2007. Delana's work has been featured on more than a dozen websites and in Nebraska Life Magazine.
There’s nothing quite like a country drive to help you get away from the busy world and clear your head. There are hundreds of country roads to travel in Nebraska, but if you want to drive for miles and miles without seeing another person, Highway 71 might be the perfect path.
Highway 71 runs through the panhandle from the Colorado border to the South Dakota border. It's only 170 miles long, but it packs in a whole lot of Nebraska along the way.
The road starts (or ends, depending on the direction you're traveling) a little south of Kimball. You can choose to take Old Highway 71 (S Chestnut Street) straight through the town, or take the newer route which veers off to the east.
If you keep your eyes open, you'll see some beautiful sights like Lodgepole Creek (pictured above), historic farms, old churches, and a wealth of natural beauty.
Keep driving and you'll pass by Gering and Scottsbluff. The iconic Scotts Bluff Monument towers in the background - it's a majestic sight from any distance.
But between the towns, what you'll see on Highway 71 is a whole lot of this. Nothing but peaceful ranch land, quiet farms, stunning grasslands, and long stretches of open road.
This is the kind of scenery that some out-of-staters find boring, but we Nebraskans know better. This is the quiet life we choose out here, and there's nothing more beautiful.
There are long distances between towns, and you're likely to have the whole road to yourself along much of the journey. Isn't that a breath of fresh air, particularly if you're out here to escape from city life?
Before hitting the South Dakota border, Highway 71 will take you past Fort Robinson State Park and straight into Oglala National Grassland. This area is one of those hidden gems that most people from outside of the region don't know about, and its raw natural beauty is simply awe-inspiring.
This may be Nebraska’s least-traveled road, but once you take this drive you’ll want to come back to drive it again. Have you ever driven the whole route? Tell us about your trip in the comments!
