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Carhenge – Alliance,Nebraska,USA. - panoramio (1)📷 Roman Eugeniusz, CC BY-SA 3.0

Road trips in Nebraska

5 road trips and 21 hand-picked places in Nebraska, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

Trip guides
5
Places
21

Campsites in Nebraska 209

Trip guides

Road trips through Nebraska

On the Oregon Trail in Nebraska – a ladder is on the roof of a housePhoto by Martin Martz on Unsplash
26
Themed road trips

On the Oregon Trail in Nebraska

493 mi5 stops3 days
Nebraska Sandhills on Highway 2 – ISS020-E-51451 - View of Earth© Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domain
2
Scenic byways

Nebraska Sandhills on Highway 2

312 mi7 stops3 days
Niobrara River: waterfalls and fossil rhinos – a large body of water surrounded by mountainsPhoto by Kevin Butz on Unsplash
20
Things to do in…

Niobrara River: waterfalls and fossil rhinos

203 mi7 stops3 days
Along the Platte: Lincoln, the crane migration and Buffalo Bill – 01 Nebraska State Capitol Aisle Vault© NateBergin · CC BY 4.0
80
Themed road trips

Along the Platte: Lincoln, the crane migration and Buffalo Bill

333 mi9 stops3 days
Grass, wind and open space: by camper along Highway 2 through the Nebraska Sandhills – Alliance,Nebraska,USA. - panoramio (1)© Roman Eugeniusz · CC BY-SA 3.0
2
In-depth road trip guides

Grass, wind and open space: by camper along Highway 2 through the Nebraska Sandhills

496 mi11 stops6 days
RouteSuggested daysDistanceDrivingStops
On the Oregon Trail in Nebraska3493 mi8 h 48 min5
Nebraska Sandhills on Highway 23312 mi5 h 35 min7
Niobrara River: waterfalls and fossil rhinos3203 mi3 h 37 min7
Along the Platte: Lincoln, the crane migration and Buffalo Bill3333 mi5 h 57 min9
Grass, wind and open space: by camper along Highway 2 through the Nebraska Sandhills6496 mi8 h 51 min11
Editor's picks

Places worth the detour in Nebraska

Carhenge – Alliance,Nebraska,USA. - panoramio (1)© Roman Eugeniusz · CC BY-SA 3.0
Editor's pick
Oddities

Carhenge

Alliance, NE
Smith Falls State Park – Smith Falls, Nebraska© Blaze Wolf · CC BY-SA 4.0
Editor's pick
Nature

Smith Falls State Park

Sparks, NE
Fossils from a plesiosaur were found near Santee shown at Ashfall Fossil Beds 8-5-2023© Larry Koester · CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor's pick
History

Ashfall Fossil Beds

Royal, NE
Editor's pick
Nature

Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary

Gibbon, NE
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Nebraska (cd121440-216a-4120-ac01-65837f8af86c)© NPS staff · Public domain
Editor's pick
Nature

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Harrison, NE
Scotts Bluff National Monument – SBluffStormComingIn© Cathy Cline · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Scotts Bluff National Monument

Gering, NE
Chimney Rock - panoramio (2)© timlitw · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Chimney Rock

Bayard, NE
Nebraska National Forest, Bessey District – ISS020-E-51451 - View of Earth© Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domain
Nature

Nebraska National Forest, Bessey District

Halsey, NE
Snake River Falls – a waterfall over a cliffPhoto by Julie Barber on Unsplash
Nature

Snake River Falls

Valentine, NE
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge – Fort Niobrara Refuge (12294375056)© U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters · Public domain
Nature

Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge

Valentine, NE
Nature

Niobrara State Park

Niobrara, NE
01 Nebraska State Capitol Aisle Vault© NateBergin · CC BY 4.0
History

Nebraska State Capitol

Lincoln, NE
Great Platte River Road Archway – 49ers P7160114© Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Great Platte River Road Archway

Kearney, NE
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park – Scout's Rest, Nebraska 7-24-13a (10784354753)© inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +) · CC BY-SA 2.0
History

Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park

North Platte, NE
Nature

Toadstool Geologic Park

Crawford, NE
Chadron State Park – ISS023-E-55455 - View of Earth© Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domain
Nature

Chadron State Park

Chadron, NE
History

Fort Robinson State Park

Crawford, NE
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park – First United Methodist Church of Nebraska City Historical Marker© CastIronSeasoner · CC BY 4.0
History

Arbor Lodge State Historical Park

Nebraska City, NE
Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer – Stuhr Museum 01© Myotus · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer

Grand Island, NE
Howard Street buildings in the Old Market© C.S. Imming · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Old Market

Omaha, NE
Homestead National Historical Park – Boundaries of Freedom© Ser Amantio di Nicolao · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Homestead National Historical Park

Beatrice, NE

FAQs

What are the best road trips in Nebraska?

Popular routes include On the Oregon Trail in Nebraska, Nebraska Sandhills on Highway 2, Niobrara River: waterfalls and fossil rhinos and Along the Platte: Lincoln, the crane migration and Buffalo Bill. CampingSpirit has 5 trip guides that pass through Nebraska, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.

Which places in Nebraska are worth a detour?

Our editors recommend Carhenge, Smith Falls State Park, Ashfall Fossil Beds, Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary and Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.

Nearby

South Dakota 5Kansas 3Colorado 20North Dakota 3Iowa 6Oklahoma 6Minnesota 8Wyoming 15