Pine Ridge Trail

Nebraska National Forest, Pine Ridge Ranger District (Chadron)

The Pine Ridge Trail runs about 40 miles along the Pine Ridge escarpment in northwest Nebraska, between Chadron and Crawford, through the Pine Ridge Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest. The Forest Service lists it as open to hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding, and describes a mix of grassland, ponderosa pine forest, creek bottoms, canyons, and open ridges.

Nebraskaland Magazine’s Justin Haag, who backpacked it with his teenage son in June 2020, called it “a substantial challenge” for three or four days and wrote that “just because it is in Nebraska and not the mountains, the trail should not be mistaken as easy.”

The hike

The east end is the Spotted Tail Trailhead, about 5 miles south of Chadron, and the west end is the West Ash Trailhead, about 10.5 miles southeast of Crawford. Haag’s group hiked east to west over three days, logging 37.19 miles by GPS. The Forest Service gives 40 miles; the Fastest Known Time route page gives about 35.5.

From Spotted Tail, the Forest Service puts Chadron State Park 7.7 miles away. The area burned in the 2006 Spotted Tail fire. Haag notes that the official route through the park is for horses only, so hikers use the park’s trail system, which he found convenient but confusing. Above the park he passed a windmill with a full stock tank. From the Outrider Trailhead, just north of the park entrance, the Forest Service lists the Black Hills Overlook at 1.8 miles, the Chadron Creek Wildlife Area at 6.9, and Deadhorse Road at 10.1. Haag walked along the wildlife area’s western fence line.

About 2 miles of Deadhorse Road, a county road through private land, connect the eastern and western sections. Haag’s first night was at the Coffee Mill Butte trailhead near Deadhorse Road, after 17.2 miles.

Day two climbed about 350 feet to the Coffee Mill Overlook and about 400 feet to Turtle Rock, a landform Haag says isn’t on most maps. Water was more plentiful on this stretch: he lists Turkey Track Spring, Trunk Butte Creek, Indian Creek, and Cunningham Creek. The pair camped at the East Ash Creek trailhead after 12.9 miles. From West Ash, the Forest Service lists East Ash at 5.7 miles, the Roberts campground and trailhead at 15.8, and Coffee Mill at 20.3. The last 4.9 miles ended at a creek-side picnic area on West Ash Road.

Fire is the trail’s dominant story. The Forest Service says the 2006 and 2012 wildfires burned most of the route, with effects “ranging from severe to barely noticeable,” and Haag describes “blackened snags, deadfall and protruding sandstone landforms.” He calls the tread mostly “unkempt single-track,” with markers that can be hard to find, ticks near creeks, poison ivy, and cow pies. The FKT page says brown posts with white caps mark the route.

West of Crawford, the Soldier Creek Wilderness offers a shorter Pine Ridge overnight.

Tips

Plan water first. Haag wrote that “water is one of the most important considerations for a trip such as this,” and wished his group had rationed better. Call the district about stock water.
Carry a GPS track. The trail crosses many other trails, and Haag’s pair used GPS with Avenza and OnX as backups.
Close every gate. The FKT page notes many gates on grazing leases.
Expect thunderstorms. Haag’s group was hit both nights in June.
Tell two people your plan. The Forest Service says cell coverage is spotty and recommends a GPS messenger.
Chadron State Park requires a state park pass if you start or enter there (Forest Service).

Camping

The Forest Service says campgrounds and dispersed camping are available in the Pine Ridge area. A Discover Northwest Nebraska guide to the forests says dispersed camping is allowed anywhere except campgrounds and administrative sites, and asks campers to bury human waste 6 inches deep and at least 100 feet from water. Forest Service trailhead pages say dispersed camping is allowed at the Outrider Trailhead and off Forest Road 711 near Spotted Tail; Roberts Tract has three tent sites. Forest Order 02-07-00-24-11 limits camping to 14 days in a 30-day period within a ranger district. No permit is mentioned. Stay off the private land along Deadhorse Road.

Inside Intel: Haag camped at the Coffee Mill and East Ash Creek trailheads, but for shorter trips he recommends overnights to spots such as Turkey Track Spring and Cunningham Creek, both on the water-richer western half.

Trail facts

Distance: About 40 miles (Forest Service); 35.5 to 37.2 miles by other sources
Route type: Point to point, Spotted Tail to West Ash
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Dispersed; Haag camped at Coffee Mill (mile 17.2 from Spotted Tail) and East Ash Creek (mile 30.1)
Water: No potable water; creeks on the western half; stock tanks unreliable
Permits: None found; state park pass for Chadron State Park
Fires: Stage 1 restrictions ordered in July 2026; check current status
Dogs: Allowed; keep under control
Trailhead: Spotted Tail (east) or West Ash (west); Outrider, Coffee Mill, East Ash, and Roberts in between
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

Two nights of thunderstorms on the Pine Ridge:

Nebraskaland's writer pitched camp in a hurry both evenings as storms rolled over the Pine Ridge Trail. See the tents reviewers trust when the weather turns.

See the picks →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.