The GPT – Our First Section of Trail – “Fort Toad”
Happy Trails!: Great Plains Trail Alliance is proud to announce our first section of what will become the GPT. Our goal is to roll out as many of these sections as we can until the entire length of the GPT is complete. This will take some time, and the process will likely start slowly and […]
Questioning Cattle Deaths in South Dakota
Montana? . . . No, Mongolia
I recently learned about a fascinating race called the Mongol Derby. Yes, it’s a horse race and no, you don’t go in a circle. The race is 1,000 km across the vast steppes of Mongolia. “Steppe” is essentially the Asian equivalent of “plains,” and the terrain of Mongolia is very similar to the Great Plains […]
The Northern End
In the yet to be completed routing of the Great Plains Trail, the southern terminus is most likely going to be the summit of Guadalupe Peak in Texas, but what is the plan for the northern terminus? Good question. The general plan is to have the U.S./Canada border be the the northern end of the […]
Wait, Are the Great Plains Actually Cool Now?
Just a quick post to point out that while Great Plains Trail Alliance was in La Junta, Colorado at the Pedal the Plains bicycle event last weekend, not too far to the north (but solidly on the plains) was another event that was, let’s say, a little bit different than a bike ride. It was […]
Pedal the Plains
The 2nd annual Pedal the Plains bicycle ride was this weekend in eastern Colorado. Great Plains Trail Alliance (and ABE the Bison!) were there yesterday in La Junta, and we had a chance to talk with a lot of people who were interested in the Great Plains Trail. It was really fun to see so […]
High Points of the High Plains – Honorable Mentions
The past six blog posts have dealt with state high points that are solidly on the Great Plains. Before moving on to other subjects, I wanted to conclude with two “honorable mentions” for two very different reasons. Honorable Mention #1: Fishers Peak, Colorado (elev. 9,655 feet) I mentioned this peak in the post about Harney […]
High Plains High Points – White Butte
We come now to the lowest, but not the least, of the High Plains High Points – White Butte in North Dakota (elev. 3,506 ft). White Butte is in far western North Dakota, and is a distinct land feature rising as much as 500 feet above neighboring valleys. Western North Dakota is dotted with similar […]
High Plains High Points – Mt. Sunflower
We come now to the pinnacle point of Kansas, Mt. Sunflower (elev. 4,039 feet). Mt. Sunflower is similar to Panorama Point in Nebraska in that it is not a distinct feature of the landscape, but more of a gentle rising wave in a landscape of similar swells. Mt. Sunflower is also on private land, but […]
High Plains High Points Continued – Black Mesa
Moving down the list (in terms of elevation) of high plains high points, we come now to the high point of Oklahoma, which is Black Mesa (elev. 4,973 feet) in the far western reaches of the 35 mile wide “panhandle.” Black Mesa is actually a much larger feature and extends into neighboring New Mexico as […]
High Points – Panorama Point
Continuing our look at state high points of the Great Plains, we come now to Panorama Point in western Nebraska (elev. 5,429 feet). Admittedly, Panorama Point does not quite have the prominence of many other state high points which are distinct landforms and rise substantially from surrounding plains or valleys. Panorama Point belongs to a […]
High Points – Harney Peak
In order of elevation from highest to lowest, the next Great Plains state high point is Harney Peak in South Dakota (7,242 feet above sea level). It’s possible I have mentioned all of this before in the blog, so apologies if I’m repeating myself here, but I first want to go on record as […]
