The Great American Desert. The flyover territory. Flat. Boring. Uninspiring. All names or descriptions given to an area of North America that is five-hundred miles wide and two-thousand miles long. This area is The Great Plains. The Great Plains are arguably the most American of all landscapes. What people over the world often conjure up when the American West is thought about. The wide open spaces, the vast landscape and the sky above. Seemingly limitless. Extending forever.

The Great Plains were home to the nomadic people that are romanticized in American culture. And what is more representative of the mythical Wild West than the solo cowboy riding his horse on a windswept plain?

The Great Plains are home to the iconic bison, it is where horses originated before making their way to the Eurasian Steppes, (and flourished on The Great Plains again thousands of years later when brought over by the Spanish) and fossils of ancient creatures can be found.

The Great Plains is where many pivotal events in American history took place.

Names that echo generations later. Names that resonate in American history: Lewis and Clark, Crazy Horse, The Oregon Trail, The Battle of Wounded Knee, the Pony Express, Chimney Rock, and more. And it is not a place that is only about the geological history, more recent events in the American past or what The Great Plains represent in American culture.

It is a beautiful place. A place where wildflowers bloom with intense color in the spring. A place where the canyons are lush with creeks flowing through them and where countless species of birds call them home.

And it is a wild place. When the Front Range Urban Corridor of Colorado has over 4 million people within an hour or so of the Rockies, The Great Plains is a bastion for solitude and remoteness. Many areas of The Great Plains number not in the millions or the thousands, but often merely the hundreds.

The Great Plains is a place often ignored by outdoor enthusiasts. But it is a place that any person who loves the wild places should explore more.

Where to Go

The Great Plains is a vast region and extends into nearby Canada (and some people argue also into extreme northern Mexico just past the Rio Grande).

The most remote portions tend to be in the western sub-region known as The High Plains. This area is just east of the Rockies Mountains and extends to western Nebraska and Kansas and south to the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico. The climate is semi-arid and can reach elevations up to 7800’.

Some of the more scenic highlights are in this sub-region of The Great Plains.

Deciding where to go in this large region can be overwhelming.

But here are a few areas worth visiting and exploring. As always, a good atlas, and some research, will turn up some other ideas, too.

Badlands National Park

The term “badlands” itself refers to formations formed by erosion in typically clay soils. Badlands National Park is perhaps the premier area to see these extensive formations. Bison roam, rock formations beckon, and a vast area to explore is waiting.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

If there is an abiding mythology about the American West that still persists to this day, it is that people go west to reinvent themselves. Theodore Roosevelt went west to live a physical lifestyle to cure his childhood maladies. He then went back East to be the man we know from history. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is perhaps a way to taste a part of this vigorous lifestyle. With many miles of trails, and the Little Missouri River flowing through the park, this park does not seem like something associated with The Great Plains. The herds of wild horses, bison, and rock formations leave no doubt that someone is exploring a part of this spectacular ecosystem.

Pine Ridge

The Pine Ridge is an escarpment that extends over one-hundred miles throughout the Nebraska Panhandle in addition to parts of neighboring Wyoming and South Dakota. Up to twenty-miles wide at parts, the Pine Ridge and surrounding areas offers many opportunities for fossil exploration, experiencing the places where much western history took place, seeing geological wonders, backpacking, camping in lush canyons, and seeing a night sky as exquisite as anything, if not better, found in more popular and well-known wilderness areas. A good backcountry road atlas and topo maps are needed to find some of the hidden gems sprinkled throughout this area.

Comanche National Grassland

Located in the southeast corner of Colorado and below the Arkansas River, the Comanche National Grassland is an area that is off the beaten path in many ways. One of the most impressive collections of brontosaurus tracks can be found here, astronomical markings and rock art abound from previous inhabitants, old Spanish churches can be spotted on the public lands and some impressive springtime wildflowers can be seen.

Picture & Carrizo Canyons, near the Oklahoma border can be visited, with Picture having an about 15 mile loop that can done. Perfect for a leisurely backpack in a memorable area. After the trip, nearby Bent’s Old Fort is worth stopping at a look at what life may have been on the old US-Mexican border in the 1840s. And need a bite to eat? Lucy’s Tacos in the nearby town of La Junta shows how the Mexican heritage is still present in this area. Delicious food, at good prices, at a no-frills take-out location. Take some to go!

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site

A peaceful and quiet area that was the site of a pivotal event in American history, the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is worth visiting. A reminder that events that took place on The Great Plains have had much impact on American history and culture despite this area being forgotten about today by the majority of the public. The place is solemn, simple, and conducive to enjoying the wide open spaces and contemplating what transpired on this location. James Michener’s book Centennial has a fictionalized account of this tragedy that very much mirrors what happened in actuality.

When to Go

In many ways, The Great Plains region is similar to the Colorado Plateau west of the Rocky Mountains. Besides both being remote and often dry, the ideal time to explore both of these areas is often in the spring or fall.

The Great Plains, especially the High Plains sub-region that is remote, can have some harsh weather. The Great Plains are perhaps ideal to visit in the spring when the weather is more temperate, the wildflowers may be blooming and the water is more likely to flow.

Fall is cool, the air is crisp, and the ground cover is turning colors. Another great time to be there. Winter can be beautiful, but bitterly cold and very windy. Summer is extremely hot and dry.

A Dream That Links it All

As befitting this unique North American landscape, a long distance hiking trail is being planned out to link all these unique areas. When complete, a proposed Great Plains Trail will extend from Canada’s Grasslands National Park to Guadalupe Peak in Texas. The Great Plains have been ignored in outdoor circles. Perhaps the trail will help highlight, and protect some of these unique areas. See The Great Plains Trail Alliance website for more information.

Challenges Faced by The Great Plains

The Great Plains are an energy rich area with low population along with low use and protection versus other public lands. Currently, much of the area is open to energy exploration and extraction. Preserving public lands while making wise use of them is always an ongoing debate. And this debate is perhaps most evident in The Great Plains.

Want to Know More?

The Great Plains is an area that is not well-known to most. While personally exploring the area is wonderful, sometimes getting more background about an area of interest is helpful, instructive, and interesting.

Some suggested resources to learn more about this area include:

Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild is a two-part PBS documentary available. Gorgeous cinematography and an excellent look at the issues faced in this area.

Great Plains by Ian Frazier is a classic collection of vignettes that details life on The Great Plains in the late twentieth century. If the PBS Great Plains documentary looks at the wild places left on The Great Plains, Frazier’s book captures the spirit of the people that live on them.

Centennial by James Michener is perhaps the most well-known book of historical fiction. Taking place in the High Plains of Colorado, it is an excellent way to read about the natural history and geology of the plains, the native history of the area, the oncoming waves of Europeans, and later Americans, who explored and settled the area and such events as the Dust Bowl. Though the specific history is fictionalized, the overall history as portrayed is rooted in fact. Centennial also captures the isolation and beauty of the area as well. Though written in the 1970s, a theme and question posed in the book applies to The Great Plains today: How to use resources in a sustainable manner, in a way that will not destroy the area?

And when it comes to getting to and from these destinations and exploring The Great Plains, the respective state Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer can be quite useful.

Finally...

The Great Plains are a unique and beautiful area that has a rich history. It is an area that enriches the experience of anyone who explores them. If someone loves the wild places, The Great Plains must be visited.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor Paul Magnanti originally appeared in Issue 25 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.