The Great Plains

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

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...

@PaulMags details the Great Plains and its exploration opportunities - take a look below in Issue 25:

Great Plains: Overlooked Wilderness

Issue 25 Page 1

[Dogwood]

Have to give out the kudos to Paul Magnanti for a GREAT article exposing us to this often neglected area for outdoor pursuits. I'm looking forward to researching further hikes in the Great Plains. 

FWIW, I so appreciate Trailgroove and it's writers for the variety of hiking destinations brought to our attention rather than rehashing the same old beaten to death discussions of just a small handful of hiking opps here in the U.S. and globally. REFRESHING!   

[PaulMags]

Thank you. I've really grown to appreciate the beauty, remoteness and wildness of this quintessential, if overlooked, American ecosystem. 

[HappyHour]

Stellar article Paul.  And now I know who to blame when these places start getting crowded .  But more campers and hikers out on the plains is a good thing since it translates to more advocates for preservation.  You can't expect people to care about places they only fly over.

 

[Gary M]

On 11/29/2015, 9:38:10, Aaron said:

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...

@PaulMags details the Great Plains and its exploration opportunities - take a look below in Issue 25:

Great Plains: Overlooked Wilderness

Issue 25 Page 1

 

Aaron...........

Just finally got around to this very fine piece by Paul Magnanti.

The article says it all!  The Great Plains/High Plains is an overlooked outdoor American masterpiece.  I've lived on the Eastern edge of this "fly over country" all my life, and know the stark beauty of this part of the USA.  

The funny thing is, as Paul aptly mentions, the Great Plains is what many people visualize when they think about the US.  It's Americana at it's absolute best!  To me, it's my favorite place to be.  Yet most people have never ventured into the Plains.  Just not exciting enough I guess.

This is one of the best articles I have seen in TrailGroove, precise and very much on the point.  Great photos too! 

Gary M    

[outdoorchic]

Great article. I spent many years wanting to go backpacking. I always thought I would have to "go somewhere" to try it. Then I realized South Dakota had the perfect place for a 1st time solo trip. I spent 4 incredible days in the Black Elk Wilderness. Hiking the Harney Peak summit was the only time I had to deal with a lot of people. 

[PaulMags]

Sweet! That wilderness area looks pretty nice.