Fall Guide · Cowboy Trail, Nebraska
Fall Along the Cowboy Trail: Things to Do Near Ferncrest Elkhorn River
Nebraska in Fall is cottonwood gold and a sky that goes all the way to the edge with an endless dusk sky. Neligh is tucked just across the river from us — a small town with an 1880s mill still standing, the Cowboy Trail runs straight through, and the Elkhorn runs past your door.
FallFun
Everything worth doing nearby between the first cool night and the last leaf.
Pumpkin Patches
Pick pumpkins in Norfolk
Poppy's Pumpkin Patch is about a thirty minute drive and has a super slide, human hamster wheels, a petting zoo, a zip line, the full set of fall photo ops and more. It's kid friendly at a reasonable price.
It is the closest thing to a fall tradition in this part of the state.
- Poppy's Pumpkin Patch · 30 min drive | Sept 5 - Nov 1
The Cowboy Trail
Bike or walk the Cowboy Trail
The trail runs right through Neligh, less than a mile from Ferncrest, on the bed of an old rail line. Crisp air and autumnal color make fall the best season to ride it, walk it, or run it — and it is flat enough that everyone in the group can keep up.
- Nebraska's Cowboy Trail · 12 min walk, 3 min bike ride
On the Water
Fish or paddle the Elkhorn
Fall is prime fishing season on Nebraska waterways, and the river runs right outside your dome. Check the stocking reports before you come and pack accordingly.
Ferncrest also has tubes and kayaks available for guests to use on the Elkhorn River.
Fossil Beds
Prehistoric Nebraska at Ashfall Fossil Beds
About an hour out: rhinos and camels fossilized where they fell in a volcanic ash bed twelve million years ago, excavated in place under a shelter so you are walking over the dig itself. There is nothing else like it in the region.
- Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park · 1 hr drive
Local History
Tour the Neligh Mill
An 1880s grist mill with its original equipment still in place, sitting on the Elkhorn right in town. It's a well-preserved piece of Nebraska state history and takes about an hour — an activity to take a break from the outdoors.
- Neligh Mill State Historic Site · 1 min drive, 9 min walk, or 2 min bike ride
Back at Camp
Small town, starry skies, and a campfire to go into the evening warm
Quiet fall evenings, a heated dome, a sauna, and a campfire under a sky full of stars.
