Nebraska trails · Fossil Hills Trail
Fossil Hills Trail
A 1.7-mile out-and-back in Nebraska, with 177 ft of climbing. Reaches University Hill and other summit destinations.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 83% of the ascent, between mile 0.6 and mile 1.2. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- University Hill (summit)
- Carnegie Hill (summit)
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:49 a.m., the sun rises at 6:18 a.m. and sets at 7:30 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:59 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 12 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.4-mile round trip takes roughly 1 h 27 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 7:45 a.m. — 11 h 45 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Cheyenne Butte Trail — 19.7 mi
- Smiley Canyon Loop Trail — 20.3 mi
- West White River Trail — 20.6 mi
- Boots And Saddle — 20.9 mi