Nebraska trails · Spotted Tail
Spotted Tail
A 4.0-mile out-and-back in Nebraska, with 551 ft of climbing. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 60% of the ascent, between mile 1.4 and mile 2.7. It gives back about 510 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Getting there
Pine Ridge A access — parking nearby. About 11 min drive (7 mi, 2 of them unpaved) from Chadron. 42.75631, -102.98932 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:35 a.m., the sun rises at 7:03 a.m. and sets at 6:11 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:39 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 08 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 8.1-mile round trip takes roughly 3 h 33 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 10:36 a.m. — 7 h 35 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Pine Ridge A + Spotted Tail — 5.4 mi loop, 1,175 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Pine Ridge A — 2.9 mi
- Pine Ridge B — 4.1 mi
- Cowboy Trail — 5.4 mi
- Pine Ridge C — 8.5 mi