Nebraska trails · Spring Creek Loop Trail
Spring Creek Loop Trail
A 9.3-mile out-and-back in Nebraska, with 734 ft of climbing. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 63% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 3.1. It gives back about 1,265 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
Spring Creek Loop Trail junction. About 43 min drive (30 mi, 5 of them unpaved) from Chadron. 42.71366, -103.49443 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:37 a.m., the sun rises at 7:05 a.m. and sets at 6:13 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:41 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 08 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 18.6-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 37 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:42 p.m. — 3 h 31 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Spring Creek Loop Trail + Mexican Canyon Connection Trail — 4.4 mi loop, 164 ft gain
- Lake Windmill Trail + White Rock Trail + Spring Creek Loop Trail — 5.9 mi loop, 999 ft gain
- Horse Pasture Trail + James Ranch Middle Trail + Spring Creek Loop Trail — 6.2 mi loop, 745 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Mexican Canyon Trail — 2.2 mi
- Crazy Horse Trail — 2.4 mi
- Red Cloud Butte Trail — 2.5 mi
- Smiley Canyon Loop Trail — 3.4 mi