Pawnee Pioneer Trails

Once a thoroughfare for ambitious settlers, entrepreneurs and migrating herds of bison, the plains of Northeast Colorado have changed quite a bit in the last two centuries. But this byway (which at times leaves the pavement behind and crosses through wild grassland) is a blast from the past. Visitors can gain some perspective on the region’s history at the Overland Trail Museum in Sterling, which details the customs and culture of the Plains Indians as well as the trails that brought settlers to Colorado.

The southern terminus of the byway lies in Fort Morgan, which was once home to bigband leader Glenn Miller. His life and influence on popular music — as well as the town’s military history — are chronicled at the Fort Morgan Museum. As the byway travels off CO 14 into the plains, it enters the Pawnee National Grassland, a massive tract of short-grass prairie where pronghorn antelope and numerous songbirds thrive. Rising in the distance and appearing as an anomaly on the rolling terrain of the plains are the dual mesas of the Pawnee Buttes. Not only are the buttes a popular spot to hike on the plains, but paleontologists have discovered numerous fossils there as well.

The Pawnee National Grassland Self-Guided Birding Tour is approximately 21 miles long and passes through a variety of bird habitats. A leisurely tour takes approximately two to three hours by car.

Total distance: 128 miles
Suggested time: 3 hours