This Plains State Is All About Dunes, Dinos, and Views

But only for those who venture off the highway.

By Jacqueline Kehoe

Published on 08/03/2021 at 10:35 PM

Start at the tip of I-80 in New Jersey, and you’ll gain more elevation within Nebraska than you did on your entire drive from the East Coast. That’s the first myth that immediately shatters upon entering the Cornhusker State: Though it may look it from the highway-largely thanks to the concrete flowing along the Platte River Valley-Nebraska isn’t flat.

From here, the rest of the myths-that the state is empty, tamed, uniform, dull-fall away like dominos, reliably and gaining speed. Because with that 5,000-some foot change in elevation comes a whole suite of diverse landscapes, crane-covered marshes rising into forests and sand dunes, rocky canyons eroding into buttes, ridges, and one of the largest intact grasslands on the globe.

With fewer than 25 people per square mile (far less if you don’t count Omaha), Nebraska could be where you go for off-grid adventure, to spot pronghorn and bighorn sheep and float down sleepy rivers. Should you find yourself lucky enough to be one of the few out here, here’s what to do.

Explore the Western Hemisphere’s largest tract of sand dunes

Nebraska’s Sandhills-a National Natural Landmark-are almost 20,000 square miles of sand dunes, some reaching up to 400 feet. They’re the largest sand dune formation in the Western Hemisphere, and you may be wondering why you don’t already know about them: Number one, they’re in Nebraska, and number two, they’re vegetated. Grasses aside, take a drive down the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, and you’ll see it: rolling wave after rolling wave moving away from you, sandy vestiges of the Rockies frozen in the wind.

Valentine is a hub of note here. The Valentine National Wildlife Refuge is a stand-out for water-loving wildlife-tiny lakes and wetlands set up shop at the bases of the dunes-but it’s also a stand-out for what you can’t see: light pollution. Come here after sunset, and you’ll be in the company of nothing and no one but stars.

The Niobrara River, a national scenic river, also flows right through here, and there are plenty of outfitters in town that can hook you up with a kayak and point you to the nearest and highest canyon walls. Sand Hills Golf Club-one of the most lauded courses in the nation-is also just south of here, near Mullen.

Otherwise, you can go-and stay-totally off-grid somewhere like Switzer Ranch, home to Calamus Outfitters. They run tanking tours down the pretty Calamus River and open-air Jeep adventures across the Sandhills, in addition to offering budget-friendly cabins. Here, you’re more likely to run into a herd of unruly pronghorn than a herd of unruly tourists.

Discover Nebraska’s craggier side

For craggier, more hardscrabble reminders of the nearby mountains, check out Scotts Bluff National Monument and its neighbor, Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area. Both are full of wild geologic formations; if you played Oregon Trail as a kid and remember Chimney Rock, that’s right here.

You can drive right to the top of Scotts Bluff, or trek any of the short trails around its base. Keep your eyes low when you’re walking the Oregon Trail Pathway-a short jaunt from the museum-so you don’t miss the swales, aka wagon-wheel ruts, still visible in the grassy floor some 170 years later.

In the Wildcat Hills-canyons lined with evergreens, rocky outcrops rising to some 4,600 feet-you’ll find great spots for camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, and hiking. When the sun sets, bust out that telescope-stargazing is great here, too.

Wander one of the country’s last wild places

And then there’s the nearly 100,000-acre Oglala National Grassland, a vast, golden, rocky prairie that’s never seen a plow. It’s one of the last tracts of land in the country that looks just as it was hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. It’s the opposite of farmland-it’s thoroughly and unforgivingly wild.

Which is to say, don’t expect to be rubbing shoulders with amber waves of grain. Back in the day, farmers thought this land largely useless: Toadstool Geologic Park and Campground is a church of badlands-esque hoodoos, and to the south is the Pine Ridge region, a high tableland of forested buttes, ridges, canyons, cold-water streams, and groves of ponderosa pine.

This region roughly correlates with the Nebraska National Forest, a highlight of which is Chadron State Park, Nebraska’s first. It’s a great spot for hikers and mountain-bikers with its 100+ miles of trails and old ranch roads, empty for the taking.

For somewhere to stay, Fort Robinson State Park is a good home base for the Pine Ridge region, as it has plenty of historic cabins-it’s an old military fort, true to its name-and everything from primitive to full hook-up campsites. The aforementioned Toadstool Campground is a convenient base, too, if you’re more of the roughing-it type.

Diana Robinson Photography/Moment/Getty Images

Spot wildlife-from the past and present

Let’s start with the wildlife below ground: Nebraska is an undeniable fossil freeway. At Agate Fossil Beds National Monument-just south of the Pine Ridge-the Fossil Hills Trail leads hikers to quarries rich with the bones of tiny camels and stumpy rhinos. Not to be confused with Agate Fossil Beds, Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park (near Norfolk) is an active fossil dig where you’re invited to ask the paleontologists about their work at their onsite lab. Definitely walk over to the Hubbard Rhino Barn, too, where new-and-yet ancient finds are constantly being discovered.

Back in Oglala, Hudson-Meng Bison Kill Bed is a compact fossil site, with 10,000-year-old remains of some 600 bison lodged in one spot, just barely unearthed for visitors to check out.

And, of course, you probably know about the state’s incredible sandhill crane migration. Post up in Kearney between late February and early April, scoping out spots like Rowe Sanctuary or the Fort Kearny State Recreation Area for views of more than half a million sandhill cranes, feasting heartily on the cornfields. There’s nothing like it in the country-this is one of the last great migrations on Earth.

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

Master the fine art of tanking

If you’re familiar with “tanking,” you probably know a thing or two about Nebraska’s rivers. There are a lot-more than any other state, in fact-and most of them are calm and family-friendly.

The Calamus River-again, shout-out to Switzer Ranch-is prime for your first tanking adventure, no skills required. Anyone can paddle a livestock water tank! You can even put a wheelchair into one, and they’re suitable for all ages and abilities. The Dismal River is a bit more challenging, suitable for kayakers looking for a faster-paced thrill and those without a cooler and four friends in tow.

Splash around under waterfalls

At Smith Falls State Park, near Valentine, you’ll walk across a historic bridge to view the 63-foot falls as it plunges into the Niobrara. The park is also spectacular for canoers, kayakers, and tubers, and the Niobrara flows all the way to the Missouri.

Also worth a mention is Platte River State Park, and its small-but-scenic Stone Creek Falls. The park has a seriously dense network of trails, and glamping cabins are set right off the river. Over 50 modern and “camper cabins” dot the park, too, and at just 30 minutes from Omaha, it’s a great spot to slowly ease yourself into the realities of Nebraska’s wild side.

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Jacqueline Kehoe is a writer, photographer, and geology geek. See her work on Instagram at @j.kehoe.

Travel

Ditch your Phone for ‘Dome Life’ in this Pastoral Paradise Outside Port Macquarie

A responsible, sustainable travel choice for escaping big city life for a few days.

By Danielle Marsland

Published on 25/10/2023 at 04:04

nature domes port macquarie — Photo: Nature Domes

The urge to get as far away as possible from the incessant noise and pressures of ‘big city life’ has witnessed increasingly more of us turn to off-grid adventures for our holidays: Booking.com polled travellers at the start of 2023 and 55% of us wanted to spend our holidays ‘off-grid’. Achieving total disconnection from the unyielding demands of our digitised lives via some kind of off-grid nature time—soft or adventurous—is positioned not only as a holiday but, indeed, a necessity for our mental health.

Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, an accommodation collection of geodesic domes dotted across a lush rural property in Greater Port Macquarie (a few hours’ drive from Sydney, NSW), offers a travel experience that is truly ‘off-grid’. In the figurative ‘wellness travel’ sense of the word, and literally, they run on their own independent power supply—bolstered by solar—and rely not on the town grid.

Ten minutes before you arrive at the gates for a stay at Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, your phone goes into ‘SOS ONLY’. Apple Maps gives up, and you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, driving down unsealed roads in the dark, dodging dozens of dozing cows. Then, you must ditch your car altogether and hoist yourself into an open-air, all-terrain 4WD with gargantuan wheels. It’s great fun being driven through muddy gullies in this buggy; you feel like Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park. As your buggy pulls in front of your personal Nature Dome, it’s not far off that “Welcome…to Jurassic Park” jaw-dropping moment—your futuristic-looking home is completely engulfed by thriving native bushland; beyond the outdoor campfire lie expansive hills and valleys of green farmland, dotted with sheep and trees. You’re almost waiting to see a roaming brachiosaurus glide past, munching on a towering gum tree…instead, a few inquisitive llamas trot past your Dome to check out their new visitor.

To fully capture the awe of inhabiting a geodesic dome for a few days, a little history of these futuristic-looking spherical structures helps. Consisting of interlocking triangular skeletal struts supported by (often transparent) light walls, geodesic domes were developed in the 20th century by American engineer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller, and were used for arenas. Smaller incarnations have evolved into a ‘future-proof’ form of modern housing: domes are able to withstand harsh elements due to the stability provided by the durable materials of their construction and their large surface area to volume ratio (which helps minimize wind impact and prevents the structure from collapsing). As housing, they’re also hugely energy efficient – their curved shape helps to conserve heat and reduce energy costs, making them less susceptible to temperature changes outside. The ample light let in by their panels further reduces the need for artificial power.

Due to their low environmental impact, they’re an ideal sustainable travel choice. Of course, Tom’s Creek Nature Domes’ owner-operators, Cardia and Lee Forsyth, know all this, which is why they have set up their one-of-a-kind Nature Domes experience for the modern traveller. It’s also no surprise to learn that owner Lee is an electrical engineer—experienced in renewable energy—and that he designed the whole set-up. As well as the off-grid power supply, rainwater tanks are used, and the outdoor hot tub is heated by a wood fire—your campfire heats up your tub water via a large metal coil. Like most places in regional Australia, the nights get cold – but rather than blast a heater, the Domes provide you with hot water bottles, warm blankets, lush robes and heavy curtains to ward off the chill.

You’ll need to be self-sufficient during your stay at the Domes, bringing your own food. Support local businesses and stock up in the town of Wauchope on your drive-in (and grab some pastries and coffee at Baked Culture while you’re at it). There’s a stovetop, fridge (stocked as per a mini bar), BBQs, lanterns and mozzie coils, and you can even order DIY S’More packs for fireside fun. The interiors of the Domes have a cosy, stylish fit-out, with a modern bathroom (and a proper flushing toilet—none of that drop bush toilet stuff). As there’s no mobile reception, pack a good book or make the most of treasures that lie waiting to be discovered at every turn: a bed chest full of board games, a cupboard crammed with retro DVDs, a stargazing telescope (the skies are ablaze come night time). Many of these activities are ideal for couples, but there’s plenty on offer for solo travellers, such as yoga mats, locally-made face masks and bath bombs for hot tub soaks.

It’s these thoughtful human touches that reinforce the benefit of making a responsible travel choice by booking local and giving your money to a tourism operator in the Greater Port Macquarie Region, such as Tom’s Creek Nature Domes. The owners are still working on the property following the setbacks of COVID-19, and flooding in the region —a new series of Domes designed with families and groups in mind is under construction, along with an open-air, barn-style dining hall and garden stage. Once ready, the venue will be ideal for wedding celebrations, with wedding parties able to book out the property. They’ve already got one couple—who honeymooned at the Domes—ready and waiting. Just need to train up the llamas for ring-bearer duties!

An abundance of favourite moments come to mind from my two-night stay at Tom’s Creek: sipping champagne and gourmet picnicking at the top of a hill on a giant swing under a tree, with a bird’s eye view of the entire property (the ‘Mountain Top picnic’ is a must-do activity add on during your stay), lying on a deckchair at night wrapped in a blanket gazing up at starry constellations and eating hot melted marshmallows, to revelling in the joys of travellers before me, scrawled on notes in a jar of wishes left by the telescope (you’re encouraged to write your own to add to the jar). But I’ll leave you with a gratitude journal entry I made while staying there. I will preface this by saying that I don’t actually keep a gratitude journal, but Tom’s Creek Nature Domes is just the kind of place that makes you want to start one. And so, waking up on my second morning at Tom’s —lacking any 4G bars to facilitate my bad habit of a morning Instagram scroll—I finally opened up a notebook and made my first journal entry:

‘I am grateful to wake up after a deep sleep and breathe in the biggest breaths of this clean air, purified by nature and scented with eucalyptus and rain. I am grateful for this steaming hot coffee brewed on a fire. I feel accomplished at having made myself. I am grateful for the skittish sheep that made me laugh as I enjoyed a long nature walk at dawn and the animated billy goats and friendly llamas overlooking my shoulder as I write this: agreeable company for any solo traveller. I’m grateful for total peace, absolute stillness.”

Off-grid holiday status: unlocked.

Where: Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, Port Macquarie, 2001 Toms Creek Rd
Price: $450 per night, book at the Natura Domes website.

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