Bessey OHV Trail System

Bessey OHV Trail System covers 36 miles of designated off-highway vehicle trail in the Bessey Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey in Thomas County, a location that makes it historically and ecologically unique among OHV destinations in the country. The Nebraska National Forest is the only hand-planted national forest in the United States: the entire ponderosa pine and eastern red cedar canopy was planted by hand beginning in the 1890s in an experiment to determine whether trees could be established in the Nebraska Sandhills. The OHV trail system threads through this planted forest rising from the surrounding rolling Sandhills grassland, the contrast between the pine forest and the open sand dune landscape visible at the forest edge is striking. Trail surfaces alternate between open sandy track and more compact forest floor dirt depending on the section. Trail difficulty ranges from wide sandy loops appropriate for beginners to narrower forested single-track. Maximum vehicle width is 64 inches, accommodating most ATVs and UTVs. Access is via NE-2 to Halsey; vault toilets and trailhead parking are provided. Primitive camping is available at McKelvie National Forest campgrounds nearby. Contact the Bessey Ranger District in Halsey (308-533-2257) for current conditions.