---
template: byway.jade
id: "16470"
name: Sandhills Journey
distance: "272"
duration: 5 hours
description: "Traverse into one of the most unspoiled and beautiful landscapes found anywhere in America--where cattle, fence posts and windmills are the skyline. Lose yourself on the Sandhills Journey."
contact: "**Grand Island CVB**<br>\r\n  <a href=\"http://www.visitgrandisland.com\">Visit Grand Island</a><br>\r\n  1-800-658-3178 or 308-382-4400  "
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websites: 
  - url: "http://www.carnegieartscenter.com/"
    name: Carnegie Arts Center
  - url: "http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=64510"
    name: Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge
  - url: "http://www.greatriver.com/"
    name: "Discover! America's Great River Road"
  - url: "http://www.fonnerpark.com/"
    name: Fonner Park
  - url: "http://www.hazardnebraska.com/"
    name: The Hazard Home Page
  - url: "http://www.visitkearney.org/"
    name: "Kearney, Nebraska"
  - url: "http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/"
    name: Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
  - url: "http://www.sandhillsjourney.com/"
    name: Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway
  - url: "http://www.fs.usda.gov/nebraska/"
    name: USDA Forest Service Nebraska
  - url: "http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=64521"
    name: Valentine National Wildlife Refuge
  - url: "http://www.visitnebraska.gov/scenic-byways/sandhills-journey-scenic-byway"
    name: "VisitNebraska.gov--Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway"
  - url: "http://www.westnebraska.com/"
    name: Visit Western Nebraska
  - url: "http://www.visitboxbutte.com/"
    name: Welcome to Box Butte County
  - url: "http://www.hooker-county.com/"
    name: Welcome to Hooker County
  - url: "http://www.tourthomascountynebraska.com/"
    name: "Welcome to Thomas County, Nebraska"
designations: 
  - Nebraska State Scenic Byway
states: 
  - NE
ll: 
  - -98.38317099999995
  - 40.914040000000114
bounds: 
  - - -102.87213099999997
    - 40.914040000000114
  - - -98.382271
    - 42.09740799999997

---

Named for the Sandhill Cranes that descend on the shallow Platte River every spring migration and for the area’s 20,000 square miles of stabilized sand dunes that are the largest in the Western Hemisphere, the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway bisects a timeless, wind-blown ocean of undulating dunes, native grass, and vivid blue lakes. Take a journey on this pristine byway to a place where culture abounds and where Nature is still master of the land. 

Local family homesteads along the Sandhills Journey keep alive the traditions of generations. Small towns punctuate the road, and friendly folks are always ready for rich conversation. Third, fourth, and fifth-generation cattle ranchers or “Sandhillers” are stewards of the land, working side-by-side with nature and grazing cattle where buffalo once roamed. Come see trains that lie parallel the trails blazed by the pioneers, and explore the boundless beauty of forests that are home to diverse wildlife. Have some old-fashioned fun at an authentic soda fountain and the local drive-in.

Explore Nebraska Highway 2, the Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, and leave with an immediate desire to return, a sense of rejuvenation, and the comforting feeling of knowing that there is still a wild place in the world right in the heart of Nebraska.