The Sandhills are grass and dunes for as far as the eye can see — except here, where 20,000 acres of ponderosa pine and cedar stand because people planted them by hand starting in 1902. The Bessey District is the largest hand-planted forest in the country, and walking its trails feels like finding a typo in the landscape.
The Charles E. Bessey Tree Nursery is still operating here, growing seedlings for forests across the Plains — it’s one of the oldest federal tree nurseries in the nation. Locals come for the fall foliage (yes, in the Sandhills), the horseback trails, and the campgrounds along the Middle Loup River.
Campgrounds are first-come and primitive in places, so check conditions with the ranger district before hauling an RV down the gravel. Fall is the sweet spot: color, cool nights, and nobody around.