Cherry County Nebraska 66
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Listings in Cherry County Nebraska
Cowboy Trail in Cherry County
Cherry County contains the western gateway to the Cowboy Trail, beginning in Valentine and continuing east through Wood Lake. This section features Sandhills scenery, wildlife areas, and the famous Niobrara River trestle, one of the most photographed views on the entire trail.
Towns on the Trail
Highlights
- Niobrara National Scenic River
- Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge
- Valentine National Wildlife Refuge
- Scenic Sandhills landscapes
Cherry County, Nebraska
County Seat: Valentine
Founded: 1883
Named For: Lt. Samuel A. Cherry, U.S. Army officer
License Plate Prefix: 66
Population: 5,455 (2020 census)
Area: 5,961 sq mi (largest county in Nebraska)
History
Cherry County was established in 1883 and named after Lt. Samuel A. Cherry, a U.S. Army officer known for his service on the Great Plains. The county grew around ranching, frontier trade, and the development of small communities across the vast Sandhills region. Valentine, founded in 1882 along the railroad, became the county seat and a major service center for ranchers and travelers.
The region’s history is deeply tied to Native American heritage, the expansion of cattle ranching, and the establishment of the Niobrara River as a vital natural corridor. Cherry County’s immense size and sparse population have preserved much of its frontier character.
Geography
Location: North‑central Nebraska in the heart of the Sandhills
Landscape: Sandhills dunes, prairie grasslands, canyons, rivers, and extensive ranchland
Adjacent Counties:
- Sheridan County (west)
- Box Butte County (southwest)
- Grant County (south)
- Brown County (east)
- Bennett County, South Dakota (north)
- Mellette County, South Dakota (north)
- Todd County, South Dakota (north)
Culture & Landmarks
- Niobrara National Scenic River – One of the nation’s premier scenic rivers, known for canoeing, waterfalls, and wildlife.
- Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest – Prairie forest and recreation area within the Sandhills.
- Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge – Bison, elk, prairie dogs, and scenic overlooks.
Notable Communities
- Valentine – County seat and regional hub for tourism and ranching.
- Cody – Known for the Circle C Market and student‑run enterprises.
- Merriman – Ranching community near the South Dakota border.
- Wood Lake – Small village along Highway 20.
Events & Attractions
- Valentine’s Niobrara River Recreation – Canoeing, tubing, kayaking, and scenic river trips.
- Sandhills Ranch Tours – Experiences highlighting Nebraska’s ranching heritage.
- Cherry County Fair & Rodeo – Celebrations of agriculture, rodeo culture, and community traditions.
Living in Cherry County
Cherry County offers a rural lifestyle defined by ranching, natural beauty, and wide‑open landscapes. Valentine provides essential services, schools, and tourism amenities, while the rest of the county is characterized by expansive ranchland and quiet Sandhills communities. Residents value the area’s independence, scenic rivers, and strong connection to Nebraska’s ranching heritage.
Outdoors — Camping, RV, Hunting & Fishing
Cherry County is the biggest outdoor county in Nebraska, and it earns the title: a 3,000-acre reservoir with an international dark-sky designation, the state’s tallest waterfall, a nationally designated wild river, and two national wildlife refuges.
Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area
88292 State Highway 97, about 26 miles south-west of Valentine. 3,000 surface acres with 44 miles of sandy shoreline, impounded on the Snake River in 1964.
Eight campground areas, 161 sites — 105 Electric Plus at 20/30/50 amp with fire pit and table but no water or sewer at the site, and 56 basic. The areas are Cedar Bay, Beed’s Landing, Boardman Creek, Willow Cove, Powder Horn, Snake River, Pines, Lone Tree and Cottonwood. 68 electric and 6 basic sites are reservable 180 days ahead; the rest are first come. Accessible sites at Beed’s Landing 33 and 43.
The dump station is not in the campgrounds. It is south-east of the dam, across from the Fisherman’s Boat Ramp — so from Cedar Bay or Willow Cove you drive round to the dam. Worth knowing the night before you leave. The shower building is at Cedar Bay and is coin-operated; bring quarters. Drinking water throughout, though the Snake campground and observing field have vault toilets only. Park entry permit required.
Five boat ramps and five docks. ⚠ Water skiing, wake surfing and similar towed watersports are not permitted — unusual for a reservoir this size, and people arrive expecting otherwise. It is not a blanket no-wake rule, but towed sports are out. Fish are walleye (the reservoir’s reputation), crappie, white bass, muskellunge, and channel catfish in the Snake River arm, with two modern fish-cleaning stations.
Merritt was designated an International Dark Sky Park in 2022, and the Nebraska Star Party has been held here for more than thirty years — primitive camping at the observing field, no electricity, vault toilets, no running water. A park entry permit is required per vehicle on top of registration, and Valentine’s hotels, 27 miles away, fill up.
Smith Falls State Park
On the Niobrara east of Valentine. Nebraska’s highest waterfall at more than 60 feet, dropping into the river valley. Basic tent sites only — no electric hookups and no dump station. Restrooms and pay showers. Reservable 180 days ahead.
The Niobrara National Scenic River
The stretch east of Valentine is among the best canoeing and tubing rivers in the Midwest — spring-fed, shallow, fast enough to be fun and gentle enough for families, with waterfalls dropping off the bluffs along the way. Outfitters in Valentine run rentals and shuttles. Check flows and outfitter schedules before travelling; the season is roughly late spring to early autumn.
Refuges and hunting
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge north-east of Valentine holds bison, elk and prairie dogs, with a wilderness area along the river. Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, south in the Sandhills, is a vast complex of shallow lakes and marsh — outstanding for waterfowl and for sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie-chicken, with spring viewing blinds.
Hunting on Merritt opens the day after Labor Day. The county is mule and whitetail deer, turkey, grouse and prairie-chicken country, with enormous acreages of private ranch land — Open Fields and Waters walk-in tracts are the practical public option and change annually.
The Cowboy Trail
Valentine is the western end of the Cowboy Trail’s developed surface — 187 continuous miles of crushed limestone run from here back east to Norfolk, and the surface through Valentine itself is concrete.
Cherry County at a Glance
Cherry County, Nebraska — at roughly 6,000 square miles, Nebraska’s largest county and bigger than the state of Connecticut. Almost all of it is Sandhills ranch country, with more cattle than people by a wide margin. County seat Valentine. 78 listings across 26 towns.
Getting there: US-20 runs east and west through Valentine, Crookston, Kilgore and Nenzel; US-83 runs south into the Sandhills toward North Platte.
For visitors: the Niobrara National Scenic River, one of the best canoeing and tubing rivers in the Midwest, with Smith Falls State Park and Nebraska’s tallest waterfall. Merritt Reservoir, famous for walleye and for some of the darkest skies in the United States. The Valentine National Wildlife Refuge and Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, with bison and elk. The Cowboy Trail’s developed limestone surface ends at Valentine.