Nebraska ranch vacations at 1+1 Ranch will transport you to the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. Once considered part of the Great American Desert, Nebraska has become of the country’s foremost farming and ranching state, making it the perfect place for authentic western horseback riding holidays.
Western horseback riding opportunities are limitless here in Nebraska, with terrain and scenery varying between the state’s two major land regions – the Dissected Till Plains with its gently rolling hills, and the Great Plains further to the west, which comprises several smaller, diverse land regions. 1+1 Ranch lies in the Sandhills region of Nebraska, nearly 20,000 square miles of sand dunes stretching across more than a quarter of the state and into South Dakota, and the largest sand dune area in the Western Hemisphere. The Sandhills is a region of mixed-grass prairie on grass-stabilized sand dunes, the dunes designated a National Natural Landmark in 1984.
Today, the Sandhills are home to premier cattle herds where ranchers and families are anchored by generations of pioneers who dared to ventured into the Great Nebraska Sandhills and homestead the land. We are one of those families, and we’re proud to call this great ‘Cow Country’ our home.
Not just known for its agriculture and ranching, Nebraska is an area rich in cultural resources – the arts, western and Native American history, and prehistoric fossils. Discover some of this history when you come to 1+1 Ranch. Nearby you’ll find places to visit, whether you’ve a spare couple of hours or want to fill a whole day. Visit Fort Hartsuf, an old calvery Fort, or the Stur Musem in Grand Island, an old west town. Or stay on the ranch and take part in seasonal ranch activities while learning about conservation practices in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Whether you stay on the ranch or explore more of Nebraska, you’ll leave 1+1 Ranch with a better understanding of the great state that is our home.
Our great state is also home to many historic trails, including the Oregon Trail, Pony Express Trail, Mormon Trail, Overland Trail, Deadwood Trail and the Lewis and Clark Trail. And if you want to visit a National Historic Site before or after your horseback riding holiday at 1+1 Ranch, we recommend taking the half-day drive down Chimney Rock, where thousands of covered-wagon emigrants climbed up the base to carve their names on the tower. Then drive a little further to the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, and its fossil beds with bones of animals formed 19 million years ago.
Aside from horseback riding and ranch activities, we’ve got some other great traditions here in Nebraska. Come to 1+1 Ranch for a horseback riding holiday and be prepared to see a lot of Kool-Aid! It’s the official soft drink of Nebraska – something you’ll be grateful for after a long day of horseback riding or a cattle drive here at the ranch. If book your horseback riding vacation in August, you could even tie it in with a trip to the city of Hastings, a couple of hours’ drive south of our ranch, where an event is held in Kool-Aid’s honor every year on the 2nd week of August.
But if you’re looking for a great horseback riding holiday, Nebraska’s greatest gem has to be 1+1 Ranch – OK, we might be slightly biased, but if it’s authentic horseback riding in true cowboy country you’re after, you know where to come.
Find out more about horseback riding holidays at 1+1 Ranch