Nebraska National Forest · Nebraska, South Dakota

Spotted Tail

4.1 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 27 · trail class 3 · typical grade 5-8% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Trailhead Spotted Tail Trailhead Drive there

Spotted Tail Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

No fee

This trailhead area accesses both the Pine Ridge Trail and Spotted Tail Trail. The Pine Ridge Trail and the Spotted Tail Loop Trail are non-motorized, open to mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding. From this trailhead you can do the Spotted Tail Loop Trail (about 6 miles) which uses part of the Pine Ridge Trail in order to make the loop. This section of the Pine Ridge Trail provides access to several other trails, including motorized and non-motorized. This area was burned in the 2006 Spotted Tail fire.

Distances to the following are:

From Spotted Tail Trailhead to Chadron State Park, using the Pine Ridge Trail is 7.7 miles

Spotted Tail Loop Trail is 6 miles

Dispersed camping is allowed off of Forest Road 711 near the trailhead. There is no garbage service, so please pack it in and pack it out and Leave No Trace .

For additional details and maps, please call the Pine Ridge Ranger District at (308) 432-0300.

Restrictions <ul><li>Certified noxious weed-free hay/feed is required on national forest lands.</li><li>Motorized vehicles are prohibited on Pine Ridge and Spotted Tail Trails.&nbsp;</li></ul>

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Nebraska National Forest

Other trails from the Spotted Tail Trailhead

All 31 trails in Nebraska National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.