Many people are baffled when they find out that I'm a big fan of the High Plains. I mean, I live in Denver. Even though the city is technically located on the plains, it's right at the foot of the highest mountains - and arguably the most spectacular scenery - in the country. So why then, when I get a day or two to myself, would I head east instead of west?

Don't get me wrong - I do appreciate mountain scenery. But I guess, after living here all my life, I find that the mountains are so magnificent and cataclysmic that it doesn't take any effort to appreciate them. The beauty there is so obvious.

The plains, on the other hand, have a subtle, understated beauty, which is often only appreciated after searching for it. I've done a lot of driving around the High Plains in Colorado and in surrounding states. The links on these pages contain photos of specific sites that I've come across during those travels. But don't mistake that to mean that the beauty of the plains is limited only to specific points. I've thoroughly enjoyed the journeys to these places - not just the destinations themselves.

I hear so many people complain that Nebraska is "flat" and/or "boring". My first question is, "Have you ever been anywhere in Nebraska besides I-80?" People, Nebraska is not flat! Interstates are flat! That's the way they're built: the hills are leveled and the valleys are raised, all for the sake of speed and safety. But it removes the driver from any possibility of a connectedness with the landscape. I can't deny that the narrow Platte River basin (along which much of I-80 in Nebraska is aligned) is flat; what river basin isn't? But get a few miles north or south of that basin, and I guarantee that "flat" will not be the word that springs to mind. I'd guess the words "Hill", "Butte", "Forest" - and maybe even "Pretty" - would be more likely.

My advice is: stay off the interstates! I know, with the urgent lives we lead, it's necessary more often than not to use the fastest route possible. I mean, if I want to get to Chicago, I can drive the whole distance within daylight hours using I-80. How often am I going to be able to opt instead for two long days of driving, just for the sake of using a two-laner like US 6 or US 34? But if that's the case, then all I'm saying is: don't complain about the scenery! I'd say that's true for just about any interstate - not just the ones through the plains. Let's face it: interstates are more about speed than about scenery. You can't see much when you're whizzing past at 65 (or is that 80?) miles per hour. And even if you did see something, you can't just pull over and drive off on any side road you please. You have to wait for the next interchange, which could be 10 or more miles away!

So if you really want scenery, then get a good map, drive the dirt roads, and give yourself some time to explore.

(Click here for more opinions on backroads, historic roads, and modern freeways.)

Page posted in 1998; last updated 19 October 2001.