Rim Trail

The Rim Trail follows the crest of the Wildcat Hills sandstone escarpment through a series of rugged buttes and exposed ridgelines, providing the most dramatic and elevated perspectives in Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area. The trail climbs from the main recreation area through open ponderosa pine stands to the sandstone rim, where views extend across the North Platte River valley to Scotts Bluff National Monument visible on the horizon to the northwest and the Laramie Mountains of Wyoming on the clearest days. The rocky butte tops along the trail offer unobstructed 180-degree panoramas over one of the most scenic river valleys in the Great Plains.

The Pine Ridge sandstone exposed along the rim is composed of ancient wind-blown dune deposits from the Oligocene epoch, shaped by millions of years of wind and water erosion into the hoodoos, mushroom rocks, and undercut cliff faces that characterize the Wildcat Hills landscape. Bighorn sheep, reintroduced to the area in the 1980s, are regularly spotted on the rocky butte faces and cliff edges visible from the rim trail, particularly in early morning when they move to exposed south-facing slopes to warm themselves. Mule deer, pronghorn, and wild turkey are common throughout the ponderosa savanna along the trail. The sandstone surface can be treacherous when wet, and afternoon thunderstorms in July and August can develop rapidly over the exposed ridgeline. Carry extra water as none is available on the trail.