# Nebraska Sandhills on Highway 2

> 3-day road trip of about 503 km (312 mi) with 7 stops, from Grand Island to Carhenge. About 5 h 35 min of driving in total.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b9-nebraska-sandhills/

**At a glance:** 3-day road trip of about 503 km (312 mi) with 7 stops, from Grand Island to Carhenge. About 5 h 35 min of driving in total. Across the grass-covered dunes of the Sandhills on one of America’s emptiest two-lane roads, from Grand Island to Carhenge.

| | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 503 km (312 mi) |
| Driving | 5 h 35 min |
| Suggested days | 3 |
| Stops | 7 |
| Route | Grand Island → Carhenge |
| States | NE |
| Updated | May 19, 2026 |

## Route description

Begin in Grand Island; in March the nearby Platte River hosts hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes, one of the great wildlife events in North America. NE-2 heads north-west through Broken Bow, the last sizable town for a while.

Beyond Broken Bow the farmland gives way to the Sandhills, the largest area of sand dunes in the Western Hemisphere, held in place by prairie grass. The road follows a busy railroad line, so expect to race long coal trains through the empty hills.

At Halsey, the Bessey District of the Nebraska National Forest is the largest hand-planted forest in the country; drive up to the Scott Lookout Tower and camp under the pines. West of here, Mullen and Hyannis are small ranching towns with little more than fuel and a café.

Fill up whenever you can: gaps between gas stations are long. At Alliance, finish at Carhenge, a replica of Stonehenge made of gray-painted cars. Late spring and early fall are best; winter storms can close the road.

## Stop-by-stop itinerary

1. **Grand Island** (NE)
2. **Broken Bow** (NE)
3. **Nebraska National Forest, Bessey District** (Halsey, NE): The largest hand-planted forest in the US, started in 1902 to prove trees could grow in the Sandhills. Climb the Scott Lookout Tower for a view of pines against the dunes.
4. **Mullen** (NE)
5. **Hyannis** (NE)
6. **Alliance** (NE)
7. **Carhenge** (Alliance, NE): Stonehenge rebuilt from 39 gray-painted vintage cars, standing in a field in the Nebraska Sandhills.