T-Bone Trail

Length: 21.2
Hours: year-round, sunrise to sunset
Surface: asphalt/concrete on converted railbed
Fees: None
Counties: Audubon, Cass
Cities: Audubon, Hamlin, Exira, Brayton, Atlantic
Connecting trails: none
Uses: hiking, nature viewing, biking, cross-country skiing, skating

The T-Bone Trail is a 21+-mile trail running through farmland and timber in the valley of the Nishnabotna River. The trail’s name arises from a project of area cattle producers and business people in the early 1900’s by which beef cattle were assembled and shipped on a special train to markets in Chicago, in “Operation T-Bone”.

This trail passes through a number of small communities with varying amenities including local restaurants.  Just south of Exira, a short spur trail connects to the “Plow in the Oak” park, where a horse-drawn plow leaned against a young tree in the 1860’s has been gradually absorbed into a large oak tree.  Several wooden bridges donated by local businesses provide easy passage down the partially-tree-lined trail for bicyclists, walkers, rollerbladers, and cross-country skiers.

The north end of the trail begins in Audubon in “Albert City Park”, home of Albert, the Bull, a huge concrete sculpture of a Hereford bull, an icon of  “Operation T-Bone”.  At the south end, the trail terminates at a trailhead on Dunbar Road, in the country 5 miles northeast of Atlantic.  Local efforts to complete the trail into Atlantic are underway.

For local information: