Pawnee National Grassland - Nearby Lodging

I'll be in Denver next week and am planning 1 1/2 days photographing at Pawnee. I won't be able to camp and am trying to locate lodging as close as possible. On Google I notice that Sterling, Fort Morgan and Ft. Collins are "nearby" but Google also indicates driving time from any of them to the Pawnee Buttes trail head is about 1 1/2 hours. For anyone who knows the area, do those time estimates seem about right and would you have a suggestion as to which might be easier/involve less driving (or have a suggestion as to a different place to stay). Thanks for any help you can provide.

Those estimates sound fairly close. Pawnee Buttes are literally out in the middle of nowhere.

I would agree. I live in Fort Collins, and it seems like it takes at least 1 1/2 hours to get to Pawnee. If you stay on the north side of Greeley you might be a little bit closer, but not much. You have to spend a lot of time driving on dirt roads, which really slows things down but can't be avoided. As Todd said, Pawnee Buttes is in the middle of nowhere.

This is God's country son...we don't DO motels here

Todd & Ernie: thanks for confirming the travel time. Seems like I can flip a coin.

Pamela: You are sooo right about it being God's country. The wonderful absense of motels, the amazing undeveloped country and the great camping is what's brought me to the area to photograph for over 20 years. Regretfully, life occasionally throws you a curve or presents a challenge where you have to strike a balance and stay in one of them there motels-- and this is one of those times. Thanks everyone.

Let's see if you still call it undeveloped country after you count the 200+ windmills you can see from there. As for lodging, I always stay at the Frontier Motel. As in, Nissan Frontier!

Another thought...you might want to consider Sterling. The drive is all Highway 14 until you turn onto the dirt roads, and the sun will be behind you as you drive to Pawnee in the morning. That might be more pleasant (and beautiful) than driving into the low sun.

Rick, first I would ask what are you mostly going to photograph at Pawnee? The Buttes? The prairie? The wildlife? I would suggest different areas possibly depending on what you are going for. If it is a combination of all, I would recommend Ft Morgan personally. There are several hotels at a fair price (cheaper than staying in Greeley or Ft Collins) and you can hit the southwest boundary of the park in about 30 minutes (if you speed like I do) by taking highway 52 from I-76 to the town of New Raymer. Head west about 1/2 miles and take the first county road when you hit the edge of town north. All along that area, I have spotted, beautiful light on the prairie with rolling hills, Burrowing Owls, Badgers, Antelope, Jack Rabbits, Swift Foxes and a huge mixture of song birds hawks all the way to the buttes. If you drive slow to get some photos of the wildlife along the way, it only takes about another 45-60 minutes to reach the buttes from there. Hope that helps

Kurt. It's a great question you asked and I can't believe I forgot to mention it. My plan is to first do some panos around the Buttes late afternoon and around sunset on one day. Then return the next day for sunrise panos and hike a bit to check out the birding. Following that I'll be in the Denver area for two weeks. This way I'll have a better sense of the grasslands and can plan a longer return while I'm in Denver. Since it sounds like you and I enjoy moving along on those back roads at much the same pace, and since I do like the idea of saving a few $ I'll probably head for Ft. Morgan--and according to Google I see there's a Roadway Inn north of town and right on 52. Sounds like a good way to go. Thanks.

Probably too late for this trip..but here is a link to a B & B that I stayed (
slept ) at last summer....
http://www.westpawneeranch.com/index.htm