Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area offers year-round outdoor activities

GERING, Neb. (KOLN) - Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area offers visitors a variety of outdoor activities year-round, from hiking and camping to a shooting sports complex.

The recreation area features rocky buttes and ponderosa pine trees. Amanda Filipi, an outdoor education specialist at the recreation area, said it remains relatively wild. “There’s a lot of great stuff for your family to do while they come out on a visit,” Filipi said.

The park offers more than four miles of hiking and biking trails, a nature center with programming, basic camping and a shooting sports complex. The complex has been in operation for a few years now, and includes activities ranging from small bore to archery to a pellet gun range.

“We offer everything for guests that come out here,” Filipi said. “Some people really like the shooting sports complex, but some people would rather just enjoy the hiking or the scenery.”

Filipi leads educational events and programming at Wildcat Hills and other western Nebraska parks, including Chadron State Park, Fort Robinson State Park and Lake Minatare.

Visitors may see mule deer, raccoons and several types of snakes. If you are lucky, you might see bighorn sheep at the base of the hills.

The area got its name from the bobcats that were common during the fur trade era. Bobcats and mountain lions are still possible to see in the area.

The recreation area is open year-round from sunrise to sunset. The nature center operates Monday through Friday during winter months and adds weekend hours during summer. The shooting range is open from May through November.

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