Mount Hatch is one of the easiest hikes to a public summit in western Nebraska. There are no marked trails to the summit area, but there is an old 2-track road that goes to the summit area, probably for past use at a gravel pit there. It's hard to find any historical reference to Mount Hatch, though the old Fort Robinson Cemetery is near there, and it is not far from the old World War II Prisoner of War Camp. The origin of the summit's name is uncertain, but just having a name probably helped quickly establish its location in early functions of the fort's history.
The best access to the old 2-track road is to go southeast past Highway 20, on the easternmost road from the main area of the fort. Once you pass the eastern trail head of the White River Trail, you will come to the White River Bridge. The old road is less than .25-mile past the bridge. You can bushwhack the whole hill, which rises only about 165 feet above the nearby White River. |