NISS RIMROCK HUNTING & GUEST RANCH
The Niss RimRock Ranch is home to our 800-acre Pheasant and Chukar preserve. Located just to the northwest of Crawford, we are one of the only controlled shooting areas for upland birds in Sioux County.
ABOUT US
Many hunting and guest ranches are rich in lore and history, each having its own unique and exciting story. Our story began in 2021 when Calvin and Sherri Niss relocated from Wyoming and purchased RimRock ranch. Upon arrival, the Niss’s fell in love with the beauty and serenity of the Pine Ridge country in northwest Nebraska. From the onset, the Niss’s wanted to improve grazing operations combined with, and more importantly, convert the ranch to a recreational property in the same vein as the original owner Ross Raum did back in the ’70s. Niss RimRock Hunting & Guest Ranch is one of the first guest ranches in the Pine Ridge area of Nebraska. The east fence line of the ranch borders the historic Fort Robinson State Park and has three direct access points to the 22,000-acre state recreation area. Guests can use these access points to hike, bike, horseback ride or hunt Nebraska’s largest State Park.
The ranch is known for its majestic buttes and pinnacles of the Pine Ridge and towers toward the skies as the Great Plains rise to meet the Rocky Mountains. Stately pine trees march up and down the hills where such immortal figures like Crazy Horse and Custer once strode. A massive rim of cragged bluffs perimeter the restful area, lending the ranch its name – RimRock.
ABOUT US
Many hunting and guest ranches are rich in lore and history, each having its own unique and exciting story. Our story began in 2021 when Calvin and Sherri Niss relocated from Wyoming and purchased RimRock ranch. Upon arrival, the Niss’s fell in love with the beauty and serenity of the Pine Ridge country in northwest Nebraska. From the onset, the Niss’s wanted to improve grazing operations combined with, and more importantly, convert the ranch to a recreational property in the same vein as the original owner Ross Raum did back in the ’70s. Niss RimRock ranch is one of the first guest ranches in the Pine Ridge area of Nebraska. The east fence line of the ranch borders the historic Ft. Robinson State Park and has three direct access points to the 22,000-acre state recreation area. Guests can use these access points to hike, bike, horseback ride or hunt Nebraska’s largest State Park.
The ranch is known for its majestic buttes and pinnacles of the Pine Ridge and towers toward the skies as the Great Plains rise to meet the Rocky Mountains. Stately pine trees march up and down the hills where such immortal figures like Crazy Horse and Custer once strode. A massive rim of cragged bluffs perimeter the restful area, lending the ranch its name – RimRock.
Services
Lodging
In 2024, Niss RimRock ranch added a new 2-bedroom, 1-bath with a loft modular cabin. Our “new lodging service offering” was for vacationeers and hunters alike. To our delight we had traveling and vacationing guests from all over the country along with resident and non-resident antelope, deer, elk and turkey hunters stay with us at the ranch and enjoy the “Chadron” 2-bedroom cabin.
Due to the demand that we experienced we have ordered for July delivery a new 1-bedroom, 1-bath with a loft modular cabin. Our new 1-bedroom cabin the “Crawford” will be online for reservations in August 2025.
The Chadron our 2-bedroom cabin has a primary bedroom with a queen bed and a second bedroom with two twin beds. The loft has both a queen and twin-size bed for those young adults and children. It is equipped with a full kitchen and new Frigidaire appliances including stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave. In the living room we offer a wood burning stove, Starlink internet service with a 40-inch Roku television. The bathroom has a full size shower and a stackable washer and dryer. The cabin has all new beds, bedding and furniture. It has both a front and back porch as the back porch has a patio with a propane grill and fire pit making it ideal for cookouts or relaxing and enjoying the majestic views of the Pine Ridge Area of Nebraska.
Come out and enjoy northwest Nebraska at Niss RimRock ranch which historically was one of the first guest ranches in the Pine Ridge area. We welcome visitors, travelers and hunters alike as we “treat all guests like family”. Our ranch house is in the vicinity of both the Chadron and Crawford cabins. Our British Lab bird hunting dog “Champ” is a friendly boy that may come over and say hello.
A trademark of the historic RimRock ranch house is the massive and unique petrified wood fireplace and the interior ponderosa pine logs and slabs that came directly from the ranch.
Rental information for the historic RimRock ranch house will be released when available.
Services
Attention bird hunters
The ranch is home to our 800-acre Controlled Shooting Area (CSA) located 8-miles northwest of Crawford, Nebraska. We are one of the only CSA’s in Sioux County. We release for hunting both pheasants and chukars and operate hunts from September 1st through February each year. The ranch shares a border with Fort Robinson State Park, which is home to pine ridges and sandstone escarpments. Our beautiful views only add to the experience as hunters enjoy chasing and hunting our birds.
We raise both pheasants and chukars at the ranch from day-old chicks that arrive through the U.S. Postal Service. These chicks are immediately placed in a controlled environment and transferred to our newly constructed “state of the industry” flight pens at 7 to 8 weeks of age. We also purchase juvenile birds from a Nebraska game farm to support our bird demand for the upcoming hunting season.
Services
Horse boarding for trail riding
Fort Robinson is a horse rider’s paradise and Nebraska’s premier horse destination. There are more than 20-miles of trails in the park, plus abandoned fire service roads and additional riding trails in the 8,000 – acre Soldier Creek Wilderness to the west of the park.
There are a myriad of horse, hiking, and biking trails that join the ranch at the top of our rim (see provided link of trails) and with three access points to Fort Robinson, we offer our guests the opportunity to explore this vast State Park. We encourage our guests to bring their own horses and use the ranch for boarding and access to Fort Robinson to explore the endless beauty and serenity that it offers. The ranch does not have or offer horses to rent.
We have a large corral and 30 acre pasture for our horse renters. We have recently constructed a
24×12 loafing shed within the corral and adjacent to a tire water tank. The corral can be closed at
night for added horse security. The horse corral and north pasture are apporximately ¼ mile from
the cabins.
Services
Electrical outlets for RV’s
The ranch has two electrical RV hook-up’s that can be used for those that want to explore the ranch
and trails with the confines of their own living quarters. These electrical hook-up’s are located
adjacent to our cabins and our newly constructed steel building and are both 30 amp service. Both
RV locations are near a water hydrant for those guests that may need additional wter during their
stay. The RV site adjacent to the cabins has a dump station.
For those guests that want to explore the ranch, we have a 1-acre pond and floating dock. Our pond is stocked with bass and panfish and is spring-fed with constant inflow and outflow from two live streams. One enhancement we made was to protect our riparian areas and fence both springs and ponds to mitigate livestock disturbance.
