The best time to ride a motorcycle in Nebraska

Nebraska's riding season is shorter than the southern Plains and longer than the Dakotas: roughly May through October, with good days on either end. Summer is the core of it. June is green and long-lit, July and August are hot but rideable, and September is calm and golden. Spring is stormy and fall ends fast.

The state also climbs from about 1,000 feet along the Missouri to around 4,000 feet and higher in the panhandle, so the west is drier, cooler at night and sees snow earlier and later than Omaha. The table below breaks it down by region. For where to ride, see the best motorcycle roads in Nebraska, and for the overview, Nebraska motorcycle rides.

Every March, hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes stop along the Platte River between Kearney and Grand Island on their way north, one of the great wildlife sights in North America. Late February into early April is the window, usually peaking in the second half of March. It's cold riding, but on a sunny day a ride along the Platte to watch the cranes come in at dusk is worth layering up for.

April through June is severe weather season, with hail, high winds and tornadoes possible across the state. Check the forecast every morning, know where you'd shelter, and don't try to outrun a storm across open country. The panhandle can still see snow into April and sometimes May.

June through August is when most Nebraska riding happens. The Sandhills are green in June, days are long, and the dunes stay cooler at night than you'd expect. The east is hot and humid in July and August, while the panhandle and Pine Ridge are drier and a little cooler.

Early August brings a stream of riders across Nebraska to the Sturgis rally in South Dakota, mostly on US 83, US 385 and US 20. If you want empty Sandhills roads, ride before or after. If you like the scene, it's a good time to be at a gas station in Valentine or Chadron. Summer storms still pop up, often in the late afternoon.

September is the best month to ride Nebraska for a lot of riders. The heat breaks, storms are rarer, and the Sandhills grass turns gold and copper. The wooded bluffs along the Missouri and the Niobrara pick up color in early to mid October.

Harvest runs from September into November. Combines, grain carts and trucks share two-lane roads and track dirt onto the pavement near fields, and deer are on the move. By late October nights are cold, and the first snow can come early in the west.

From November through March, snow, ice, wind chill and blizzards make riding a gamble, especially west of Grand Island. Mild dry days do show up in the east. If you ride, watch for sand and salt on the roads, ice on bridges, and early sunsets.