Annual Trail of Treasures (NE-136) 2026 — 499-Mile Route Map & Guide

Name: Annual Trail of Treasures (NE-136) 2026
Start: 2027-10-01
End: 2027-10-03

Nebraska's Trail of Treasures runs the first weekend of October along Heritage Highway 136 — a 238-mile stretch across southern Nebraska from Brownville on the Missouri River west to Edison, plus another 135 miles toward the Colorado state line along US-34. The corridor threads through 10 byway counties anchored by community museums, county fairgrounds, civic centers, and historic sites in 35 small towns.

The map above pins each corridor town plus the 28 verified institutional anchor venues pulled from the county pages on heritagehighway136.com. Densest clusters: Brownville (5 anchors including the Depot Museum literally on Hwy 136), Red Cloud (the Willa Cather sites), Auburn (the Nemaha Valley Museum complex), and Franklin (city park + library + museum within walking distance).

Route at a glance — anchor towns

This route runs through these anchor towns. Drive any segment, or the whole route — most folks pick a stretch and work their way through it.

1 Edison NE
2 Stamford NE
3 Republican City NE
4 Alma NE
5 Orleans NE
6 Hildreth NE
7 Bloomington NE
8 Franklin NE
9 Riverton NE
10 Red Cloud NE
11 Blue Hill NE
12 Nelson NE
13 Superior NE
14 Davenport NE
15 Bruning NE
16 Hebron NE
17 Belvidere NE
18 Alexandria NE
19 Fairbury NE
20 Diller NE
21 Steele City NE
22 Wymore NE
23 Beatrice NE
24 Filley NE
25 Odell NE
26 Tecumseh NE
27 Sterling NE
28 Cook NE
29 Crab Orchard NE
30 Elk Creek NE
31 Julian NE
32 Nemaha NE
33 Brock NE
34 Auburn NE
35 Brownville NE

Quick facts

Distance	499 mi
States	NE

FAQ

When is the Trail of Treasures 2026?

The first weekend (Fri–Sun) of October 2026 — the first weekend of October, as always.

What towns are on the route?

Thirty-five corridor towns west to east along Hwy 136: Edison, Stamford, Republican City, Alma, Orleans, Hildreth, Bloomington, Franklin, Riverton, Red Cloud, Blue Hill, Nelson, Superior, Davenport, Bruning, Hebron, Belvidere, Alexandria, Fairbury, Diller, Steele City, Wymore, Beatrice, Filley, Odell, Tecumseh, Sterling, Cook, Crab Orchard, Elk Creek, Julian, Nemaha, Brock, Auburn, and Brownville. The map above pins each one.

How long is the route?

The official byway is 238 miles end-to-end (Brownville to Edison), with another 135-mile western extension along US-34 toward the Colorado state line. Most shoppers pick a region — the eastern terminus around Brownville and Auburn has the densest documentation of venues, while Red Cloud (Webster County) and Franklin (Franklin County) are the central anchor clusters.

Where's the vendor map?

The organizer (Heritage Highway 136) sells a printed Shopper Guide for the full vendor list — it's not free online. The map above pins the year-over-year stable institutional anchors and the corridor towns; individual home and farm sellers register annually and appear on the paid guide. The official site is heritagehighway136.com.

What are the don't-miss stops?

The Brownville Depot & Railroad History Museum sits literally on "U.S. Highway 136 and Water Street" — a hero anchor at the east terminus. The Willa Cather State Historic Site and Red Cloud Opera House in Red Cloud are a national-level draw. The Filley Stone Barn (1907) east of Filley is a popular waypoint mid-route. Brownville and Auburn together have nine of the 28 verified anchor venues — plan a long morning there.

When does next year's event start?

The Trail of Treasures runs the first weekend of every October. The 2027 dates will be confirmed by the byway organizer in early 2027.