Nebraska
State Coordinator
Ron Fowler
29 Mallard Cove
Johnson Lake, NE 68937
refowler@charter.net
General Overview of Trail
Nebraska is known as the “Historic Trails” state. The Lewis and Clark, Mormon Pioneer, Pony Express, Oregon, and California National Historic Trails all cross Nebraska. Other non-designated trails such as the Overland, Oxbow, Texas-Ogalalla Cattle, and Nebraska City Cut-Off Trails once laced the countryside. The Platte River, along which many of the trails run, is the source of the name Nebraska, which in the Oto Indian language means “flat water.”
Most who rushed across the state to get to the California gold fields or to their land of promise failed to realize the riches that Nebraska held in its soil. With excellent soil conditions and plentiful water from the Missouri, Platte, and Niobrara rivers, Nebraska, for those who stayed, was the “promised land.” Corn is Nebraska’s number one agricultural crop, thus giving the state its “Cornhusker” nickname.
Detailed Trail Description
The trail is divided into 8 segments totaling 523 miles:
Omaha to Lincoln — 104 miles
Lincoln to Stromsburg — 69 mi.
Stromsburg to Doniphan — 65 mi.
Doniphan to Ft.Kearny — 41 mi.
Ft. Kearny to Johnson Lake — 50 mi.
Johnson Lake to Maloney Reservoir — 81 mi.
Maloney Reservoir to Lake McConaughy — 61 mi.
Lake McConaughy to Colorado state line — 52 mi.
For more details on the route, click here.
The most up-to-date, detailed trail directions are published in the ADT Data Books.
Affiliated Trails
- Pony Express National Historic Trail
- Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
- MoPac East Trail
- Oak Creek Trail
- Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
- California National Historic Trail
- Oregon National Historic Trail
- Johnson Lake Trail
Parks
- Fort Kearny State Historical Park
- Ash Hollow State Historical Park
- Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
Points of Interest
- Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
- Platte River Valley
- Johnson Lake State Recreation Area
- Lake Maloney State Recreation Area
- Sutherland Canal
- Keith-Lincoln County Canal
- President Gerald Ford Birthplace
- Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge
