Main | Sgt. Floyd Monument | L & C Interpretive Center (IA) | Ponca | Calumet Bluff | Niobrara | L & C Info Center
Fischers Lilly Park | L & C Interpretive Center (ND) | Knife River Indian Villages | Ft. Union | Pompeys Pillar


The confluence of the Niobrara and Missouri Rivers, near Niobrara State Park in Nebraska, is perhaps the most untamed site we've seen along the Lewis & Clark Trail. Although the state park is easy to get to from our home base of Mankato, Minnesota, (less than 300 miles) every time we've been here we've really felt cut off from the rest of the world. There's very little in the way of people and developments around here — just a wild and scenic river.


The picture to the right shows the view from atop one of the bluffs in the park looking down on the rivers. You might be surprised at how large the Niobrara is at this point. I remember seeing it for the first time back in 1996 near Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in western Nebraska; the word anemic comes to mind. But here, near the confluence, it is truly an impressive river, peppered with a multitude of sand bars, eroded banks, and tangled greenery. I suspect the Corps of Discovery would have no trouble recognizing it today.

And speaking of which, you'll find a neat interpretive kiosk (describing Lewis & Clark among other things) on the bluff from which this photo was snapped; it's along a great hiking trail that we explored one day.


Outdoor Fun

Niobrara State Park has tons to offer the vacationer. The hiking trails I alluded to above are fantastic. We only saw a couple other people on them, adding to the charm. After a fairly deep descent to river level, the trail cuts across the Niobrara on a converted train bridge, now a fishing bridge. I suspect this may have been part of a larger Rails-to-Trails project which are so abundant in Nebraska. The birding along this stretch was magnificent, with the belted kingfisher and the orchard oriole being the two notable entries.


Most of our time here was spent hiking and soaking in the rugged river scenery. I guess I should have mentioned that Niobrara State Park encompasses 1,260 acres and sports over 12 miles of trails. Some of the paths are up high on the bluffs commanding a magnificent view of the valley, while an extensive east-west portion hugs the Missouri backwaters across the entire width of the park.

But the highlight for us, back in 1998, was the horseback riding. The weather had turned delightfully breezy and chilly (a welcome relief from the usual June weather), and so no other riders showed up. My partner and I joined the two guides at the stables, and we set out on an exciting jaunt along the bluffs. As usual, my horse tried every trick in the books to get out of work, but what else is new? Anyway, the trail ride was pure heaven. The ever present groves of redcedars, the grasses, the swampy river weaving among numerous sand bars — on hooves is the best way to see one of Nebraska's premier rivers.

We were scheduled to take a raft ride down the Missouri the following day, but unfortunately high winds and a poor turnout caused it to be cancelled. Maybe next time...

Magnificent hiking in Lewis & Clark land, trail rides, raft tours of the Missouri, buffalo stew cookouts...there's all sorts of outdoor fun to be had here. But I haven't mentioned the accommodations yet.

Fishing Fanatics

When crossing the fishing bridge, we met a very unusual yet likeable couple. It was clear these folks were dyed-in-the-wool fishermen. When I mentioned that I had spotted a gigantic catfish swirling in the river some hundred feet away, their eyes lit up like beacons and they moved on with alacrity.

Their appearance has stuck with me all these years. I'd guess that they were in their early forties or so, and from the South, due to their dialects. The woman had jet black hair, and her skin tone would have been a pure, pasty white, but for the fact that various parts of her arms, face and legs were beet red from sunburn, as well as mottled with assorted tattoos.

But it was the man who stood out the most. He was topless, exposing yet another set of tattoos, which I took to be homemade. He was missing approximately every other tooth, making his smile look like the deteriorating picket fence in my back yard. But the topper was the gigantic truss that he wore external to his trousers. Altogether, his appearance was quite unforgettable, almost like a character from a Dickens novel, or even a Monty Python sketch.

Despite their sartorial derangements, they were real characters and Marie and I enjoyed our quick chat with this fishing couple. I've never seen such singleminded devotion to an avocation!

Camping at Niobrara

We've camped at Niobrara State Park twice now and have always been impressed. There are a number of tent sites scattered amidst the higher wooded area, nicely isolated and hidden. And there's a separate campground located in the plains, nearer the showerhouse. In all cases, the facilities are exceedingly tidy and offer everything you need for a bonny bivouac.

Throughout these pages I've given a few tips for peaceful camping. One is to avoid campgrounds that permit RVs and popups, since these are the two main sources of noise and commotion in the great outdoors. And another is to never camp near the kybos; who wants to hear a door slamming day and night? We combined these two notions at Niobrara and stayed in a wonderful site way at the end of the large loop. All of the RVs congregated by the kybos (I suppose so the owners could quickly get back to any exciting television shows in progress). We basically were cut off from the hoi polloi and even got the best trees for company, a clump of eastern redcedars and Russian olives. See the picture below. (Remember, in these pages you can always click the thumbnail to enlarge the photo to its regular size).


Our first trip here in 1998 was pretty uneventful. But the next time around, returning from the Oglala National Grassland in 1999, was a little more exciting. I've described our battle with the weather on that trip elsewhere in these pages. By the time we arrived at Niobrara for our last night of camping before heading home, the poor old tent was quite dilapidated from abuse. You won't be surprised to learn that at daybreak the heavens opened up and I began to look for Noah. The tent (which was endorsed by Sir Edmund Hillary, if you please!) was incapable of resisting water at this point. We gave up trying to sleep in that morning, wadded the soaked abode into the minivan and hit the road. We crossed the rivers into South Dakota and found a restaurant for a warm breakfast before winding our wet way home. (By the way, we now use a Eureka tent which easily handles any weather the Great Plains dishes out.)

Roads, Routes and Sidetrips

Niobrara State Park is conveniently located to act as a stopover point as part of a longer trip. Lying right on the Nebraska/South Dakota border you can cut north (more about that in a moment) to Mitchell and take in the inimitable Corn Palace. A jaunt only slightly to the east will take you to the Army Corps of Engineers' Gavins Point Dam project and Calumet Bluff. If you continue further eastward you'll wind up at Ponca State Park. Even better, turn to the west (my car only knows how to go west) and you'll come upon the Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest near Valentine, Nebraska. If you drive into the sunset, you'll hit the Nebraska National Forest, Fort Robinson State Park and the heavenly Oglala National Grassland. I hope this will spur you on to consider an expedition to Nebraska, my favorite "outdoor" state. And all that I've mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg...

Niobrara State Park also makes a great homebase when taking day trips to areas not supporting camping. In particular, you won't want to miss the impressive Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historic Park, some thirty miles to the south. This is a staggering array of weird animals that were covered in one fell swoop by the suffocating ash of a western volcano. Nebraska is truly a fossil state, and Ashfall is one of the best sites you'll ever see. By the way, this really is in the middle of nowhere. If seclusion and avoiding the populace is an important part of your vacations (as it for us), then a road trip through this part of the state is a must.


I put together our first trip here back in 1998 with the usual array of AAA guide books and maps, along with the Delorme Map 'n' Go software. Now it's easy to think "as the crow flies" when planning a road trip, but the more I looked into it, the longer things seemed. For I had forgotten the river (the Missouri) — how to ford it? My maps and software suggested that the only reasonable crossover was at Yankton, and that's the path we took.

During the following year, I had heard rumors that there was a newish bridge right at Niobrara. None of my maps or software showed it, though. However, once there, we asked around and found that it does indeed exist. Keep this in mind when planning your own trip; you can cut directly to South Dakota from the little town of Niobrara.

Battling Burgs

You won't see much of the human race when coming to Niobrara from the west; this is remote country. However the tiny towns of Butte and Naper stick in my mind.

There was some kind of feud brewing at the time, apparently concerning a dump. I have no idea what this was all about, but we saw several political action signs along the highway, indicating a struggle between the two towns. One sign read, "There will be NO dump." A little further down the road another billboard had been defaced with a can of white spray paint. It read, in big, bold letters: "#@!& Naper". (Substitute your own four-letter verb for the deleted expletive.)


Road trips out here are such fun. And the scenery along the way is magnificent, especially with the Niobrara River nearby. Adding to the visual pleasure is the outstanding work done by the Nebraska Department of Roads in planting wildflowers all along the highway shoulders. I wish other states were as progressive as this; the endless bed of brilliant red and yellow blanketflowers along State Road 12 was one of the prettiest sights I've ever seen.

Contact Information
Links to Related Resources

Niobrara State Park
P.O. Box 226
Niobrara, NE 68760

Phone: (402) 857-3373
Email:  nsp@ngpc.state.ne.us



All photography by Thomas Henry unless otherwise noted.
Entire contents © 2001-2005 Thomas Henry