Explore the best rated trails in Columbus, NE. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Jack Sutton Drive and Ridge Road Trail . With more than 17 trails covering 3988 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Wilderness Park Trail offers a convenient, paved route past the popular 42-acre Wilderness Park Soccer Complex with its ten regulation-size fields. The trail is 1.5 miles, but connects with the...
The scenic Two Lakes Trail runs for 2.4 miles between where 48th Avenue crosses the Loup Canal, and the start of the Bob Lake Trail, and Lakeview Road at 18th Avenue. The trail follows the northern...
Pawnee Park, is tucked into southwest Columbus. The park straddles both sides of Lincoln Highway (US 81/ US 30), and is bordered by Loup River. The trail runs the length of the park, starting on 6th...
The Third Avenue viaduct was an infrastructure project decades in the making. Before that, travelers had to cross the tangle of Union Pacific tracks at street level. The upgrade, which opened in...
The Jack Sutton Drive is a concrete path lying along Jack Sutton Drive. The trail extends between Luther Road and the Johnson Crossing Academic Center, and affords students of the adjacent...
As its name suggests, this recreation path lies along Ridge Road in west Fremont. The trail is 8-foot-wide concrete, with intermittent tree cover, and is a flat run, walk or ride. The Ridge Road Trail...
The Robert White Trail runs for 1.5 miles between the start of the Bob Lake Trail, where the trails converge near 65th Street, and 18th Avenue/Monastery Road. There is no shade. The trail follows the...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The FEVR Trail borrows its name from the Fremont Valley & Elkhorn excursion line, that ran trains on 17 miles between Fremont and Hooper. The FEVR line is intact but the trail shares right-of-way with...
The Monastery Trail is a mile and half along 18th Ave/ Monastery Road in Columbus, Nebraska. The trail is an important link in the the city's trail network, known as Columbus Area Recreational Trails...
Nebraska's Oak Creek Trail, occupying a former Union Pacific Railroad corridor in the eastern part of the state, offers a truly rural experience. While the trail is only about an hour from both Omaha...
This recreational trail travels along the south side of E. Military Road. The concrete path connects neighborhoods on the east side of Fremont to Johnson Park. The park is home to a fishing lake...
The Discoverer Trail is part of the Columbus Area Recreational Area Trails network, in Columbus, Nebraska. Coming in at just under a mile, this trail tracks a U-shaped course. It starts on 41st Avenue...
Located on the eastern side of Seward, Nebraska, the Plum Creek Trail runs for nearly 3 miles through open fields and dense woodland. As its name suggests, the trail follows the course of Plum Creek...
The Bob Lake Trail runs for 1.3 miles between 48th Avenue and the start of the Robert White Trail where the trails converge near 65th Street. The trail follows the southwest shore of Lake Babcock,...
The Jack Sutton Drive is a concrete path lying along Jack Sutton Drive. The trail extends between Luther Road and the Johnson Crossing Academic Center, and affords students of the adjacent...
The Wilderness Park Trail offers a convenient, paved route past the popular 42-acre Wilderness Park Soccer Complex with its ten regulation-size fields. The trail is 1.5 miles, but connects with the...
The Third Avenue viaduct was an infrastructure project decades in the making. Before that, travelers had to cross the tangle of Union Pacific tracks at street level. The upgrade, which opened in...
This recreational trail travels along the south side of E. Military Road. The concrete path connects neighborhoods on the east side of Fremont to Johnson Park. The park is home to a fishing lake...
Pawnee Park, is tucked into southwest Columbus. The park straddles both sides of Lincoln Highway (US 81/ US 30), and is bordered by Loup River. The trail runs the length of the park, starting on 6th...
The Discoverer Trail is part of the Columbus Area Recreational Area Trails network, in Columbus, Nebraska. Coming in at just under a mile, this trail tracks a U-shaped course. It starts on 41st Avenue...
The FEVR Trail borrows its name from the Fremont Valley & Elkhorn excursion line, that ran trains on 17 miles between Fremont and Hooper. The FEVR line is intact but the trail shares right-of-way with...
Located on the eastern side of Seward, Nebraska, the Plum Creek Trail runs for nearly 3 miles through open fields and dense woodland. As its name suggests, the trail follows the course of Plum Creek...
The Cowboy Trail, one of the country’s longest rail-trails, stretches 189 miles between the Nebraska towns of Valentine and Norfolk (beginning at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park south of town). When complete, the...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The Bob Lake Trail runs for 1.3 miles between 48th Avenue and the start of the Robert White Trail where the trails converge near 65th Street. The trail follows the southwest shore of Lake Babcock,...
As its name suggests, this recreation path lies along Ridge Road in west Fremont. The trail is 8-foot-wide concrete, with intermittent tree cover, and is a flat run, walk or ride. The Ridge Road Trail...
The Monastery Trail is a mile and half along 18th Ave/ Monastery Road in Columbus, Nebraska. The trail is an important link in the the city's trail network, known as Columbus Area Recreational Trails...
Traversing just over 8 miles in central Nebraska, the Dark Island Trail runs from the small town of Central City to the even smaller village of Marquette. For those experiencing the trail by bike,...
The scenic Two Lakes Trail runs for 2.4 miles between where 48th Avenue crosses the Loup Canal, and the start of the Bob Lake Trail, and Lakeview Road at 18th Avenue. The trail follows the northern...
Nebraska's Oak Creek Trail, occupying a former Union Pacific Railroad corridor in the eastern part of the state, offers a truly rural experience. While the trail is only about an hour from both Omaha...
The Robert White Trail runs for 1.5 miles between the start of the Bob Lake Trail, where the trails converge near 65th Street, and 18th Avenue/Monastery Road. There is no shade. The trail follows the...
The Bob Lake Trail runs for 1.3 miles between 48th Avenue and the start of the Robert White Trail where the trails converge near 65th Street. The trail follows the southwest shore of Lake Babcock,...
Pawnee Park, is tucked into southwest Columbus. The park straddles both sides of Lincoln Highway (US 81/ US 30), and is bordered by Loup River. The trail runs the length of the park, starting on 6th...
The Robert White Trail runs for 1.5 miles between the start of the Bob Lake Trail, where the trails converge near 65th Street, and 18th Avenue/Monastery Road. There is no shade. The trail follows the...
The FEVR Trail borrows its name from the Fremont Valley & Elkhorn excursion line, that ran trains on 17 miles between Fremont and Hooper. The FEVR line is intact but the trail shares right-of-way with...
Located on the eastern side of Seward, Nebraska, the Plum Creek Trail runs for nearly 3 miles through open fields and dense woodland. As its name suggests, the trail follows the course of Plum Creek...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The Cowboy Trail, one of the country’s longest rail-trails, stretches 189 miles between the Nebraska towns of Valentine and Norfolk (beginning at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park south of town). When complete, the...
The scenic Two Lakes Trail runs for 2.4 miles between where 48th Avenue crosses the Loup Canal, and the start of the Bob Lake Trail, and Lakeview Road at 18th Avenue. The trail follows the northern...
The Wilderness Park Trail offers a convenient, paved route past the popular 42-acre Wilderness Park Soccer Complex with its ten regulation-size fields. The trail is 1.5 miles, but connects with the...
Traversing just over 8 miles in central Nebraska, the Dark Island Trail runs from the small town of Central City to the even smaller village of Marquette. For those experiencing the trail by bike,...
The Jack Sutton Drive is a concrete path lying along Jack Sutton Drive. The trail extends between Luther Road and the Johnson Crossing Academic Center, and affords students of the adjacent...
The Third Avenue viaduct was an infrastructure project decades in the making. Before that, travelers had to cross the tangle of Union Pacific tracks at street level. The upgrade, which opened in...
The Monastery Trail is a mile and half along 18th Ave/ Monastery Road in Columbus, Nebraska. The trail is an important link in the the city's trail network, known as Columbus Area Recreational Trails...
Nebraska's Oak Creek Trail, occupying a former Union Pacific Railroad corridor in the eastern part of the state, offers a truly rural experience. While the trail is only about an hour from both Omaha...
The Discoverer Trail is part of the Columbus Area Recreational Area Trails network, in Columbus, Nebraska. Coming in at just under a mile, this trail tracks a U-shaped course. It starts on 41st Avenue...
This recreational trail travels along the south side of E. Military Road. The concrete path connects neighborhoods on the east side of Fremont to Johnson Park. The park is home to a fishing lake...
As its name suggests, this recreation path lies along Ridge Road in west Fremont. The trail is 8-foot-wide concrete, with intermittent tree cover, and is a flat run, walk or ride. The Ridge Road Trail...
Surface is well maintained for the entire length of the trail, no loose piled gravel. Rode morning after thunderstorms, surface absorbed the moisture well. Encountered cross country runners and other bikers on the trail. Bader Bridge is a marvel!
I had planned on riding total NE Cowboy Trail in 4 days! On 29June I took off @ 7am from Econ Lodge @ Valentine. My first 45 miles were just AWESOME! Then I got a flat tire on the rear; Although I had an extra tube, I did not have a pump. After I began walking my bike, my front tire also went flat. I suspected I had picked up the thorns along the trail middle section, while I had been criss-crossing the trail to avoid the bumpyty-bump of some recent horse shoe prints! I walked about 4-5 miles to my Rodeway Inn. Lucky, Bomgars, was across the street. I was able to buy 2 new tubes, slime, and a hand pump.
After much trials/tribulations getting my 2 tires repaired, I took off late, 930am on Wed 1July. Becuase there was a detour in Long Pine, I decided to ride the Hwy 20 Shoulder. As I could always see the trail along the way, I then decided to avoid the risk of more thorns, by staying on the Hwy 20 wide shoulder. I did OK for 20 miles. Then during a water break, I made the mistake of leaning my bike on a stop sign. I must have picked up several thorns right there; not long after I took off, my rear tire went flat!
First I tried the Slime, but it did not plug the multiple holes! It took me about an hour in 90-degrees on the shoulder of Hwy 20 to get my LAST new tube installed. I had 30 miles to get to Atkinson. I prayed HARD that I would not get another flat.
I got to my Sandhills Guest House @ 6PM. I was totally exhaused by the heat, and the added stress caused by the Prevailing Winds and the continuous flying Farm Semi-Trailers, which created additional wind to push me back!
I decided I would pause my ride after completing 100 beautiful miles. The remaining 100 miles to Norfolk will have to wait for another time! Maybe I will find non-flat tires before my next attempt!
We rode this trail from Toulon to Princeville today. It was great! The path was very good. It is mostly shaded. Excellent. We stopped in Wyoming on our way back for lunch. Ate at 111 Coffee Shop. Don’t be fooled, this is NOT just a coffee shop. The lunch was delicious. And it is decorated all with bikes! Perfect for us bikers. And check out the bathroom. Cute!!! Can’t wait to do more of the route from Princeville going south.
Flat with beautiful views. Visited in early June 2020, rode 17.5 miles eat from Valentine then back for a total of 35 miles. Trail was very flat and worked well with our hybrid bikes. It was a little bit sandy and thick for the first 1-2 miles outside of Valentine but was fine after that. The bridge view was spectacular at Valentine. Beautiful scenic landscape, friendly people in the town of Valentine, and saw lots of wildlife. Would totally recommend.
Perfect nature walk for non-athlete wanting fresh air and comfortable pace. Crops ready for harvest and trees ablaze with color. Small water channel provided a peaceful stop. The native grasses were heavy with seed. The reservoir lapped with small waves while the stray duck flapped in the distance. Ideal setting for meditation.
This trail is a must, beautiful views and extremely secluded! We didn't see another person on the trail from Brainard to Loma. The trail is in really good shape for the exception of quite a few deep critter holes. I wouldn't suggest ridding at night! We will be back!
This is a great trail out in the countryside. The surface is the perfect size crushed limestone. Starting at Valparaiso, it's a steady climb to the other end at Brainard. The first half of the trail has some horse ruts, and the second half of the trail has some animal holes, but neither is that bad. There are several gravel road crossings on this trail, so be careful to monitor for cross traffic. The first half is more protected with trees along the trail, and the second half is more open prairie. There is a bar at each end that you can get food and drinks. Overall, this is a great trail, and it's in great shape.
Trail from Norfolk to the west was well maintained. I stayed in Neligh to ride both east and west. The bridge 6 miles west of Neligh looks to be permanently gone. Much of the trail parallels the main roads, but a small portion doesn't. The experience away from the main roads was great.
I love the empty beauty of the Sandhills and you feel you're out in the middle of nowhere riding east from Valentine, on a stretch where the trail veers away from the road.
I rode my hybrid 16 miles out and then back (to the big cell tower where the trail rejoins the road). There's been some ATV travel on the trail, but generally the surface was good. I met a cyclist or two close to Valentine, but that was it.
On warm days, take plenty of water - there's little shade to be had.
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