Explore the best rated trails in Columbus, NE. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Pawnee Park Trail and Oak Creek Trail. With more than 13 trails covering 3983 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.
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 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 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 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 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...
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 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....
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 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...
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 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 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 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 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...
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...
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...
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,...
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 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 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...
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....
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 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 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 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 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 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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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 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 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...
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!
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.
I rode 25 miles out and 25 miles back from Valentine, to Wood Lake. The Niobrara trestle is spectacular and only a couple of miles outside Valentine. The grass was green and the sunflowers in bloom. The people at the motel where I stayed let me park my car. I went in late August after viewing the eclipse over in Wyoming. The weather was hot and humid and very windy (headwind going out). Coming back the wind was lighter, but still a headwind (!) I camped at Wood Lake (pop 60) in the town park (no fee, no one will bother you, rest rooms, picnic tables, shade trees, grass to pitch a tent, electric hookups, excellent drinking water, small playground for kids). The only person I met was the Post Mistress who was helpful and friendly. The cafe is closed, contrary to the trail guide. I was told there is a lady who serves coffee, out by the highway, but the town felt like a ghost town, except for a couple of friendly dogs who came over. I met no one else. Trail conditions were sandy in places and sometimes weedy with washboards where the farmers had used the trail as a road, despite "no motor vehicles" signs. Usually I could avoid the washboards by riding in the center or edge of trail. This is NOT a manicured trail, at least at the western end. I used semi-fat mountain bike tires (26x2.5" Surly Extraterrestrials) with Flat Attack sealer because of thorns and had no trouble with flats or in places where the sand was several inches deep. I rode a few miles on the parallel highway which has good shoulders and is smoothly paved with very light traffic. The places where the trail veers from the highway are the most interesting and scenic; the parts that parallel the highway are a bit boring. I met no other cyclists except within five miles of Valentine. Along the trail I saw two garter snakes, horses, a turtle, a frog, songbirds, ducks, and birds of prey. The Cowboy Trail lacks the social component that more popular trails have. It presents a solitary and perhaps more peaceful experience because there are so few users. One amenity it lacks that more popular trails have are the rest areas with shelters every so often that also serve as gathering places for trail users to meet and swap stories. In between towns there is really no place to get out of the weather and rest or eat a snack unless you sit on the ground. I only explored the western end so perhaps the middle and eastern end have more facilities. The Cowboy is a very long trail and would make a good alternative to highways if you were planning on biking across the whole country.
When you write a review its useful to know what kind of bike.700 would probably suck. While a 29 would make the ride easy.
Road from Valparaiso to Brainard and back. We saw about 6 other bikers and a few walkers/joggers. Total of about 10 people the entire ride. Trail is in great shape. Some of the intersections with county roads have a lot of loose gravel, but other than that, no issues. Stopped for a burger and a beer at Husker Bar II in Brainard. Had a great time on this ride.
My son and I drove up from Omaha to Norfolk and on to Long Pine for a biking, hiking, fishing weekend. Only rode the trail from Norfolk west for 5 miles, about halfway to Battle Creek. That part of the trail was very nice - 2 miles of concrete and 3 miles of pea gravel. Nice bridge over the Elkhorn River. However, further west the trail parallels Hwys. 275 & 20. We could see a lot of it from the road as we drove and the further west we drove, the worse it looked. There were sections where it was almost completely overgrown with weeds. Would not want to ride there at all. It's too bad, this could be a very nice trail, but central sections are very neglected if maintained at all. Hence, the 3 star rating.
This trail has great potential but is just flat out ignored, poorly maintained never open all the way through and very rarely traveled without a flat tire, bring a spare or patches.
This is a beautiful walk with a little bit of each kind of scenery found in Nebraska. Past corn fields, ranches, and prairie, you'll want a hat for the sun, but there are also beautiful areas of forest with welcome shade. The surfacing still reaches no further south than SR 66. After that all the way to Marquette, you have to walk on old railroad gravel, a little uncomfortable to the feet, but to many, worth it for the views and serenity.
There is also a lot of wildlife to see along the trail. I saw hawks, deer, rabbits, chipmunks, butterflies, and numerous kinds of songbirds. Of course, the farm animals are present; don't miss the miniature horses that you can see from the trail near Marquette. In season, the wildflowers are a treat as well.
There was active preparation for lengthening the upgraded surfacing when I went through. The main down side to the trail at this time is walking on the big sharp gravel of the old railroad bed. Google Maps needs to catch up with the fact that it's no longer a railroad south of the country club into Marquette.
Crushed white rock surface from the trailhead east of the high school to the Hwy 66 crossing, about two miles. Past that, even walking would be challenging. You might be able to ride a fat bike from Hwy 66 to Hwy 14 but that might even be tough. This is still a beautiful trail and the Bader Bridge is outstanding! Lots of work to be done. Who ever got it this far deserves a big round of applause! I hope the debris along the bridge can get pulled out before it takes out the bridge.
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