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Print Friendly MapTraversing 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, wider tires are recommended.
The rail-trail opened in 2011, capping off nearly ten years of work by the Nebraska Trail Committee and Nebraska Trails Foundation on converting the former railroad corridor into a recreational trail. The centerpiece of the trail is undoubtedly its 1,072-foot long bridge, which was originally built in the 1880s by the Republican Valley Railroad. It spans the Platte River south of Center City and has been fully converted to pedestrian use with improved decking, handrails, and several bump-outs for enjoyment of the beautiful view.
Close to Central City, the trail runs through the middle of the Turtle Beach neighborhood and immediately adjacent to the lake which the community is built around. From Turtle Beach to Marquette, the Dark Island Trail runs uninterrupted for miles through Nebraska's famous verdant farmland.
State Route 14 runs through Central City and comes close to Marquette. Take the road to either endpoint and park on city streets. There are signs directing visitors to the Dark Island Trail in Central City and in Marquette. As always, be mindful of parking restrictions and respectful of the property of the towns' residents.
I took off in the middle, at parking area D. South of Bader bridge. I use my 29er with 2.2 inch tires. They received 0.35 inches of rain the night before. The ride was cool and humid with cloud cover for most of the ride. Trail is packed fairly well with gravel on top. Very similar to most Nebraska gravel roads. Took off to the south toward Marquette. The mile 3.5-5 heading south was tree covered so much so that it stopped the breeze from reaching me. Cross highway 14, and quite a bit of the trail has trees on both sides, but sky above. Keeping you shaded and allowing somewhat of a breeze to reach you. About mile marker 6.5 the trail opened up more and I noticed a lot more loose crushed concrete on the trail. The last 2 miles into Marquette is fairly open. Crop ground on either side or trees. Through Marquette, the trail was really soft as I’m guessing the elevator traffic has rough it up quite a bit. The trail condition south of Marquette is not ideal. Definitely larger rocks that are loser. Can also tell where farmers have checked on their fields and used the trail with a side-by-side. Got to the end of the trail at a really cool bridge that is over the gravel road. Too bad the trail doesn’t continue past the bridge I turned around and headed north. Saw my first other trail user about 2 miles south of Bader bridge. Road for over 11 miles before seeing another person on the trail. I continued North across the Bader Bridge, saw several people on the bridge in a few people between the bridge and Central City walking. That section of trail is in pretty good shape, crushed limestone one deep spot that took me by surprise but otherwise in good shape. The area between the bridge and Central city has very few trees. It is mostly open. From the bridge over the gravel road south of Marquette all the way to Highway 30 in Central City is 10 miles. Don’t let the 8.3 miles fool you! Overall, the trail is in pretty good shape. I would definitely want mountain bike tires, not gravel tires. I would say half of the trail is shaded by trees during the day.
The first 4 miles of the trail going south from Central City is really nice. The long bridge over the Platte allows for excellent viewing of the river. The tree lined canopy traveling farther along was very pretty. Once riders cross HWY 14 and proceed on towards Marquette, the trail became increasing difficult to ride even with medium width bike tires. The trail surface of powdery fly ash was deep. It also appeared that new limestone/crushed rock gravel had recently been added to the trail but not graded, thus making it too difficult to continue riding. Perhaps fat tire bikes would be able to traverse this section but definitely not road or hybrid tire bikes. A very peaceful and pastoral trail to ride, but unfortunately the final 3 or so miles is too hard to really bike. Nice restroom facilities and picnic area at the trailhead in Central City.
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!
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.
Limestone installation is not yet finished between 28th St in Central City and Hwy 66. A hard surface should be in place by mid-July pending acceptable weather. It's still not ready for bikes or strollers.
As of August 2014, the improved surface ends just south of the end of the bridge. Across the highway, the surface looks like the original railroad ballast. My recumbent with 26 x 1-1/2" tires handled the smooth dirt just fine, but the loose ballast surface (huge rock chunks up to 2" in size) south of the highway was just not possible for me, and I turned around there. Mountain bikers may be able to handle it, but I'd definitely recommend leaving the road bikes at home.
My wife and I hike dark island regularly. Park at HY 66 trailhead and 2.8 miles round trip to HY 14 and back. Excellent bridge over Platte River. South of HY 66 trail surface is rougher but interesting hike.
A little bit of everything, from a walk in the woods, spanning over the Platte, quiet open country; a great trail to explore!
The walking bridge (Bader Bridge) over the Platte River has over 1,000 linear feet of great river viewing, complete with a dozen benches to sit on with friends and enjoy beautiful sunrises and sunsets on the Platte.
Rode this trail June 2, 2013, nice, clean. Good views of the Platte River. It's a flat trail that has been converted from rail road track.
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