Nebraska Parks and Recreation Areas

Missouri National Recreational River offers natural beauty: the forested buff-colored chalkstone bluffs to gently rolling range bottomland; the brilliant white of migrating pelicans to the rich blues of prairie asters; the soaring majesty of resident bald eagles to fleeting glimpses of the wily red fox. It offers an exciting past for your enjoyment and enrichment, from Plains Indian tribes to Lewis and Clark to steamboat captains such as Grant Marsh. Here, you can experience the dynamic character of the river's ever-changing nature, with its islands, shifting sandbars, sloughs, and treacherous, deadly snags. read more...

Phone: 402-336-3970   Price Range: $0 - $4   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: O'Neill   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park, Recreation Area   Activities: Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Cross Country Skiing, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Hunting and Shooting, Kayaking, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Snowshoeing, Snowmobiling   Details Provided By: Missouri National Recreational River

Chimney Rock has become one of the most famous landmarks in the American West. This unique formation--the most noted on the Oregon Trail--has come to symbolize the greatest voluntary migration in the history of mankind. The site is adminstered by the Nebraska State Historical Society which operates the Ethel and Christopher J. Abbot Visitor Center at the Chimney Rock National Historic Site. The Visitor Center features museum exhibits explaining the westward migration of the nineteenth century and the significant role Chimney Rock had in the memories of those who traveled the trails west. read more...

Phone: N/A   Price Range: $0 - $3   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Bayard   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Site   Activities: Hiking   Details Provided By: Chimney Rock

A prominent natural landmark for emigrants on the Oregon Trail, Scotts Bluff, Mitchell Pass and the adjacent prairie lands are set aside in a 3,000 acre national monument. This site preserves the memory of the historic Oregon, California and Mormon Trails. The monument museum contains exhibits about the human and natural history of the area and also holds a unique collection of watercolor paintings by the frontier photographer and artist William Henry Jackson. read more...

Phone: 308-436-4340   Price Range: $0 - $5   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Gering   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Hiking, Auto Touring, Nature Walks   Details Provided By: Scotts Bluff National Monument

The cry was FREE LAND!! The Homestead Act of 1862 was one of the most significant and enduring events in the westward expansion of the United States. By granting 160 acres of free land to claimants, it allowed nearly any man or woman a chance to live the American dream. Visit the park and gain understanding on how the Act changed the lives of all Americans and the land. read more...

Phone: (402) 223-3514   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Beatrice   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Backpacking, Birding, Cross Country Skiing, Hiking, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks, Snowshoeing, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Homestead National Monument of America

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis & William Clark began a voyage of discovery with 45 men, a keelboat, two pirogues,and a dog. They departed from Camp Wood located in what was to become Illinois. read more...

Phone: (402)661-1804   Price Range: N/A   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Omaha   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Historic Trail   Activities: Backpacking, Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Boating and Watercraft, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Interpretive Programs, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail

This 76-mile reach of the Niobrara River in northcentral Nebraska was added to the nation's Wild and Scenic River System in 1991. The river is swift and shallow over much of its length, cutting through bedrock forming riffles, rapids and waterfalls. The Scenic River preserves a superb example of a Great Plains river and protects a unique ecological crossroads where six distinct ecosystems and their associated flora and fauna mix, some at or beyond their normal geographic limit. read more...

Phone: (402) 336-3970   Price Range: $0 - $2   Open Season: N/A   Camping: Yes
Nearest Popular City: O'Neill   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Park, Recreation Area   Activities: Biking / Bicycling, Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Kayaking, Swimming, Wildlife Watching, Camping, Auto Touring, Nature Walks, Star Gazing   Details Provided By: Niobrara National Scenic River

Agate is an internationally recognized fossil site. However, as a place, Agate is so much more. The landscape surrounding the fossil beds has been a site of change for millions of years. The relationship between land, weather, ecology and mammals in the Agate area has been a stage of continual change over time. read more...

Phone: (308)668-2211   Price Range: $3 - $5   Open Season: N/A   Camping: No
Nearest Popular City: Harrison   Nearest Lake or River: N/A   Park Type: National Monument   Activities: Birding, Fishing, Hiking, Wildlife Watching, Nature Walks   Details Provided By: Agate Fossil Beds