Niobrara State Park

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Niobrara State Park
Niobrara State Park bridge E end.JPG
Niobrara River Bridge
USA Nebraska relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Niobrara State Park
Location in Nebraska
Location Knox County, Nebraska, United States
Nearest town Niobrara, Nebraska
Coordinates 42°45′58″N98°2′50″W / 42.76611°N 98.04722°W / 42.76611; -98.04722 [1]
Area1,236.59 acres (500.43 ha) [2]
Elevation1,211 ft (369 m) [1]
Established1987 (originally Niobrara Island State Park, est. 1930) [3]
Administered by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Visitors132,950(in 2018) [4]
Designation Nebraska state park
Website Official website OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Niobrara State Park is a public recreation area located at the confluence of the Missouri and Niobrara rivers in the northeast corner of Nebraska. [5] The state park occupies river bluffs to the west of the village of Niobrara and the Niobrara River. The park includes the Niobrara River Bridge, a decommissioned railroad bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [6] The park is managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Contents

History

The first state park at the mouth of the Niobrara River was called Niobrara Island State Park. Niobrara Island had been a Niobrara town park until it was transferred to the state in 1930. Both the state and the Civilian Conservation Corps made improvements to the site in the 1930s. The park's present-day site opened in 1987 after the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission purchased 1,231 acres of higher land to the west of the original park. Cabins at the old park that were still in use in 1987 were subsequently abandoned because of high water in the area. [3]

Activities and amenities

Park facilities include a swimming pool and interpretive center. Visitors can tour the park via seven miles (11 km) of roads and fourteen miles (23 km) of hiking trails. The park offers RV and primitive camping as well as cabins that overlook the river. [5] White-tailed deer and wild turkeys roam the park by day while at night coyotes and whip-poor-wills mingle their cries and calls. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knox County, Nebraska</span> County in Nebraska, United States

Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 8,391. Its county seat is Center. Knox County was named for Continental and U.S. Army Major General Henry Knox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niobrara River</span> River in Wyoming and Nebraska, United States

The Niobrara River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 568 miles (914 km) long, running through the U.S. states of Wyoming and Nebraska. The river drains one of the most arid sections of the Great Plains, and has a low flow for a river of its length. The Niobrara's watershed includes the northern tier of Nebraska Sandhills, a small south-central section of South Dakota, as well as a small area of eastern Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niobrara National Scenic River</span>

The Niobrara National Scenic River is in north-central Nebraska, United States, approximately 300 miles (480 km) northwest of Omaha. In 1991, Congress set aside 76 miles (120 km) for preservation under the management of the National Park Service with assistance from the local Niobrara Council. Several "outstandingly remarkable values" have been designated to be protected along the Niobrara National Scenic River, including: Fish and Wildlife, Scenery, Fossil Resources, Geology, and Recreation. The river was designated by Backpacker magazine as one of the 10 best rivers for canoeing in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine Ridge (region)</span> Escarpment in Nebraska

The Pine Ridge is an escarpment between the Niobrara River and the White River in far northwestern Nebraska. The high tableland between the rivers has been eroded into a region of forested buttes, ridges and canyons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worlds End State Park</span> Park in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania

Worlds End State Park is a 780-acre (316 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. The park, nearly surrounded by Loyalsock State Forest, is in the Loyalsock Creek valley on Pennsylvania Route 154 in Forks and Shrewsbury Townships southeast of the borough of Forksville. The name Worlds End has been used since at least 1872, but its origins are uncertain. Although it was founded as Worlds End State Forest Park by Governor Gifford Pinchot in 1932, the park was officially known as Whirls End State Forest Park from 1936 to 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cook Forest State Park</span> State park in Pennsylvania, United States

Cook Forest State Park is a 8,500-acre (3,440 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Farmington Township, Clarion County, Barnett Township, Forest County and Barnett Township, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Located just south of the Allegheny National Forest, the park is a heavily wooded area of rolling hills and mountains along the Clarion River in northwestern Pennsylvania. Cook Forest State Park is known for some of America's finest virgin white pine and hemlock timber stands and was once called the "Black Forest" due to the preponderance of evergreen tree coverage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowboy Trail</span> Long-distance hiking trail in the United States

The Cowboy Trail is a rail trail in northern Nebraska. It is a multi-use recreational trail suitable for bicycling, walking and horseback riding. It occupies an abandoned Chicago and North Western Railway corridor. When complete, the trail will run from Chadron to Norfolk, a length of 321 miles (517 km), making it the longest rails-to-trails conversion in the United States. It is Nebraska's first state recreational trail. The trail runs across the Outback area of Nebraska.

Ponca State Park is a public recreation area located on the banks of the Missouri River four miles (6.4 km) north of Ponca, Nebraska, in the northeastern corner of the state. The state park's approximately 2,100 acres (850 ha) are situated among high bluffs and steep, forested hills adjacent to the Missouri National Recreational River. The park is managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis and Clark Lake</span> Man-made lake in Nebraska and South Dakota, United States

Lewis and Clark Lake is a 31,400 acre (130 km²) reservoir located on the border of the U.S. states of Nebraska and South Dakota on the Missouri River. The lake is approximately 25 miles (40 km) in length with over 90 miles (140 km) of shoreline and a maximum water depth of 45 feet (14 m). The lake is impounded by Gavins Point Dam and is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District.

The Missouri National Recreational River is a National Recreational River located on the border between Nebraska and South Dakota. The designation was first applied in 1978 to a 59-mile section of the Missouri River between Gavins Point Dam and Ponca State Park. In 1991, an additional 39-mile section between Fort Randall Dam and Niobrara, Nebraska, was added to the designation. These two stretches of the Missouri River are the only parts of the river between Montana and the mouth of the Missouri that remain undammed or unchannelized. The last 20 miles of the Niobrara River and 6 miles of Verdigre Creek were also added in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith Falls</span> Park in Nebraska, USA

Smith Falls, at 63 feet, is the highest waterfall in the state of Nebraska and the centerpiece of Smith Falls State Park. The state park and falls are located 12 miles (19 km) east-northeast of Valentine and 3 miles southwest of Sparks, on the south side of the Niobrara River. Access to the falls is via a footbridge across the river from the north side of the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bennett Spring State Park</span> State park of Missouri

Bennett Spring State Park is a public recreation area located in Bennett Springs, Missouri, twelve miles (19 km) west of Lebanon on Highway 64 in Dallas and Laclede counties. It is centered on the spring that flows into the Niangua River and gives the park its name. The spring averages 100 million gallons of daily flow. The park offers fly fishing, camping, canoeing, hiking, and other activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Moshannon State Park</span> State park in Pennsylvania, United States

Black Moshannon State Park is a 3,480-acre (1,410 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Rush Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It surrounds Black Moshannon Lake, formed by a dam on Black Moshannon Creek, which has given its name to the lake and park. The park is just west of the Allegheny Front, 9 miles (14 km) east of Philipsburg on Pennsylvania Route 504, and is largely surrounded by Moshannon State Forest. A bog in the park provides a habitat for diverse wildlife not common in other areas of the state, such as carnivorous plants, orchids, and species normally found farther north. As home to the "largest reconstituted bog in Pennsylvania", it was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for its "25 Must-see Pennsylvania State Parks" list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swatara State Park</span>

Swatara State Park is a 3,515-acre (1,422 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Bethel, Swatara and Union Townships, Lebanon and Pine Grove Township, Schuylkill Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. 8 miles (13 km) of Swatara Creek lie within the park's boundaries, which are roughly formed by Pennsylvania Route 443 to the north and Interstate 81 to the south. The park is in a valley in the ridge and valley region of Pennsylvania between Second Mountain (north) and Blue Mountain (south).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kooser State Park</span>

Kooser State Park is a 250-acre (101 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Jefferson Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The park, which borders Forbes State Forest, was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, who also built the 4-acre (1.6 ha) Kooser Lake by damming Kooser Run. Kooser State Park is on Pennsylvania Route 31 a one-hour drive from Pittsburgh. The park is surrounded by Forbes State Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linn Run State Park</span> State park in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Linn Run State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 612 acres (248 ha) in Cook and Ligonier Townships, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park borders Forbes State Forest. Two smaller streams, Grove Run and Rock Run, join in Linn Run State Park to form Linn Run which has a waterfall, Adams Falls, which can be seen at the park. This state park is just off Pennsylvania Route 381 near the small town of Rector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platte River State Park</span> Park in Nebraska, USA

Platte River State Park is a public recreation area encompassing 453 acres (183 ha) on the southern bluffs of the Platte River two miles (3.2 km) west of Louisville, Nebraska. The state park has a relatively steep, rolling topography compared to the surrounding region, with much of it forested.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ash Hollow State Historical Park</span> Park in Nebraska, USA

Ash Hollow State Historical Park is located five miles (8.0 km) south of Lewellen in Garden County, Nebraska. The park comprises two attractions located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from each other: Ash Hollow Cave and Windlass Hill.

Spencer Dam was a run of the river hydroelectric dam on the Niobrara River in Boyd County and Holt County, Nebraska, about 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Spencer. The dam was operated by the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). Heavy precipitation during the March 2019 North American blizzard led to a failure of the dam in the early morning of 14 March, causing heavy flooding downstream.

References

  1. 1 2 "Niobrara River". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. "Niobrara State Park". NGPC Map and Data Portal. March 1, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Charles A. Flowerday; R.F. Diffendal, Jr., eds. (1997). "Geology of Niobrara State Park, Knox County, Nebraska, and Adjacent Areas—with a Brief History of the Park, Gavins Point Dam, and Lewis and Clark Lake". University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Conservation and Survey Division. pp. 5–6. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  4. "2018 Nebraska Attraction Attendance Counts" (PDF). Nebraska Tourism Commission. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Niobrara State Park". Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  6. Carl McWilliams, Research Historian (June 26, 1992). "Niobrara River Bridge". NPGallery Digital Asset Management System. National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  7. "Niobrara State Park". Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2007.