Summer in the Sandhills means a leisurely float down Nebraska’s Niobrara River. The unique landscape offers plenty to enjoy for folks seeking an escape to nature.
In Nebraska’s Sandhills, a serene retreat has been honored for its quietness. In lieu of visitors, only bird calls among the trees, waterfalls trickling and symphonies of rushing water can be heard.
Explore wetlands, swamps and hardwood forest, and steep yourselves in history as you hike a section of this National Scenic Trail. The foot trails, totaling more than 60 miles, are divided into five sections, making it easy for families to choose a comfortable distance. The trail runs roughly parallel to the Natchez Trace Parkway scenic motor road, designated one of America's National Scenic Byways and one of only 31 All-American Roads. The historic trail dates back to the early 1700s when sections were Indian footpaths and animal trails. In the late 1700s through the early 1820s, traders from the Middle Tennessee and Kentucky areas floated their goods down the Cumberland, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Natchez and then walked or rode horses up the Trace to return home. Today, travelers explore the National Park in their personal vehicles, take time to hike, ride horses and camp along the way. During the fall, visitors enjoy the changing colors of maple, hickory, oak and other hardwood trees, milder temperatures and overnight accommodations in small towns along the historic travel corridor stretching from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee.
The full length of the Kekekabic Trail, or the Kek as it is known to local hikers, winds almost 40 miles from Snowbank Road, east of Ely, through the heart of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to the famed Gunflint Trail, west of Grand Marais. Take on a family-sized slice of this wild trail to experience rocky outcroppings, pristine lakes, scenic bluffs and eagles soaring overhead. Listen for the rich yodeling of resident loons in the distance.
