Niobrara National Scenic River Is there really a good canoeing river in Nebraska?

Niobrara National Scenic River

Is there really a good canoeing river in Nebraska?

            As we started driving into Nebraska, we asked the locals how to say “Niobrara” – and found out that we had been saying it wrong all this time.  Nigh-o-Braira is how the locals say it.  We invited friends to join us on this canoe trip and they wondered aloud, “Seriously, Is there really a good canoeing river in Nebraska?” The fast paced canoeing and falls said it all. 
   

The sand hills, falls, sandhill cranes and river were inviting us to venture to Nebraska. We combined this spring canoe trip with a viewing of the sandhill cranes near Kearney. The stark dry rolling hills dotted with windmills symbolized Nebraska as we entered Valentine to begin our canoe trip. 

Nebraska Sandhills

We stopped at the Niobrara National Scenic River welcome center in Valentine and the ranger said, “You are in for a treat”.  The welcome center provided helpful information which included a movie and great maps to which they added details like how to avoid a Class II two foot drop and where to find other hidden falls that were worth a short walk. https://www.nps.gov/niob

We embarked on this trip the beginning of April - and were ready for cold weather!  We were pleasantly surprised that daytime temperatures were in the 50’s.  Perfect canoeing weather.  Yet, it seems that most campsites and cabins do not open until April 15 or May 1^st.  We thought that real canoeing enthusiasts were missing the opportunity to canoe this river during high water levels, cool weather, and the absence of crowds.

Only Smith Falls State Park campground and Sunnybrook Camp were able to accommodate us.  Most other outfitters were closed or refused to even let us camp on their property.

We put in at Cornell Bridge – after a round about drive trying to find the place.  There is no road sign on Hwy 12 letting you know that you need to turn off the road to get to the river access.  So basically follow the sign for Niobrara Wildlife Refuge – 4 miles from Valentine.

We quickly realized that this river was faster than most rivers we had canoed on before. The ranger told us there was a scenic falls less than a mile after we put in.   We struggled to cross the river to the opposite side to be able to stop to see the falls. It was extremely hard to make a quick decision to change direction or make a quick stop.  And we call ourselves experienced canoers.    We were told the river level was up and yet there were still many shallow areas that scraped and caught the bottom of our canoe. 

The oak and red cedar open forests were accompanied with high sandstone bluffs creating awesome scenery. But the highlights are the many diverse falls alongside the river or within reach by a short walk.  As, we pulled over to the bank, I asked, “Now, why are we stopping here?” “Another falls?”  YES!!  There are never too many falls to enjoy on this river.

Disconcerting was that we thought we had left congested highways behind with their huge billboards.  This is the only river we have ever canoed on and been assaulted by the disruption of the scenery by billboards.  To name the company who is doing the assaulting, Niobrara River Ranch!

As we canoed, pairs of Canada geese would be our constant companions always keeping in front of us as if they were our guides.  We also saw deer, turkey, large soft-shelled turtles sunning themselves, and kingfishers. Blue-winged teal pairs were a treat for us.  Oh yes, did we forget to mention even a tagged elk who was so tame he stood at the water’s edge for us. The presence of the tagged elk reminds us to say that most of the land on either side of the river is privately owned, including property owned by the Nature Conservancy. 

After 3 hours of canoeing (really floating and steering because the river is so fast), we camped at Smith Falls State Park.  We were the only campers there.  The more modern facilities had not opened for the season yet, so we had to be satisfied with the pit latrines.  The campsites are right next to the river, so we didn’t need to carry our gear very far.  Smith Falls, the highest falls in Nebraska, is beautiful, accessed by a well maintained boardwalk. 

The bulging rock formation of the falls is common on the river because the falls flow over a rosebud formation of sandstone which is resistant to erosion.

There was a lot of wind that evening which made for an interesting night.  The wind was so strong that it pushed the tent down on top of us sleeping inside.  The tents held up but at times the sides were pushed down on our faces.

We had a leisurely start to the second day of canoeing.  Only ¾ of a mile down the river from Brewer Bridge at a small spring fed riverlet, we stopped to view Big Cedar Falls a short walk from the river. The Nature Conservancy is maintaining access to this Falls, owning much of the property on the right side of the river.  Along the right side of the river, there were crews of men cutting, piling and removing the red cedar.  The red cedar is crowding out other pioneering tree species reducing the biodiversity. This is important because the Niobrara river valley is known for its biodiversity where several ecosystems come together.

At Fritz’s Narrows we went around the island to the left to avoid the 2 foot drop and then immediately crossed the river to the right, to visit Stair Step Falls – a beautiful, quiet, undulating falls – you just have to step through the muddy marshy slough to get there.  Sitting in the woods beside this small stream with falls is totally relaxing.

We were again the only canoe on the river the entire day and took out at Sunny Brook Camp a mile before Rocky Ford Rapids.  Our friends almost missed the landing and we threw them a rope and pulled them in.  The owners of Sunny Brook were very accommodating.  The warmth of a cabin  was appreciated and we were also able to buy drinks and ice and get a warm shower! 
sunnybrookcamp.com

The locals need to advertise this river as something for real canoeing enthusiasts during late spring and early fall.  Forget the summer and the party floaters.

Yes, Nebraska not only has a good canoeing river, it has a great fast river that we enjoyed paddling on.