The Great Outdoors 

by Julie Nichols

Lincoln’s Trail System

With miles of bike trails traversing the city and linking to greater routes of the Great Plains Trail network, Lincoln is a dream come true for cyclists. Since 1978, the city has made a priority of expanding and connecting trails so you can go anywhere by bike, whether as a commuter or riding enthusiast. The Jayne Snyder Trails Center at Union Plaza serves as a hub for several major trails, and a gathering place for community events. 

Trails are incorporated into streets, through neighborhoods and parks, and reach well beyond the city limits. (In fact, you can ride all the way to Kansas). Nearly 150 miles of hard surface/crushed rock trails, 27 of paved park trails and 39 miles of unpaved trails in Wilderness Park, it’s possible to reach any corner of Lincoln. Lincoln’s bike share program, BikeLNK, gives residents and visitors bike and e-bike rentals to explore or travel to specific events or destinations in the city. 

Spring Creek Prairie 

Just a short distance from Lincoln, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center is a tallgrass prairie preserve of over 1,000 acres of grassland, ponds and wetlands, historic wagon ruts, and a diverse assortment of wildflowers, birds and wildlife. Mammals rarely seen in daytime leave traces in the landscape, and amphibians and insects inhabit the wetland areas. Trails that lead through this landscape give visitors a glimpse of Nebraska’s prairie ecosystem before agriculture subdued it. A haven for birders and even the most casual naturalist, visitors can hike through the landscape on their own, or schedule a guided tour for groups of 6+ for a small fee per person. Home to over 235 species of birds, the prairie offers a contemplative adventure in observing and listening. An excellent place for relaxation or study, Spring Creek Prairie is a pure nature experience within reach of the city. The prairie is open from sunrise to sunset, and the visitor center offers nature programs throughout the year for all ages. Admission is free.

Wilderness Park

Nearly 1,500 acres, this natural public park on the southwest edge of Lincoln offers multiple access points, parking and 30 miles of multi-use trails draw hikers, cyclists, naturalists, cross-country skiers, horseback riders and many casual visitors daily. Serving as a floodplain for Salt Creek, Wilderness Park provides value as a conservation area and its untouched nature means many species of animals and plants make it home. Tallgrass prairie, woodland and wetland habitats flow together. Trailhead kiosks with QR codes offer onsite navigational maps that show parking areas, historical features, water crossings and wet areas. Signposts, intersections and distances are marked to help visitors navigate. With its dense forests, winding waterway and unpaved trails, Wilderness Park transports visitors quickly away from any sense that there’s a city nearby. Using it requires no park permits, charges or check-ins. 

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum on UNL’s East Campus is the mothership of a network of almost 100 botanical gardens and arboreta statewide. Gorgeous in any season, native plantings, mature specimen trees and shrubs provide a natural display, each labelled for the curious. Benches and picnic tables in any season, native plantings, mature specimen trees and shrubs provide a natural display, each labelled for the curious. Benches and picnic tables provide stopping places. Strolling through the arboretum is an excellent finish after a trip to either the nearby tractor or quilt museums… and you can top it off with handmade ice cream from the UNL Dairy Store, part of UNL’s food science facilities and training program.

Pioneers Park/Pioneers Park Nature Center

Right on the west edge of Lincoln, Pioneers Park provides year-round outdoor and nature experiences for residents and visitors. At over 1,000 acres, this park has many features both formal and natural. 

A sledding ramp, a big hill and snow beckons families in winter, cross country teams run meets here, weddings are conducted and graduation photos taken by the soot-stained Greek columns that once supported the U.S. Treasury building. Every fourth-grade child in Lincoln attends the Cunningham Schoolhouse (formerly Heritage School) at the Nature Center, a restored reproduction of a one room prairie school. Moved from the state fairgrounds in 2009, students experience the prairie landscape and recreate a typical school day in the 1890s. Lessons include stories, recess games, a spelling bee, and penmanship. Students are encouraged to wear clothing similar to the period: long skirts and aprons, bonnets, overalls, plaid or checked hats, jeans and suspenders. 

Pioneers Park Nature Center is really a park within a park and has long served as a wildlife sanctuary. Ten miles of hiking trails weave through over 650 acres of mixed grassland, woods and wetland habitat and a branch of Salt Creek. One of two interpretive buildings, the Chet Ager Center exhibits live rescued wildlife and taxidermy mounts of native animals. A bird garden, herb garden and heron wetland are right outside to explore. Trails take visitors past non-releasable raptors and a small herd of bison. Partially constructed with straw bales, the sustainably built Prairie Building houses prairie animal exhibits, auditorium and classrooms. A large deck provides outdoor space for events and demonstrations. The park is also home to Pinewood Bowl, now operated by Pinnacle Bank Arena, a performance space that presents outdoor concerts in seasonable weather. 

A Zoo and an Observatory

Further south on 27th Street, the exceptional Lincoln Children’s Zoo cares for over 400 animals, including 40 endangered species. This excellent zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and part of their Species Survival Plan, a worldwide network to support conservation and protect endangered animals. Stroller and wagon rentals are available as well as a sensory-inclusive zone.

Hyde Observatory at Holmes Lake is a community-based astronomical facility. Operated entirely by volunteers and funded through public donations, it is dedicated exclusively to providing public viewing of the night sky. 

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