‘Absolutely breathtaking’: America’s first official ‘quiet trail’ sits in the Nebraska Sandhills

The Niobrara National Scenic River is 76 miles of free-flowing water with more than 200 waterfalls. It has six ecosystems that overlap one another which creates hybrid plants and animals.

“We’re there to protect all of these species and protect the water quality and quantity,” said Susan Cook, superintendent of Niobrara.

In October 2023, Quiet Parks International named the Niobrara National Scenic River the first “Quiet Trail” in the United States. Only two other trails have received the designation in the world. Cueifong Lake Circular Trail in Taiwan received the first distinction in 2022 and in May, the Montanas Vacías Bikepacking Trail in Spain was awarded the honor as well.

Quiet places first have to be nominated and then evaluated by Quiet Parks International Field Recordists. Quiet Parks is a nonprofit, volunteer-ran organization that seeks to find and protect quiet places around the world. For the Niobrara, Cook said there had to be a minimum of 15 minutes without any human-made sounds throughout the four-day flow down the river.

“You almost don’t realize it’s quiet because it’s quietness is actually just hearing nature,” Cook said.

She said the quietness comes from the working ranches that surround the river and prevents further development.

“It is a very rare occurrence that you can go floating down a river and just be one with nature because nature is all around you,” Cook said. “You don’t have cabins and houses and everything on the banks.”

Since earning the designation, Cook said they’ve had more visitors seeking to experience the quietness — including some visitors from around the world.

Alli Zimmerman of Lincoln traveled to Niobrara earlier this month with a group of friends prior to having any knowledge of the designation. Her friend, Jeanette Greer, had contacts with a nearby Airbnb owner and encouraged the group of friends to venture north.

During their weekend-long trip, the group of five spent six hours tubing down part of the river and explored some of the nearby trails.

“A lot of the trails in Lincoln, even like in the middle of Wilderness Park, you’ll hear cars going, planes and trains, and you just don’t hear anything like that,” Greer said.

The group of women have a plenitude of experience hiking through Lincoln as they all met in a group called Lincoln Girls Who Walk. The group includes a couple thousand members who meet weekly in smaller groups to socialize, exercise and get fresh air. The national scenic river was a completely different escapade for the group.

“It was beautiful,” said Victoria Lahm, a group member. “The countryside is just so different from this end of the state with the hills and it doesn’t really look like the same state.”

Occasionally, the women ran into other groups on the river, but since they went in the morning when it was cooler, fewer people were on the water.

While the river has visitors year round, the busiest times are in July and August as visitors tube, kayak and canoe down the river. Saturdays are also a crazy and loud time to visit, according to Cook who says it becomes party central.

“The rest of the week, you may only see a few other people around you,” Cook said. “You have a lot of opportunities to be out there by yourself.”

Visitors can access the river through public access sites or campgrounds. Cook said it takes about four days to float down the entire river.

“It’s very rejuvenating for the mind, body and soul,” Cook said.

The first half of the river ranges from 2-foot to 3-foot deep allowing easy floating and plenty of waterfalls.

“The first day is beautiful and easygoing, the second day’s a little more adventure,” Cook said. “When you hit the halfway point, it’s very different.”

The third and fourth days of the float have narrow paths and shallow braided channels that sometimes require more effort from visitors. In these areas, the water averages only a foot deep.

Numerous trails nearby weave in and out of the river banks and woods with an abundance of wildlife such as deer, bison, otters and eagles.

“Once you get out on the river or walking along the roads and things like that and away from people, it is very peaceful out there,” Zimmerman said.

It was quite a different experience for Greer, who visited Niobrara 25 years ago with all of her nieces and nephews. This time, she could really take in the serene sounds of nature.

“You can just kind of hear the water dribbling and wind and just the river,” Greer said.

The beauty doesn’t end when the sun goes down, either. In addition to the lack of human-made noises, Cook said the minimal development causes a lack of light intrusion.

“It’s just absolutely breathtaking to see the stars,” Cook said. “I had a couple of people this spring that said they really didn’t realize how well you could see the Milky Way.”