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The state's newest park, Smith Falls is a mere 244 acres of biologically diverse lands. This is a place of delicate presences, from the veil of water created by Smith Falls - at 75 feet, Nebraska's highest - to the rare remnants of Ice Age flora and fauna in its cool, wet canyons.
Access to the waterfall itself is limited, since it is on a tributary on the southern bank of the Niobrara River. Most visitors are paddlers or tubers on the Niobrara, a National Scenic River. Walk-in visitors must wade through the river, which generally runs waist-deep.
Once on the southern shore, a short footpath leads to the falls. A wheelchair-accessible footbridge and boardwalk are planned.
The park preserves a rare overlap of forest and prairie plants and wildlife, including remnant stands of ponderosa pine, northern birch, mixed-grass prairie and sandhills prairie. Birdlife includes flickers, orioles and buntings.
Although Smith Falls is primarily a day-use park, a small campground offers 16 drive-in tent sites and seven primitive sites, used primarily by canoe campers.
Outdoor Activities |
A filagree of water cascades from Smith Falls, Nebraska's highest waterfall.
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