Smith Falls State Park, situated in southeast Nebraska near the town of Valentine, offers an engaging outdoor experience that caters to adventure-seekers and naturalists alike. Located within the Sandhills region of Nebraska, the park is a part of the Niobrara National Scenic River area, and its unique geology and geography create an ecologically diverse environment. As one embarks on the Smith Falls State Park Hike, they are treated to a lush array of flora, a variety of avifauna, and a landscape etched with the remnants of geological turmoil.

As visitors traverse the park's hiking trails, they are struck by the striking contrast of sand and rock formations, carefully crafted over thousands of years. More specifically, the trail surrounding Smith Falls, the park's main attraction, is located on a tract of land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Ted Neal to the Government of Nebraska, reflecting their zealous support for preserving the park's natural splendor.

Hikers making their way to the Smith Falls waterfall, Nebraska's highest above-ground waterfall with a 63-foot vertical drop, must navigate along walkways through lush woodlands dominated by deciduous hardwood forest, where visitors encounter species such as sycamore, ash, and cottonwood trees. Moreover, the surrounding ecosystem attracts diverse avian species like great blue heron, turkey vulture, and raptors.

With walking trails that vary from challenging to accessible, park-goers can discover at leisure an enticing collection of fossils distributed among boulders strewn along trails within the park, leading one to realize that the geological episodes of millions of years ago laid down a subtle testament of nature's dynamism in terms of arduous sand erosion and uneven terrain development.

Several visitors value the hike at Smith Falls State Park for their intimate moments with untainted, serene landscapes, as well as rewarding family time. Others consider it an exceptional chance for individuals to enhance their knowledge of an original tract of preserved geologically distinct landscape through immersion in hands-on environmental research. All will find immense satisfaction in interacting with earth as vibrant sounds return forth with resonating human responses when hiking Smith Falls State Park trails.


Smith Falls State Park is recognized as one of the major falls to hike and explore, along with similar natural sites like those located further north along the Missouri River basin such as DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge trails and that of more than a billion fallen petals of riparian forests.

Beyond these major hotspots, lesser-revealed but fascinating destinations for outdoor hiking escapades in southeastern Nebraska await you.