Located just south of Omaha, Fontenelle Forest is one of the largest temperate forests in the United States at 1,014 hectares. Spanning across both Pottawattamie and Mills counties, its landscape falls within the transition zone between the Eastern Deciduous Forest and the Great Plains. A true example of the Eastern deciduous forest biome, Fontenelle Forest can be considered as unique in this particular region due to the neighboring prairies and forests of Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa.

Lying just east of the city of Bellevue, Nebraska, Fontenelle Forest covers an extensive area with sections that border the city, making it a favorite destination for hikers, nature enthusiasts, and outdoor recreationalists. The park offers many trails with varying difficulty that provide scenic views of the Missouri River, allowing walkers a chance to appreciate this massive deciduous forest. Among the trails available are the 20-mile-long hiking and biking trail, as well as the shorter 3-mile-long Raptor Woodland Trail designed for birdwatchers.

The park's botanical richness is worth appreciation as well; 900 species of plants and trees that are native to the region have been identified within the limits of Fontenelle Forest. Visitors may spot Eastern Cottonwoods along with the many mature oaks and hickories due to the varying biotic communities present, along with scenic views of woodland waterfalls and the valley that once held the longest rail road bridge in the world.

Presently under joint management of the Fontenelle Nature Association (FNA), Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Iowa DNR, tourists may observe the outcomes of joint forest management: hunting restrictions exist, conservation attempts are being made, with controlled burning activities controlled within selective sections of the parkland. Historically settled by Omaha Native Americans and used for agricultural purposes in the 1860s, Fontenelle Forest's vast area remains primarily intact.

In addition to featuring unique plant species and geological structures such as caves that dot throughout this area, a well laid-out exhibit that is also unique is that of the Raptor Trail's varied living population of hawks, peregrine falcons, owls, and turkey vultures located at the Fontenelle Forest Raptor Woodland Trail.

Located closest to the main entrance are Fontenelle Forest's educational facilities offering information on tree preservation efforts and several demonstrations that feature tree planting activities; in keeping with the nature reserve experience. There is an educational trail that makes known the specifics and methods involved in several forest preservation practices like the prescribed burning that visitors witness practicing ongoing in different preservation efforts.

Given Fontenelle Forest's rich varieties, ample wildlife activities are easily spotted. Even better, due to certain infrastructure projects built for an enjoyable Forest exploring experience. Upon entering Fontenelle Forest along the Fontenelle Forest trails leading from the Nature Center located in Bellevue on the banks of the Forest as one travels towards Mount Crescent west towards I-80 / Highway 59 driving the Loess Hills, unique attractions such as Wildwood House Park also await touring down by 8th Iowa Highway which reaches LaGrange within minutes.

Overall, Omaha's Fontenelle Forest, one of the several gems within Nebraska, offers its tourists the chance to enjoy firsthand the nature-filled and vast wilderness areas along the western part of Iowa's border.