Metro Omaha Trails:

Omaha Trails Map (1.4 MB)
Omaha Trails Brochure (7.4 MB)
(Update 2007)

They are called Paths of Discovery. They crisscross the Omaha and Council Bluffs metro area, spreading outward, safe, diverse, inviting, healthy and fun.

The birth of our outstanding Metro Area Trails System came in 1990 with the opening of the first three-mile section of the Keystone Trail in Omaha. Now 27-miles long, the Keystone serves as the backbone for an ever-expanding network. The nationally recognized success of our trails effort is due to a coordinated commitment among local agencies for planning and constructing trails.

A spectacular connection is underway to join trails in Omaha and Council Bluffs and is sure to become a community icon. The Missouri River Pedestrian Bridge is a unique cable stay structure. The main span will stretch over 1,000 feet at an elevation of 50 feet above the river. Tall pylons hold the steel support cables and a lighted bridge deck. Linking nearly 150 miles of trails on both sides of the river, the bridge not only serves as a transportation corridor, but will promote economic and community development. Most of the funding ($19 million) for this signature bridge comes from federal transportation funds. Local partners include the Cities of Omaha and Council Bluffs, the States of Iowa and Nebraska, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District and others.

Without teamwork and cooperation, the trails still would be dreams on paper. Instead, they are real, and growing. Funds for developing the Metro Area Trails - up to 80 percent of them - have come from federal transportation enhancement dollars funneled through the Nebraska Department of Roads.

The trails network is available to a wide variety of user groups, including walkers, joggers, bicyclists, skaters and cross-county skiers. Further, the system is accessible to people with disabilities and anyone just wanting to experience nature.

While the network seamlessly connects parks, sports complexes, swimming pools, and flood control reservoirs such as Zorinsky and Wehrspann Lakes, recreation is not its sole function. These trails are an excellent alternative to the use of automobiles and other, more traditional, methods of transportation.

There is no fee, nor a fitness test for admission to the Metro Trails System. Every family - regardless of size, regardless of income, regardless of where they live - can make it part of their lives. It's there every day for biking, hiking, skating, jogging, or just enjoying family time.

There is a trail near everyone, whether in Omaha, Council Bluffs, Ralston, La Vista, Papillion, Bellevue or a growing number of smaller communities. Get going on your own Pathway of Discovery.