Arbor Lodge State Historical Park
Park
54 acres0.6 mi of trail
Morton Tree Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Arbor Lodge
Photo: Workman at en.wikipedia · CC BY 2.5B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Nebraska City
Nebraska City has 169 acres of parks, 23 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Arbor Lodge State Historical Park (0.6 mi). 81% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Nebraska City’s land is conserved, about 165 acres.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #21 of 57 in Nebraska State. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
165 acres · of 5.0 sq mi of land
Trails
2.0 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
169 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Nebraska City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Nebraska City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Nebraska City is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #21 of 57 in Nebraska State. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Nebraska City’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical NE town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · NE 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (169 acres) · NE 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home81% of residents within a half mile of a park · NE 90% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 70%
LessMore
Nebraska State towns of 2,500+ (57)Ahead of 64%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Riverview State Recreation Area
Managed by Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
32 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
165 conserved acres
5% of Nebraska City’s land. Who manages Nebraska City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife92 ac
Town or city72 ac
State parks55 ac
State Historic or Cultural Area · 111 acLocal Park · 72 acState Recreation Area · 36 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbor Lodge State Historical Park State Historic or Cultural Area | State fish & wildlife | 111 | Restricted |
| Steinhart Park Local Park | Town or city | 68 | Open |
| Riverview State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 36 | Restricted |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Nuckolls Square Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
35 places to go in Nebraska City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Nebraska City
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Nebraska City
Wildwood Dog ParkIn Wildwood
DirectionsScenic views in Nebraska City
Max & Darlene Peterson Lilac WalkIn Arbor Lodge State Historical Park
DirectionsOsage Orange GroveIn Arbor Lodge State Historical Park
DirectionsThe Climbing TreeIn Arbor Lodge State Historical Park
DirectionsThe Tulip TreeIn Arbor Lodge State Historical Park
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Nebraska City
16 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Nebraska City
Camp Woodmen
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.9 mi
Morton Tree Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Baseball
4Tennis
2Football
2Volleyball
2Basketball
1Skate park
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →16 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
U.S. Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1971
About itJasper A. Ware HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itMorton-James Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1976
About itBoscobelBuilding · listed 1976
About itOtoe County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itSouth Nebraska City Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itNebraska City Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itSouth 13th Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itSt. Benedict's Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 1983
About itBridgeStructure · listed 1992
About it4 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Nebraska City: April and September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 40 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 84 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 66 | 51 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 |
January is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Nebraska City →
Questions about parks and trails in Nebraska City
Where can I hike in Nebraska City?
The longest trail networks: Arbor Lodge State Historical Park, 0.6 miles; Steinhart Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Nebraska City is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Nebraska State town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Nebraska City’s trails?
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Steinhart Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Nebraska City?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Nebraska City?
7,596 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Nebraska City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 169 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Nebraska City have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #21 of 57 in Nebraska State. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Nebraska City neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →