Improvements coming to popular state park trail | news

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission recently approved a $250,000 grant for the park’s Stone Creek Falls Trail.

The improvements will include a limestone trail, concrete parking lot and wooden boardwalk, and will also meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

“The number one question asked by visitors at Platte River State Park (west of Louisville) is ‘Where can we find the waterfalls trailhead?’” said Alex Duryea, recreational trails manager in the planning/programming division for the game and parks department. “Even prior to the pandemic, it was evident the trail and trailhead parking lot no longer facilitated the demand the park staff were seeing at the trail.”

That was only exasperated by the pandemic and the increase in visitors seeking outdoor recreational opportunities, he said.

“The trail and trailhead improvements will go a long way in relieving pressure on the parking area and improve access to the falls. Most notably, making the trail accessible all the way to the falls.”

Duryea said improvements will be a mixture of new features and the replacements of others.

“Improvements to the trailhead include parking lot expansion, accessible CXT bathroom, map kiosk and benches,” he said. Additional items include an accessible deck overlooking the falls, plus a new trail bridge replacing the current one that has had 40 years of service, said Duryea, who administers the state’s Recreational Trail Program (RTP). It will also meet ADA accessibility requirements, he added.

The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and administered by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Duryea said.

“This fund is made possible by a portion of the federal motor fuel excise tax paid by users of off-road recreational vehicles such as snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, off-road motorcycles and off-road light trucks,” he said. “This fund is specifically for land acquisition for motorized or non-motorized trails, motorized or non-motorized trail development, trail-related support facilities and maintenance of both motorized and non-motorized trails.”

The trail, located in the center of the park, is approximately one-fourth of a mile long.

Construction is anticipated to occur this fall with substantial completion by next spring, Duryea said.

“These trail improvements will ensure that all visitors to the park will be able to experience the most recognizable trail at Platte River State Park,” he said.