16 2023 Annual Report
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Recreation
Visitors enjoy improvements to state parks
Visitors again are enjoying the sight of Smith Falls, Nebraska's tallest waterfall, after the newly constructed
500-foot boardwalk to it reopened in May at Smith Falls State Park.
The aging wooden boardwalk to the waterfall, which has long been popular for the thousands of people
floating on the Niobrara River each summer, closed in September 2022 for replacement.
The new boardwalk was built of composite decking on a steel frame with aluminum handrails and is
compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. New benches provide places for visitors to rest, and a
platform over the stream has been added midway up the walkway to allow for viewing of the falls from a
scenic vantage. Visitors still may access the bottom of the 63-foot waterfall from steps at the boardwalk's
north end.
This was just one major improvement at Nebraska's state parks in 2023; others include:
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Ash Hollow State Historical Park – ADA-access improvements were made to the park's visitor center,
including to the sidewalks, doors and restrooms.
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Box Butte State Reservoir State Recreation Area – A campground expansion project included 20 new
electrical sites, a new shower house and sewage dump station.
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Chadron State Park – Pine Cone Picnic Shelter was completed.
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Eugene T. Mahoney SP – The James Family Conservatory and Nature Center was expanded to include
an outdoor education classroom as a part of the Venture Parks Project.
Recreation
A new boardwalk at Smith Falls
State Park in Cherry County.
Equestrian campground at
Fort Robinson State Park.
