Sunrise on Steamboat Trail: Peru to Brownville, Nebraska

Sunrise on Steamboat Trail: Peru to Brownville, Nebraska with a lap around Captain Meriwether Lewis dredge (US National Historic Landmark)

The Steamboat Trace Trail in southeastern Nebraska rests on a former Burlington Northern railroad corridor stretching from Brownville to just south of Nebraska City. The corridor was railbanked by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and deeded to the Nemaha Natural Resources District—the trail's current manager—in 1995.

Nearly 22 miles of the Steamboat Trace Trail are open from west of the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) Power Station (south of Nebraska City) to Cooper Nuclear Station (south of Brownville). The route, like most rail-trails, is quite flat, and the surface consists of crushed limestone screenings.

Both the scenery and history along the trail are its main draws. The trail follows the wooded bluffs along the Missouri River, and at times, the river rests immediately at the trail's edge. Cottonwoods, oaks and other deciduous trees form forests that lend welcome shade to trail users during the summer months