Facilities and Activities:
| Day-Use | Hiking Trail, miles | yes |
National Park Location Maps:
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National Park Photo Gallery:
volunteer positions open
National Park Event Calendar:
volunteer positions open
Nearby Parks:
Valentine State Fish Hatchery
Smith Falls State Park
Schlagel Creek State Wildlife Management Area
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| National Park Overview: |
 | Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is 19,131 acres in size and located 4 miles east of Valentine along the Niobrara River in north-central Nebraska. Fort Niobrara NWR was established by Executive Order in January 1912 as a "preserve and breeding ground for native birds." Its purpose was expanded later that same year to include the preservation of bison and elk herds representative of those that once roamed the Great Plains. <P>Approximately 350 head of buffalo, 70 head of elk, a prairie dog town, and deer can be found on the Refuge. The rolling sandhills and breaks along the Niobrara River canyon are home to a great variety of wildlife. In the winter, bald and golden eagles can be seen along the river. Wild turkeys are spotted among the birch, burr oak, and Ponderosa pine. The unusual and unique assemblage of plant communities currently present on the Refuge, including sandhills prairie, mixed prairie, Rocky Mountain coniferous forest, eastern deciduous forest, and northern boreal forest, supports a rich diversity of wildlife largely unchanged from pre-settlement times. <P>The Refuge offers many activities for visitors. Bison, elk, deer, and prairie dogs can be seen along the wildlife drive at all times of the year. Interpretive displays at the visitor center explore the history and ecology of the area. Hiking trails lead to Fort Falls and, for the more adventurous, into the Niobrara River Wilderness Area. Canoeing or tubing through the Refuge down the Niobrara River is a popular activity. <P> |
| Reviews By Park Visitors: |
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| | Note to Park related businesses:
List your vacation cabin, weekend getaway, log cabin rental, romantic cottage, vacation home, resort, hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, country inn, campground, RV park, horseback riding stable, canoe livery, river rafting, outfitting, sporting goods store, guide service, RV rental or any other park related activity, park related attraction or park related service on Google or StateParks.com. (more).... |
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| Related Links: |
| Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - General information about Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in Nebraska operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. elk, buffalo, Texas Longhorns | | Niobrara National Scenic River - Page One - OutdoorPlaces.Com - ... the Niobrara National Scenic River and Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in Nebraska, canoeing, paddling, hiking ... their trip in the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, just east of ... | | Niobrara National Scenic River - Page Two - OutdoorPlaces.Com - ... the Niobrara National Scenic River and Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in Nebraska, canoeing, paddling, hiking ... Access to the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge and Fort Niobrara ... | | Bird Checklists of the United States - Bird Checklists of the United States. Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge. Valentine, Nebraska. Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, located 4 miles east of Valentine, Nebraska, is 19,131 ... | | Bird Checklists of the United States - ... National Wildlife Refuge -- Office in Missouri Valley, IA (Printed 1985) Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge -- Valentine, NE Missouri River Mitigation Projects -- Omaha District, NE North ... | | Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: FloraSerach - ... Lake National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) near North Platte Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) near Valentine Nebraska National Forest near ... | | Nebraska Statewide Arboretum: FloraSearch - ... Fish & Wildlife Service) near North Platte Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) near ... near Chadron (NGPC) Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish ... | | Nebraska Association of Bed & Breakfast - - Bed & Breakfast Inns ONLINE - Travel * - The bed and breakfast inns listed here are located in cities and towns or on farms and ranches in ... 402-376-1306 Valentine Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge - Elk, buffalo antelope, longhorn ... | | American Bison - Life history of the American bison. ... Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Oklahoma, the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in northern Nebraska, Sullys Hill National Wildlife ... | | Valentine, Nebraska Local Info - Valentine local info - hotels and motels, eating places, sights, real estate, news, weather, movies ... of Nebraska through the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge and a vast series of ecosystems ... | | Where do you want to go birding in Nebraska today? - ... Refuges Index - Nebraska. Includes links to information on: Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge - Valentine, Nebraska Valentine National Wildlife Refuge - Valentine, Nebraska .. ....The Nature ... |
| Directions: |
| Fort Niobrara NWR is located about 5 miles east of Valentine, Nebraska, on U.S. Highway 12. The visitor center is about 1½ miles from the Refuge entrance. Various directional signs are located along the route. <P> |
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