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Nebraska
26

State of Nebraska Parks

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USA Parks
Nebraska
North Central Region
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge
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Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge © Chris Light / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Carnell Dam on the Niobrara River, near Valentine, Neb
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge © Chris Light / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Along the Niobrara River in the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge.
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge © U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, NEPhoto Phyllis Cooper, USFWS
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge © U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Bull elk spar in the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge wilderness. Credit Todd Frerichs
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FORT NIOBRARA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
FORT NIOBRARA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
39983 Refuge Road
Valentine, Nebraska   69201
(lat:42.8802 lon:-100.4507) map location

Phone: 402-376-3789
Email: park email button icon
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.

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.

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.
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Area Campgrounds
Fishberry Campground
HC 14 Box 1
Valentine, NE
Nearby Hotels
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Directions
Fort Niobrara NWR is located about 5 miles east of Valentine, Nebraska, on U.S. Highway 12. The visitor center is about 1 miles from the Refuge entrance. Various directional signs are located along the route.

state route ranger badge
Nebraska
26

State of Nebraska Parks

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