May 5, 2021
Niobrara State Park is located where the Niobrara River flows into the Missouri River. We had an electric-only site, so we had to fill the freshwater tanks before we parked. The campground was mostly empty since it was the middle of the week. The campground was sloped, but our site was paved and level. We had the site farthest from the river view, but that was okay.
After we set up, we took a ride around the park. It was very hilly and had a lot of great lookouts of the Missouri and Niobrara Rivers. South Dakota was on the other side of the Missouri River.
It was also very windy.
Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park
When we stopped by the visitor center for a map, they suggested we visit the Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park, about 30 minutes away. This unique park contains the fossil skeletons of animals that died at a watering hole following that massive volcanic eruption nearly 12 million years ago. The fossil bed is in the process of being excavated, but it is covered with a large barn with the skeletons left in place for public viewing. They only excavate during the summer, so we were off-season, but there was a guide in the building to answer any questions. There were skeletons of rhinoceroses, camels, birds, horses, turtles, and bone-crushing dogs.
Yankton SD
When we left the Fossil Beds, we drove up to Yankton, SD, to see the Lewis and Clark Recreation area around the Gavins Point Dam. Along the way, we ran into a heavy hail storm and pulled over to the side of the road until it had mostly passed.
When we reached Yankton, I surprised Lisa by stopping at a Frosty Drive-In to get some ice cream before driving across the dam and then to the dam’s overflow area. While walking around the Overflow Park, we found someone bow fishing the carp. There were so many that all he had to do was shoot into these large black schools of carp that were easy to see from the bank.
We drove back to the park through South Dakota. We followed the river briefly before the road went off into the country. We noticed that the north side of the river was a lot flatter than the southern side.
Evening
When we returned, Lisa cooked dinner, and we settled in for the evening, watching TV.
May 6, 2021
Smith Falls State Park
After driving for over two hours, we finally got to the turn-off for Smith Falls State Park, the home of a 70-foot waterfall, the highest in Nebraska. We had to go down a gravel road to the small state park, but we found a very nice visitor center and a small primitive camping area. We ate a quick lunch at one of the campsites overlooking the beautiful Niobrara Scenic River. Then, we took a nice footbridge, gravel path, and boardwalk to the waterfall’s base.
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge & Fort Falls
Our next stop was the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge. Just before we arrived, we found bison in the field across the highway from the first entrance to the refuge that went to an overlook.
The overlook gave us a beautiful view of the Niobrara River valley, but I think it was also supposed to give us a view of the bison herd that was now across the highway instead. We then drove down to the next entrance, which took us to the bottom of the river valley. The visitor center was closed, but we found the signs that took us to the 45-foot-tall Fort Falls. A short boardwalk and metal stairs took us beside the falls so that we could view them.
We then drove over to the Prairie Dog Town, but we could not find any Prairie Dogs out.
Valentine, NE
We had just hit the two-week point after taking our second COVID-19 vaccine, which we were told is the point at which our immunity is the highest. To celebrate, we decided to go to a brewery. Bolo Beer Company opened at 4 pm, but since it was only 3:30, we decided to go to Snake River Falls. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we found a sign that said they were closed to the public. So we returned to Valentine’s and went to the Bolo Beer Company, and each of us ordered a flight of beers and then another pint of our favorite.
We then decided to go to Frosty Drive-In for dinner, where we ordered some burgers, fries, and corn nuggets. They were very expensive, but we learned later that they had run our credit card for only six dollars. When we checked the receipt we were given, we discovered they ran it against the wrong order. Lucky us!
Berry Bridge Falls and Sparks River Drive
We started our two-hour drive home pretty late, but I still wanted to visit one more waterfall and take a scenic drive along the Niobrara River. Our first stop was Berry Falls, located on the Niobrara River, so you could only view them from across the river. We then went down to the village of Sparks, which had a gravel river access road along the scenic Niobrara River. This road was full of campgrounds and canoe liveries.
Drive Home
It got dark about halfway home, and I had to keep a very watchful eye out for deer.
May 7, 2021
Jump day. We ate breakfast, packed up, dumped, and were on our way to Mahoney State Park by 10 am.