There's now an official hiking trail at Chimney Rock State Historic Site in Nebraska. Yesterday, an official grand opening ceremony took place and so today, Noelle, Sierra and I drove over to check out the new trail. We arrived at the new (and extremely large, paved parking lot) to start our hike on the wide gravel trails.
Almost immediately we crossed a ravine on a large steel bridge. Along the way there were lots of blooming flowers to admire. Mostly sunflowers,
but there were also bush morning-glory
and Rocky Mountain bee plant in bloom.
The trail system consists of several loops and spurs that lead to the visitor center and the new parking lot near the Pioneer Cemetery. Great views of the rock can be seen from many different vantage points and angles.
It was a pleasant walk, but the trail does not get as close to Chimney Rock as I had thought it would. Also, the new trail lacks the feeling of adventure we got from hiking the old, unofficial route. Wildlife encountered along the trail consisted of many, very large grasshoppers.
Otherwise, we didn't see much. If I had to rate this trail on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 5. Nice views, but a little boring terrain-wise and the parking lot is way too big.
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