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This 76-mile reach of the Niobrara River in northcentral Nebraska was added to the nation's Wild and Scenic River System in 1991 to showcase a stellar example of a Great Plains river and preserve a unique ecological crossroads where six distinct ecosystems, some at or beyond their normal geographic limit, mix. The western third of the Scenic River is home to some ninety waterfalls, highest among them being Fort Falls and Smith Falls that topple more than seventy-five feet from a Sand Hills ledge to the valley floor. The Niobrara Valley is also a remarkable cultural landscape dotted with historic resources and small ranches and farms that have been locally owned for generations. The upper reach of the designated river is labeled one of the nation's premier canoeing rivers and is enjoyed by tens of thousands annually. Portions flow through a Federally designated wilderness.
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