Location: Northeastern Nebraska from the Iowa border to Central Nebraska at Valentine Length: 238 miles (383 km) Time To Allow: 7 hours Description/Highlights/Points of Interest The wild west era where famous outlaws, horse thieves, lynch mobs and lawmen ruled this area is past. Today, along the Outlaw Trail (Nebraska Highway 12), you'll be greeted only by friendly folks and big smiles, as well as plenty of quiet hideaways. Extending from the metropolitan area of South Sioux City to the "Old West" in Valentine, the Outlaw Trail Byway meanders alongside the Niobrara and Missouri Rivers where steep bluffs and tree-shrouded slopes give way to lush, rolling green hills. The deep canyons and ample tree cover surrounding Devil's Nest created a meeting point and hideout area for Jesse James and his gang. On the western end of the byway, verdant farmland graduates into the wide open spaces of ranching country and the massive Sandhills region of Nebraska. Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark's Corps of Discovery Expedition was the nation's epic exploration of the American West in 1804 to 1806. This 8,000-mile excursion up the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean navigated through this area. Documented sites from their journey still can be seen here today. Suggested Itinerary Follow the Outlaw Trail from east to west across Nebraska and you'll be walking the Lewis and Clark Trail, which explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traveled on their "Corps of Discovery" to find a route to the Pacific Ocean through the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. They mapped the land as they went, recorded its resources and contacted its native inhabitants. In the summer of 1804, Lewis and Clark traveled through what is now Eastern Nebraska/Western Iowa. Head to Ponca State Park, situated astride the picturesque Missouri River bluffs in northeastern Nebraska. The park is at the eastern gateway of the Missouri National Recreational River, a 59-mile (94 km) section featuring the only unchannelized section of the river bordering Nebraska. Camping, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, cookouts, family events and more await visitors to the park. Visitors are also able to view three states from the Tri-State Look Out. Drive seven miles (11 km) north on Highway 121 to the Lewis and Clark Lake and State Recreation Area in Crofton, a Missouri River reservoir. There are six recreation areas on the Nebraska side, and the newly renovated Weigand Burbach area has asphalt camping pads, electrical services, cabins, a convenience store and marina with boat docks. Often referred to as the "biological crossroads of the Great Plains," the 30-mile (48 km) stretch of Niobrara River east of Valentine is of great biological importance. Along the Niobrara, the ranges of closely related species of eastern and western woodland birds overlap. And in the deciduous forests, an isolated subspecies of eastern wood rats is found 400 miles (640 km) from its nearest relatives in Eastern Kansas. Because of the Niobrara's striking scenery, recreational use and biological diversity, a 70-mile (112 km) segment of the river east of Valentine was designated a National Scenic River in May 1991. The Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge allows visitors a chance to view up-close its resident herd of buffalo. Fort Falls is also within this refuge and is one of the more easily accessible of Nebraska's waterfalls. The falls offer visitors a breathtaking glimpse of the unique geography and geology of this vast region. The Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park is located two miles (3.2 km) west and six miles (10 km) north of Royal. The park is a joint project of the University of Nebraska State Museum and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. After a major deposit of volcanic ash, this unique park contains the fossilized remains of 10-million-year-old mammals that died at a watering hole following a massive volcanic eruption. Visitors can observe the excavation of complete skeletons in the 'Rhino Barn.' A park entry permit is required. It's a wide-open landscape where cattle outnumber people. The Sandhills is a 19,000 square mile (49,400 sq. km) area of grass-stabilized sand dunes that sit atop the Ogallala Aquifer. This area, which is the largest of its kind in the world, is renowned for its gentle rivers meandering through pine-studded canyons, waterfalls and an endless ocean of prairie grasses alongside America's largest hand-planted forest. The Sandhills are also known for cattle ranches of gigantic proportions, as well as wildlife refuges dedicated to protecting and preserving the Sandhills wildlife. Up-close views of ranching, cowboys, Native American history, wildlife viewing opportunities, cowboy poetry, story telling and art await the visitor to this quiet and seemingly undisturbed region. Smith Falls State Park is located 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Valentine on Highway 12. A National Historic Bridge across the Niobrara River provides access for visitors to walk to Nebraska's highest waterfall, Smith Falls. The falls are created where a small, spring-fed creek tumbles 70 feet (21 m) over a rock ledge to the Niobrara Valley below. The Jim MacAllister Nature Trail alerts hikers to the diversity of ecological systems present in the valley, which exists nowhere else in North America. A park entry permit is required. For more information about this byway, contact: Lewis and Clark Trail