Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Over 300 bison roam the sandhills of Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge. During the winter, the herd lives in the Wilderness area, north of the Niobrara River. During the summer, the herd spends its time south of the Niobrara River. The bison are moved around the southern part of the Refuge to combat the growth of non-native grasses. The Niobrara River flows swiftly through the Refuge, creating a unique convergence of ecosystems and attracting canoers during the summer. Elevations surrounding the river range from 2,300 to 2,700 feet.

Some of the deciduous trees growing along the river are ironwood, burr oak, box elder, and hackberry. Ponderosa pine is the dominant tree in the dryer savannah areas. A mix of native grasses such as sand bluestem, prairie sand reed, Indian grass, side oats grama, porcupine grass, and buffalo grass grows in the prairie areas. Summer temperatures average between 52 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit, while winter temperatures average between -25 and 58 degrees Fahrenheit. Day-hikers can have a great adventure year-round. Fort Falls Trail is the only maintained trail on the Refuge and lies on the south side of the Niobrara River.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Fort Niobrara Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

Fort Niobrara Wilderness is located on Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, four miles east of Valentine, Nebraska, off Highway 12. There are three main access points for the Wilderness Area: hiking into the Wilderness at the Wilderness Overlook, by horse or by foot near the Corrals, and by canoe or kayak from the launch site on the Refuge. Please refer to the hunt/fish brochure for designated parking sites on the Refuge. There is a $1.00 per person fee to launch into the Niobrara River from the Refuge.

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Fort Niobrara Wilderness
Google Earth

Nebraska Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database
FWS Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge Hunting and Fishing brochure

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 94-557

Date: October 19, 1976
Acreage: 4,635 acres

(No official title, designates Fish and Wildlife Service wildernesses) - Public law 94-557 (10/19/1976) To designate certain lands as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System and to provide designation for certain lands as Wilderness Study Areas

For more information (To download or see all affected Wilderness areas) visit our law library for 94-557 or legislative history for 94-557.

Recreational Opportunities

The Fort Niobrara Wilderness is open to hiking, horseback riding, and canoeing. The wilderness can be accessed by the Fort Niobrara Corral area, the wilderness overlook, and by canoe. Here you can hike on the many miles of unmarked trails or open prairie. Observe or photograph nature and wildlife, but remember not to take any souvenirs. Remaining after dark, camping, and building fires are not allowed.

Climate and Special Equipment Needs

A minimum of one gallon of water per person is recommended for an all day hike in the summer. The use of sunblock, bug spray, and/or protective clothing is recommended. You may also want sunglasses, hat, long sleeves and pants. Light colored clothing helps in finding ticks before they attach. Bring a basic first aid kit, a map, a compass or GPS, a whistle, an emergency food supply, and a light blanket or poncho.

Safety and Current Conditions

If you encounter bison or elk while in the wilderness area, keep your distance. Do not crowd these animals. Although they may look docile, they are powerful, unpredictable and fast. Poison ivy is very common in the wilderness. Watch for rattlesnakes, as they do live in this area.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.