Does Nebraska Have America's Best Bike Trail? | Keystone Trail

Nebraska’s representative in 50 Bike Trails in 50 States is Omaha’s Keystone Trail, a 17-mile paved bike trail running through the heart of Nebraska’s largest city. Following the Papillion Creek corridor, the Keystone Trail takes cyclists through wooded green spaces, parks, and residential neighborhoods, with an impressive series of underpasses that allow riders to travel across Omaha without constantly stopping for traffic. Omaha has a long history as a transportation hub, dating back to its role in the development of the transcontinental railroad. Today, the Keystone Trail offers a different way to travel through the city, following a creek corridor shaped by decades of flood-control projects and recreational trail development. Along the way, I discover surprisingly peaceful stretches of greenery, explore Omaha’s connected network of paved bike trails, and extend the ride onto the Bellevue Loop. I also explain why Nebraska’s famous Cowboy Trail, despite stretching more than 300 miles, doesn't qualify for this strictly paved-trail competition. Nebraska might not have the spectacular scenery or iconic landmarks of some other states, but the Keystone Trail does something exceptionally well: it makes cycling through a major city easy and enjoyable. The question is whether that smooth, uninterrupted riding experience is enough to compete with America's best paved bike trails. In This Episode: • Full Keystone Trail cycling review • Riding 17 miles through Omaha, Nebraska • Papillion Creek and Omaha's green corridors • The impressive underpasses that keep cyclists away from traffic • Omaha's history and the development of its trail network • Connecting trails and the Bellevue Loop extension • Why I didn't choose Nebraska's famous Cowboy Trail • Honest trail scoring and national leaderboard ranking • Does Nebraska Have America's Best Bike Trail? Looking for the best bike trail in Nebraska? Omaha's Keystone Trail offers smooth paved cycling, wooded creek corridors, excellent road underpasses, and connections to an extensive network of multi-use trails. It might not be Nebraska's most spectacular cycling destination, but it's an excellent example of what a well-designed urban bike trail can offer. Trail Information Featured Trail: Keystone Trail State: Nebraska Distance: Approximately 17 miles Trail Type: Paved Multi-Use / Urban Creek Corridor Route: North to South through Omaha Additional Ride: Bellevue Loop (approximately 9 miles, not included in scoring) Series: 50 Bike Trails in 50 States Episode: 20 Subscribe to Bike Across America and follow the journey as I ride and rank the best paved bike trail in all 50 states, searching for America's number one! New cycling adventures every Saturday. #NebraskaBikeTrails #KeystoneTrail #BikeAcrossAmerica #BikeTrails #OmahaNebraska #Cycling #TravelByBike