Nebraska certainly isn’t a heavily forested state, but we have some truly beautiful treed areas that deserve all the love we have to give. There’s one spot in particular that offers a walk above the trees that you’ll never forget – and it’s beautiful year-round.

The Cowboy Trail is America's largest rails-to-trails conversion project, stretching an impressive 321 miles between Chadron and Norfolk. Perhaps the most iconic spot along the trail is the view from the old railroad trestle bridge just outside of Valentine.
Nebraska Tourism
It's actually one of more than 200 bridges along the trail. Some are quaint little footbridges over creeks and some are historic pieces of architecture - but none is quite as impressive as this one. At 148 feet high and a quarter-mile long, it's the grandest bridge on the trail.
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The trestle bridge passes over the Niobrara River, looking down on not only the glimmering water, but also the lush vegetation on its banks.
Nebraska Tourism
The view is absolutely unparalleled. Whether you travel the trail in the middle of summer, the dead of winter, or when the trees are decked out in their spectacular fall colors, there's never a boring view here.
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Even if you don't travel a significant portion of the Cowboy Trail, everyone should make an effort to at least walk the trestle bridge near Valentine. There aren't many places in this Great Plains state where you can look down on the treetops from this height and watch one of the state's most iconic rivers rush by beneath your feet.
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Get an idea of what it’s like to see this gorgeous part of Nebraska from the bridge in this epic drone video from Long Face Media.

Find out more about the Cowboy Trail here and start planning your own treetop adventure. Have you ever walked or biked the tall trestle bridge just east of Valentine? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Another former railroad bridge in eastern Nebraska shares an equally fascinating history – read all about it here.

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