Smith Falls
Posted by: 
DakotaGeek
N 42° 53.273 W 100° 18.947
14T E 392557 N 4749204
Waterfalls in Nebraska? Yes, there really are some and Smith Falls is the tallest. It's easily accessible on foot when either parking at the Visitor Center, the campground or when canoeing down the Niobrara River. The walkway to the falls is also wheelchair accessible, so everyone can enjoy the beauty of nature in this park.
Waymark Code: WM6TH
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 01/29/2006
Views: 51
Smith Falls, the tallest waterfall in Nebraska, is located 15 miles east of Valentine off Highway 12 on the Niobrara River. Surrounded by paper birch, aspen, and ponderosa pine, a spring-fed creek tumbles 75 feet down a rock wall to create Smith Falls. The diversity of fauna and flora, combined with the beauty of the waterfall makes Smith Falls a truly unique Nebraska landmark.
To preserve the biological significance and unspoiled beauty of the falls, the area was made into a
State Park in 1992. Camping and picnic facilities are provided on the north side of the river, which can be crossed by using the new foot bridge that was completed in 1996. Once across the river, a short hike takes visitors to the boardwalk path. Follow the roar of the water to find Smith Falls tucked away in this surprisingly beautiful wilderness setting.
Created where a small, spring-fed creek tumbles about 70 feet over a rock ledge to the Niobrara Valley below, it is Nebraska's highest waterfall. During the last two decades, canoeists have discovered the Niobrara River and Smith Falls, but Nebraska's highest waterfall remained largely unseen by the general public until 1996 when an old historic bridge was refurbished and placed across the river allowing foot access to the falls. Before, access was only by canoe or an old hand powered cable car (been there, rode it) that can still be seen when approaching the falls by river.
A Remnant of Ice Age Nebraska
Smith Falls is more than just a tourist attraction, it is a naturally occurring biological museum. As the last glacier retreated north some 12,000 years ago, Nebraska's climate turned warmer and drier. Spruce and birch forest, which once covered the state, could not survive in this new climate and was replaced by prairie, except in the cool, wet canyons which feed into the Niobrara River east of Valentine. In these spring-branch canyons, remnants of the Ice Age fauna and flora persist. Protected from desiccating summer winds in the north-facing canyons, paper birch communities with an understory of northern grasses, sedges and forbs still thrive, 200 to 400 miles south of their modern-day range. At the foot of Smith Falls is a colony of unique trees, a hybrid of quaking aspen, a northern species, and big-toothed aspen, an eastern species.
A Scenic River
Because of the Niobrara's striking scenery, recreational use and biological significance, a 70 mile segment of the river east of Valentine was designated a National Scenic River in May 1991. At the same time, a 25-mile stretch of the Niobrara, from the western border of Knox County to the Missouri River, was designated a Federal Recreational River. In a statement shortly after signing the scenic river bill, President George Bush called the Niobrara "an outstanding river resource."
To claim the waymark, please post a photo of your group at the falls or, if you don't have your camera along, e-mail (don't post) the name of the family who leases this area to the state of Nebraska - it's also the last name of the person to whom the boardwalk is dedicated.