The grand dame of waterfalls in a state not known for waterfalls, Nebraska's Smith Falls does the state proud. Tucked a couple hundred yards up a deep ravine off the Niobrara River, the seventy-foot cascade tumbles off a protrusion at the end of the ravine and tumbles down the cliff in intermingling streams.
The falls are the centerpiece of a state park near Valentine. I also walked the modest McAllister Nature Trail. For a highlight, it powers up the steep hillside, out of the river valley and into the edge of the the plains with views out on to the northern ripples of the Sandhills. The trails returns along the Niobrara river, here maybe 2/3rds the size of the St. Joe through Niles. After spending the winter in the arid west, I found its swift flow a refreshing sight.
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