Keystone Trail

The Keystone Trail is a popular urban-to-rural corridor for commuters and recreationalists of all stripes: college students, business professionals, families and others who desire access to Omaha's many universities, parks and business districts. The paved pathway follows the Papillion Creek corridor for 15 miles through the western neighborhoods of the city.

Start your trip from the northern trailhead in Democracy Park and head south into town. For the majority of the trip, you are atop the flood control levees of Little Papillion Creek, occasionally crossing back and forth over the water on bridges along the way. The concrete-surfaced corridor runs wide and, especially in the more park-like northern section and in the agricultural expanses of the south, grasshoppers will leap along beside you.

While the trail only runs on an actual rail bed for 2.3 miles, the railroad's influence can't be missed. Just before Mile 1 is a high railroad bridge that the trail passes under through a sheltered awning. If train cars are stopped on the tracks, the effect is a powerful reminder of the area's industrial past. Before Mile 6 at Heritage Park, a wooden trestle rests across the riverbank to the east. Pilings can also be spotted along the trail, usually near creek-crossings.