Here’s the link to the latest newsletter, so that you can download and print it: May/June 2026 Newsletter Otherwise, you can just read it on the website:
Author: Nebraska Trailblazers
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Walking Week 2026
One Week = 7 Days = 6 Walks + 1 Activity = LOTS OF FUN!
For all of our GROUP WALKS, please arrive 15 minutes early to sign the waiver form and to pay the walk fee, if listed. Exact change is very much appreciated!
Monday, May 18, 10:00 a.m.: First Avenue Trail – Trash Pickup & Lunch. Registration has ended but you can still come if you let Sandy know at spldngs@aol.com. Free Event! (If you want AVA credit for the walk, bring $4 and your books for stamping with you.) Meet at Cochran Park, 100 S.21st St. Council Bluffs, IA. The First Avenue Trails Parks & Paths Volunteer Program will provide supplies plus $5 coupon to Railway Inn at 115 S. 12th St. for after the event. It is recommended that you bring your own water bottle, sunscreen, work gloves, insect repellent, and sturdy close-toed shoes.
Tuesday, May 19, 5:30 p.m.: Stinson Park Group Walk. Free Event! Meet at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village, 67th & Mercy Road, Omaha, NE. We’ll gather in the open area northeast of the playground. Parking available on Mercy Road. Join us after the walk at Inner Rail Food Hall, 1911 S. 67th St. for dinner and conversation.
Wednesday, May 20, 10:00 a.m.: Dundee Group Walk. Free Event! Meet at Memorial Park’s Rose Garden, using Robert Storz Drive from 6005 Underwood Ave., Omaha, NE. We’ll walk through the Happy Hollow and Dundee neighborhoods.
Thursday, May 21, 5:30 p.m.: Little Italy Tour. Registration required by noon on May 14th: https://forms.gle/2rCqW7KNGdAGHHc47 Free Event! $5 cash donation requested to help organize Little Italy programs and educational student exchanges. Meet at the 11th Street Promenade Arch at 11th and Farnam Streets in Omaha, NE no later than 5:15 pm to sign in. Prepare to walk a couple of miles as you tour sites in the Old Market and Little Italy neighborhoods, sampling delicious Italian cuisine at various stops. NO DOGS ALLOWED.
Friday, May 22, 10 a.m.: The Wall That Heals. Free Event! Meet at Lewis Central High School, 3504 Harry Langdon Blvd, Council Bluffs, IA. The Wall That Heals is a memorial honoring the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War, bearing the names of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. Standing at seven-and-a-half-feet tall and 375 feet long, the Wall That Heals is a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is accompanied by a mobile education center. Stop for lunch after at Tastee Treet, 13996 Wabash Ave. Our seasonal walking route starts from the Tastee Treet and continues on the Wabash Trace; consider stretching your legs after lunch. (Walk fee of $4 applies.)
Saturday, May 23, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., off the trail by 1 p.m.: Standing Bear Lake. This is a traditional Volksmarch. $4 per walker, AVA credit available. To find us at Standing Bear Lake, use Entrance #4, located on N. 132nd Street, between Fort and Ida Streets in Omaha, NE. (The entrance is closer to Ida to the north than it is to Fort.) We’ll be at the picnic shelter close to the lake at the playground at the end of the road from the entrance. A group walk will be led at 9:30 a.m. Come anytime between 9 and 11 to register and set out on the trail. A 10k option is also available.
Sunday, May 24, 2:00 p.m.: Old Stone Arch Trail Group Walk in Shelby, Iowa. $4 per walker, AVA credit available. Meet at Agri-Symbol Park at 12 East St, Shelby, IA 51570 around 1:45 p.m. to register and pay. If interested in carpooling meet at the JC Penney parking lot off of 24th St. in Council Bluffs at 1 p.m. The walk goes along a picturesque cemetery, and the Old Stone Arch Nature Trail, dotted with spring wildflowers.
- As always, our walks are held rain or shine, so dress for the weather!
- Unless otherwise stated, leashed dogs are welcome on our walks.
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March – April 2026 Newsletter
Our March – April 2026 newsletter is ready for you to read. Download it here: March – April 2026 newsletter We have a lot going on these next few months, so you’re going to want to read it and to check out the events on our Walks and Events page.
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Newsletter (finally!) and upcoming walk
We won’t bore you with the explanation, but the September – October newsletter is finally ready for you to read here: September – October 2025 newsletter
If you like Omaha history or other cultures, you’re going to love our walk this Saturday, October 11th, starting at 9 a.m. from El Museo Latino, 4701 S. 25th Street, Omaha, NE 68107. South Omaha used to be a separate city until 1915, growing block by block so rapidly that it became known as “Magic City”. Name an ethnic group from Europe and you’ll find traces of them still in the neighborhoods and houses in the area.
Today, South Omaha is a neighborhood inside of Omaha, with a vibrant culture thanks to recent waves of immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America. Stop at a “panaderia” (bakery) and try a new pastry. Or check out the many “nevederias” that sell “helado” (ice cream), specializing in fruit flavors and new combinations of flavors. Consider stopping at a local restaurant to experience authentic flavors from other countries.
Registration runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the per walker fee is $4 (exact change is much appreciated!). For those who want to meet and walk with others, we’ll have groups leaving at 9:30 on the 5 km (3 mile) and 10 km (6 mile) routes. Written directions with maps will be provided and the route will be marked (weather permitting).
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Meetup page closed, but we’re still here!
After many years of meeting new people and sharing great events, our club made the difficult decision to close the Meetup page “Walk Omaha for fun, fitness and friendship”. Simply put, we were priced out of being able to maintain the page.
If you’re coming here from Meetup, be sure to take a look at all the events that we have coming up at our Events Page at https://nebraskatrailblazers.com/events/
You’ll note that only club members can attend the Slattery Vintage Estates Vineyard event on September 6th (info at https://nebraskatrailblazers.com/event/slattery-vintage-estates-vineyard-walk/ ) Or, that only club members can get early access to the Fairview Cemetery tour on October 19th (info at https://nebraskatrailblazers.com/event/club-member-early-access-fairview-cemetery-tour/ )
PS – it’s easy to Become a Club Member (and if you’re coming from Meetup, check out Sandy’s last email to you for a shortcut)
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July – August 2025 newsletter
Our club slows down in the summer, with July and August events directed at club members. Our next scheduled walking event is August 23rd, in Des Moines, Iowa. We’ll have more details and a carpooling sign-up for you later.
In the meantime, here’s our latest newsletter: July – August 2025 newsletter where you can see lots of pictures from the biennial convention held by America’s Walking Club in Las Cruces, NM and from our recent walking weekend, with Iowa’s Walking Club, in central-western Iowa. Oh, and some dates you’ll want to save! Plus some hints on how to keep walking even during hot, humid weather.
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June 2025 Events
Our planning committee is still putting together some fun events for July and August. In the meantime, be sure to put these on your calendar!
June 7th at 10 a.m. Mandan Park, 6215 S 13th St, Omaha, NE 68107. Meet at the picnic shelter near the newly opened nature center to sign the waiver and walk the trails.
This hidden park is impossible to see into from 13th Street, which runs along its western edge. Its seclusion made it a great place to escape the city and experience nature. The park has been extensively renovated over the last couple of years. The trail we will walk follows the park’s level contour along the now closed road that used to run through the park.
*The trail rating for the route is 1B
*Strollers will be able to handle the route.
*Leashed dogs are welcome on the trail.
*$4.00 per walker (exact change appreciated); children under 12 free
Glenwood Walk June 27 – 28, starting at 2 p.m. in Corning, Iowa (plus 3 more walks). Four group walks in central Western Iowa: Corning, Shenandoah, Glenwood and Stanton, in partnership with Iowa’s Walking Club. Our club sponsors the Glenwood seasonal walk, so we’re very excited about this opportunity to show off this gem of a walk! Glenwood offers a 7 km and a 10 km option, while the other group walks are 5 km (10 km option available in Stanton). Please see our printable flyer* for all of the details about each of the walks, as well as the buffet dinner and hotel reservations in Shenandoah on Friday and the pancake feed on Saturday morning in Glenwood: Four County walking weekend
*The trail rating for the routes are either 1A or 2B
*Strollers are okay on some routes
*Leashed dogs are welcome on the trails
*$4.00 per walker for each walk (exact change appreciated)*If your printer will print duplex (2 sided), then choose “Flip on short edge” for the best results.