CORRECTION: June **11th** walk location has changed!

Due to construction, we’ll be starting our walk near the Iowa Western Community College campus, at College View Elementary School. College View’s address is 1225 College Rd, Council Bluffs, IA 51503, adjacent to the IWCC campus. Be sure to arrive early enough to register and pay the $4 walk fee (exact change appreciated) so that the group can set out promptly at 5:30 p.m.

2 More Group Walks – Just Scheduled!

Monday, May 8th, 5:30 p.m. – Lake Manawa State Park, Shelter 5 (no park entrance fee).

Meet at Shelter #5 a little before 5:30 to sign the waiver. Cost of walk is $3. You do NOT need to pay out of state registration fees as long as you park near the shelter. The 5K will be on paved trail and park roads. The 10K will be a mix of grass and paved trail. Leashed dogs welcome.

Directions to Lake Manawa:
I-80/29 Local to Exit 49, South Expressway. Right (south) on South Expressway to Veterans Memorial Hwy (US 275/92). Left (east) on Veterans Memorial Hwy to first stop light (E. Manawa Drive). Right (south) on E. Manawa Drive to stop sign where it becomes S. Shore Dr. West on S. Shore Dr. to Bass Road toward beach and playground. Right (north) on Bass Road to Walleye Rd. Left (west) on Walleye Rd. to parking for Shelter 4 & 5. Watch for yellow AVA sign. Shelter 5 is on the east end of parking lot.
If you miss I-80 Local, follow the interstate to I-29 south and take Exit 47. Left at the traffic light (Vets Memorial Hwy, 275/92) to E. Manawa Dr. Left (south) on E. Manawa Dr. then follow the above directions


Saturday, June 3rd, 9:30 a.m. – National Trails Day Walk, starting from Seymour Smith Park, 72nd & Harrison Streets in Omaha. 

Seymour Smith Park at 72nd and Harrison Streets in Omaha will be the starting point of our exploration of the Keystone and Papio Trails. We’ll start walking as a group at 9:30 a.m.  Your choice to walk 5 km or 11 km on flat, paved trails, suitable for strollers and great for leashed dogs. Meet in the southeast corner of the big parking lot (the northern one) a few minutes early to sign the waiver and pay the $3 fee. This qualifies as a Volksmarch for AVA/IVV credit.

Spring Road Trips and Local Road Construction

Apologies – this post got stuck while we were transitioning to the new website!

If you subscribe to our Trail Mail occasional e-newsletter, you’ve already seen this information. But, just in case you don’t (and why don’t you?), here’s a quick rundown on our next 4 walks.

Our next 4 walks will require a little planning and maybe some carpooling, since they’re all out of the Omaha metro area.
  • Tuesday, April 26th, 10 a.m. – Apple Blossom Festival Walk. Meet in the Arbor Day Farm Parking lot (2611 Arbor Avenue
    Nebraska City, NE 68410) at least 15 minutes early to take care of paperwork and pay the $3 walking fee. 5k Group Walk, with a 10k option. Join us after the walk for lunch at Porter’s Barbecue. Already in the past!
  • Saturday, May 14th, 8:30 – 11 a.m. registration – Honeybees in the Heartland 5k or 10k walk. The start for the walk is in Auburn Legion Memorial Park, 1101 J Street, Auburn, NE 68305.  Walk on your own or with a group. Register online at https://forms.gle/5a5kon8C5szSJevo6, pay $3 cash when you arrive or $3.16 by Venmo.
  • Saturday, May 14th, 1 – 3 p.m. registration – Heartbeat of the Heartland 5k or 10k walk. The start for the walk is at the Harris Picnic Shelter in Humboldt Lake Park, Humboldt, NE 68376. Walk on your own or with a group. Register online at https://forms.gle/ZHEveJzJJoQ56gNv6, pay $3 cash when you arrive or $3.16 by Venmo.
  • Saturday, May 21st, 9 – 11 a.m. registration – Northwest Nebraska Volksmarch 5k or 10k walk. The start for the walk is at the Chadron State College Student Center, Shelton and 10th St., Chadron, NE 69337. Register online at https://forms.gle/nxG2RwC3rcKfCWKP7 .  The cost to walk is still only $3 cash when you arrive or $3.16 by Venmo.
If you play to attend the May 21st Chadron walk, you’re going to want to line up lodging in the area. The Chadron Chamber of Commerce offers some choices as to where to sleep here: https://www.chadron.com/list/ql/lodging-travel-14  
 
Why not plan to make a weekend of walking? Chadron offers another year-round walking event (printable brochure here) and our club’s seasonal walk at Agate Fossil Beds is another 70 miles away (printable brochure here).
 
As always, our walks are held rain or shine, so dress for the weather!

 

 

 

 


ROAD CONSTRUCTION ALERT!

S. 84th Street is under construction between Dodge Street by Methodist and Farnam Drive, blocking access to Indian Hills Drive from the south. To get to club meetings held at Morning Star Lutheran Church at 331 S. 85th Avenue, you’ll have to go to 90th Street to access Indian Hills Drive from the west or drive along W. Dodge Road to 84th Street and turn south to Indian Hills Drive.

Late August 2021 News

Our club’s newsletter will be coming out soon, but here’s a sneak preview of some highlights:

  • Our next regular walk will be Saturday, September 11th at 8 a.m. at the children’s playground, Entrance 4, at Standing Bear Lake. This entrance is on N. 132nd Street, closer to Military than to Fort Street. In recognition of Patriot Day and the day’s commitment to service, we’re collecting food for Feeding America. Please be generous! No glass containers (they break during transportation) and please double-check expiration dates.
  • In-person club meetings have returned!  Our next meeting will be the Monday AFTER Labor Day, September 13th at 7 p.m.  We will still be meeting at Morning Star Lutheran Church at 331 S. 85th Avenue, but we will be UPSTAIRS in the Chapel area. The church is requiring all visitors to wear masks while inside. Our speaker will be a member of the Papio-Missouri NRD, speaking about area trails.  October’s meeting returns to the first Monday of the month, October 4th.
  • The October 2nd Midtown Omaha Walk at Ahmad’s Persian Restaurant, 4646 Dodge Street has a time change.  Check-in and walk-in registrations will be allowed from 11 a.m. until noon, with a finish time of 2 p.m. That way, you can enjoy a great lunch either before or after your walk! Save time by registering online at this eRegistration Link; just pay when you arrive.
  • The club’s Board has put together a set of Standing Rules – kind of like an operating manual for the club. Want to see it? It’s on this page, at the bottom.  
  • Speaking of operating – please consider offering an hour or so of your time at either the September or October walks. Club President Steve will be asking for volunteers by email and at the September club meeting.