The MoPac Trail is a rail trail in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. It is a bicycling, equestrian, and walking trail built on an abandoned

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

corridor that runs for from

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, to Wabash, Nebraska.

History

The corridor that is now the MoPac Trail was part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad's Omaha Belt Line until 1984. The portion of the MoPac Trail within the Lincoln city limits was purchased by the city in 1989. Two years later, an additional of former MP railway corridor was purchased by the Nebraska Trails Foundation and the Great Plains Trail Network; this portion of the trail is commonly referred to as the MoPac East Trail. The deed to this land was then transferred to the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District. The MoPac East section opened in 1994 and is part of the national

American Discovery Trail The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tra ...

network. There are planned western and eastern extensions of the MoPac Trail. To the west, an extension to connect it with other trails in the vicinity of the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Univers ...

campus is planned. To the east, the MoPac is planned to be connected with a trail extending south and west of Omaha. This planned extension crosses over the

Platte River The Platte River () is a major river in the State of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itsel ...

near

South Bend, Nebraska South Bend is a village in Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 92 at the 2020 census. The main landmark is a pedestrian bridge across the Platte River which leads to Schramm Park State Recreation Area. It was built in 2004 on ...

. As of 2010, the portion from Springfield on

Nebraska Highway 50 Nebraska Highway 50 (N-50) is a north–south highway in the state of Nebraska. The southern terminus is at the Nebraska-Kansas border near Du Bois. The northern terminus is in the Millard neighborhood of Omaha at an intersection with U.S. Hi ...

is completed and extends southward towards to the Platte River. The bicycling and pedestrian bridge across the Platte River is complete; however, the trail ends on the west side of the river. Therefore, the current gap in the trail is from near Wabash to near South Bend.

Trail guide

Communities along the MoPac Trail are (from west to east): *

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingdo ...

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

* Elmwood * Wabash The west trailhead of the MoPac East section is two blocks south of 84th and O Street in Lincoln. The westernmost of the trail are paved; the remainder is crushed limestone.

External links

{{coord, 40, 49, 25, N, 96, 38, 21, W, display=title Protected areas of Cass County, Nebraska Protected areas of Lancaster County, Nebraska Rail trails in Nebraska American Discovery Trail Geography of Lincoln, Nebraska Missouri Pacific Railroad Tourist attractions in Lincoln, Nebraska

History

Trail guide

See also

External links