Salt Creek in Nebraska

Trip Overview

My wife and I did a rather unconventional quiet river trip on, believe it or not, Salt Creek. We did this in the spring when there was lots of rain and the level of the river was up.

We put in at the bridge on Saltillo Road, and disembarked about 2 hours later on South 14th street in Wilderness Park.

It was a wonderful trip with two exceptions: 1. Putting in and 2. Getting out. Other than that, we loved it. We were very surprised at all the stuff we saw: Deer, two racoons, a flock of turkey vultures, and dozens of turtles.

Salt Creek hardly sounds scenic at first, but consider the massive cottonwood trees overhanging the river. The trip was a journey through an overhead canopy of leaves with sunlight filtering through. It was quiet and peaceful, and astonishingly close to our house.

Like I said, putting in and getting out are difficult, and I'd recommend paddling it after recent rain when the level is up. But it's definitely do-able.

Accommodations:

None

Fees:

None required

Directions:

Go to south Lincoln on south 14th past Southwest High School, down to Saltillo Rd. Put in at the bridge just east of S. 14 at "Jamaica".
Retrieve 2 hours later a few miles north on S. 14th inside Wilderness Park.
Steep embankments at both bridges, so look them over first.

Resources:

We looked it over on an aerial view of Mapquest.