Hitchcock Nature Center

Hitchcock Nature Center is a wonderful area to explore, learn, and camp!! I've been here a hand full of times for different reasons and I'm always impressed with what they have to offer. I've done a couple of their endangered species fun runs with the family and it's always been well organized, the routes were on easy to follow trails without any real hazards along the way to ensure the safety for all and the finishing line was always full of camaraderie and snacks. The last time I was here I went on a hike with my boyfriend on one of the trails that lead off of the observation deck. The trail was well maintained and took us around and up along a ridge where we passed a few open camp grounds. The view from these camp sites were beautiful! I loved being able to see the view of downtown Omaha and the turkey vultures flying around. I can see that this area would be a great place to camp. The office building is open for bathroom use until 10pm which is a nice convenience. I also love all of the informational placards placed around the trails and at the building sharing knowledge about the different birds you could see in this area. It's a protected bird area which is kind of cool. On their website they also have different night classes, hikes, and educational experiences you could participate in as well. It has been so healing to be more a part of nature here and it's easy to overlook the parks this area has. I hope more people will find their way to Hitchcock Nature center and enjoy what they have to offer!

I wonder if I was one of the few in Omaha that didn't know this place existed?! Hitchcock nature center is a beautiful place full of rolling hills! It's has some of the best views within 30 miles of downtown omaha. You can see Omaha's 2 tallest towers from the peaks of the hills. I loved that the entrance officer accepted a card instead of cash ($5). The hikes are definitely more challenging than what I had thought and the rolling hills are pretty intense, but absolutely beautiful and worth a $5 stop. I'll definitely be back here for more hikes!

We were looking for a picnic spot not too far from Omaha and had a great time at Hitchcock Nature Center. $3 entry fee per vehicle is reasonable.Boardwalk was a perfect little hike for a couple of toddlers, but there are more challenging trails available too. Very pretty views and scenery.The restroom at the entrance was spotless. That's not always the case in venues like this, to put it mildly.We will be back.

Such a great place to stop and taking the beauty of nature. The trails are pretty clean and they have different levels of trails which is nice if you don't want to go to extreme on the hiking everyone is really nice here and welcoming with open arms and want you to attend their educational meetings that they have on the wildlife out here.

This place is an oasis of beauty. Parking by the nature center is pretty good. The nature center is good. The observation tower next to it gives great views of the region. I found the trail system to be adequately maintained. Overall great first impression.

This is a great little place to reach out to nature. Certain times a year can be more picturesque than others but it's still a good place to go. Scenic overlooks and the tower to get the best view. Nice bridge draws you a trail that leads to a great view. It can be a bit strenuous for folks who may not be up to some hills but well worth the pause to view nature.

I don't know how anyone can give less than 5 stars. Came here yesterday with a friend for the first time and absolutely enjoyed it. The hiking trails here are great and offer a variety of easy to challenging paths. Even the challenging is doable so don't let that deter you! It's just a nice place. Nice views and well kept trails. I was never once concerned on my whereabouts on the trails which is reassuring. Omaha has some decent trails but this beat all the ones I've been too so far. Only $3 is a steal in my opinion as well. Check it out! During COVID it's just nice to get outside and move your bodies -- this is a great place to do that! I wish I had some pictures of the leaves changing because it was a beautiful day but unfortunately I didn't take any.

Amazing hiking trails for cheap! And pet friendly! Definitely going again. There are lots of parking spots and everyone is very friendly! also not hard to find! they have camping sites as well which we will have to try out sometime.

Hitchcock Nature Center, North of Crescent, IA is one of my favorite parks to go on a little afternoon hike or stroll through the Loess Hills. One of our first dates was here with my now wife and I remember how nervous I was that it would be absolutely perfect. Today we took one of our kids and our puppy with us and did a little walking across the top of the hills out here. The weather was gorgeous and even though the educational center was closed down to the virus we had a wonderful time here. The park ranger that greeted us at the entrance to the park was happy to see us and assist us with any questions. More park Rangers were throughout to assist in finding parking spots and answer questions. It was pretty packed in the parking lots with so many people out enjoying the gorgeous day but the trails were not crowded at all. On out way out to the next stop we had a few more questions about camping up here and the ranger, even though he had a steady flow of cars coming on and out of the park, tool all the time needed to answer our questions and have a pleasant conversation as well. Love coming here every chance we get!!!

The best, most beautiful, amazing trial network within 100 miles of Omaha/Council Bluffs!