Rock Bluff Run Trail

I have hiked the trails in Indian cave state park several times, infact I've covered every inch of the trails here at least twice. The trails and scenery are pretty darn good, however if you're hiking during a hot month you need to bring ridiculous amounts of water with you as there is no water along the trail, only along the paved roads of the park.

Started at trailhead 11 down by the cave, meandered up and around for a while before setting up for the night at the meadow between trails 9 and 10. I hiked back in the morning down 10 to see the sunrise over the river.

There are many overlapping paths you can take to shorten/extend a hike as needed.

Bug spray, bug spray, bug spray. Get 25% or more DEET and bring enough for extra applications. The mosquitoes are terrible.

It was steep up, but tougher on the knees going down. It was nice and dry for my trip, but if it were damp, I can see some paths being impassable due to becoming mud chutes.

There was plenty of downed branches for firewood.

good scenery, nice hike need more Forestry.

Great hike, lots of inclines and descents. There are a couple challenging spots because of this. It had some very muddy spots so plan on getting dirty if you go after it rains.

Ok, here's how my hike went today. I'll start off by saying I always feel that it is a blessing to have the opportunity and the ability to be able to enjoy nature at any given day and location. I'm giving this trail a 3 because I have been on some actual 5 star trails in various parts of America. As for the area, I couldn't have expected anything better! I really enjoyed the steep inclines to the top ridge line of the hilltops. I personally love to get my heart pumping and feeling the burn in my legs, though. Along the trail at the top of the hills are some trail shelters with pretty nice views that can be enjoyed however long you feel the need. I will mention that there are a few drawbacks to the trails here. They are not very well maintained so be prepared to navigate past filled trees, washouts, and tons of overgrown plants. It wasn't a huge bother to me, honestly, but I could see where others may complain. My main warning to anybody hiking out here is to be extra cautious protecting yourself from bugs. I am an avid hiker and I figured I went a little overkill on the bug spray, but that most definitely was not the case. Within the first 5 minutes of my hike I developed my own miniature ecosystem of bugs. No exaggeration when I say I had a thin fog of mosquitoes and other insects hovering around me the entire time. But once again, I enjoyed my outing! Hopefully this review will give you a good idea of what to be prepared for if you decide to hike these Indian Cave State Park trails!

I've been hiking/backpacking this area for more than twenty years. Outstanding views of the Missouri River and the bluffs on its western edge. Great fall foliage in mid-late October. There are a variety of trails available at Indian Cave State Park and the trail along the river bluffs is only one of many; plenty of choices winding through this hilly, forested area of SE Nebraska. It's unfortunate that the State opened up some of these trails to horses; the Loess soil doesn't hold up well to the weight of horses and has left deep gouges in some areas.

This trail follows the ridge line on the western bluff along the Missouri river. Every step is a view. Stayed overnight at on of the androndack shelters and watched an amazing sunset. Parts of it is demanding, so be prepared for a workout. Well worth it.