6.5 Mile Bike Ride West Papio Papio Trail North Section: Global Honk

6.5 Mile Bike Ride West Papio Papio Trail North Section

A bike ride on the scenic north section of the West Papio Trail. Our first ride here…

West Papio Trail Entrance at Pacific Meadows Park

Enter West Papio Trail from Pacific Meadows Park

West Papio Trail is referred to as the most scenic trail in Omaha, and we figured it was about time we took a bicycle ride on it and had a look. Here is our starting point for today, Pacific Meadows Park, which is located at about 160th and Pacific.

We had already decided before leaving home that we would ride north on this trail from the park, and this photo of the trail is taken looking north. If we would have headed south from Pacific Meadows Park we would have immediately had to bike up a steep incline to Pacific, and, judging from bike riders heading that way, continue for a ways along the side of Pacific.

West Papio Trail Shade Trees

Pleasant Shade on the West Papio Trail

Yes, we did enjoy the park like settings along the trail, and there were even quite a few stretches with shade trees, a welcome thing on a summer day in Nebraska.

Along this section of the trail we met a bit of unexpected oncoming traffic, a young rabbit running down the trail towards us. Apparantly this young rabbit was unfamiliar with trail rules, and as it came close, it rudely cut in front of us without signaling its intentions. Slowing down, we were able to avoid a head on collision with this young law breaker.

West Papio Trail North Where the Trail Ends

West Papio Trail North Where the Trail Ends

We may have veered off course a bit, judging from a later look at our trail map, yet the trail mileage markers continued to identify this as the West Papio Trail. The trail led us through a section where new houses were being constructed on the east side of the trail, with cornfields not too far away on the western side.

Our last ride was a bit longer than our muscles liked, and we were aiming for a 6-8 mile ride today. The end of the trail was 3.25 miles from where we had the car parked, and reaching the trail end was a pleasant accomplishment, instead of a disappointment.

Portions of the trail seemed a bit narrower than we were used to. Certain areas smelled of open sewage, and there were no bathrooms along this section of the trail. Did that explain the sewage smell? I hope not.

West Papio Trail North Blondo Street Underpass

Blondo Street Underpass on the West Papio Trail

Returning south, the underpass beneath Blondo Street was a bit of a challenge, though this picture makes it look a lot easier than it actually was.

Overall today’s ride was pleasant, a few challenging slopes were met, people along the trail were friendly, we found a nice park for a break, and it was a good ride, with a total distance today of just a bit over 6 1/2 miles.

Almost forgot to mention, Brentwood Park, where we took our break, has a drinking fountain. However, you may want to keep in mind that if you hang around drinking fountains in Omaha parks long enough, you will more than likely seeing a dog being held up to the fountain to lap up a bit of water.

Length of this bike ride: 6.5 Miles

Total miles biked together in 2008: 82.28 Miles

Date of this ride: July 28, 2008