Nebraska
Valentine River, David Mark for Pixabay
Nebraska’s Scenic Byways
Nebraska’s Scenic Byways Program is headed by the Scenic Byways Committee, made up representatives from various state agencies, including the Tourism Commission, Department of Roads, Game and Parks Commission, Historical Society, and the Department of Natural Resources. Nebraska boasts nine scenic byways. The Heritage Highway contains a 238-mile stretch along the Missouri River all the way to Edison. The Gold Rush Byway runs from South Dakota all the way through Colorado.
Key Points
- Nebraska is home to nine scenic byways, including two national scenic byways and seven state scenic byways.
- In 2019, total travel expenditures for Nebraska total $3.5 billion, generating more than $442 million in tax revenue.
- In 2020, 334,000 park visitors spent an estimated $23.6 million in local gateway regions while visiting National Park Service lands.
- Nebraska park visitors alone supported $11.8 million in labor income, $19 million in value added and $33.8 million in economic output.
Nebraska Byways
Map Key:
- National Scenic Byways
- State Scenic Byways
National Scenic Byways
Byways Provide Access to Public Lands
Nebraska byways provide access to the state’s most spectacular public lands, including five state parks, seven state historical parks, 16 state recreational areas, two national monuments, and five national historic sites.
About the National Scenic Byways Program
The National Scenic Byways Program, established by Congress in 1991, recognizes historic, scenic, and culturally important roads, all of which promote economic development and tourism in communities around the U.S. There are more than 1,200 byways in all 50 states.
All scenic byways exhibit one or more of six core intrinsic qualities — scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archaeological, or natural. For a road to be named a national scenic byway, it must first be designated a state, tribal, or federal agency scenic byway. Once achieving that, a road may apply for national scenic byway designation, but its intrinsic quality must be of regional significance. All-American Roads are the very best of the national scenic byways, demonstrating at least two intrinsic qualities of national significance.