The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska’s Educational Trail offers a unique educational experience to visitors. There are many stories and legends along the trail that pass on oral history, culture, and values from one generation to the next.

The nearly mile-long trail snakes through the Ponca homeland and campgrounds. It includes a look into the past with a life-size Earth Lodge and a larger-than-life sculpture of Chief Standing Bear, along with many other points of interest.

The trail offers a view of the Niobrara River Valley along with Chief Standing Bear’s allotment. It allows for an easy walk with its paved pathways and benches providing rest along the trail. Tours can also be requested, and golf carts can be utilized during the year for elders.

The trail was built in 2014 and has grown since its inception, with future trail additions slated for 2025 to complete the ring from the Standing Bear Sculpture to the cemetery, returning to the Culture Center/Museum and connecting at the east bridge, ending with 2.5 miles of trail. Other additions are being planned to extend the trail to the Niobrara River and create more interactive spaces, including camping, horseshoes, archery, ATVs, and fishing.

The trail will be a lasting legacy we leave behind for our children and future generations yet unborn. It will be a place of learning, belonging, and healing. As they walk along the trail, the voices they hear through QR readers will be ours and those of their ancestors. These voices will resonate with great-grandchildren they may never have had the chance to meet, echoing through generations. The stories being told will be the stories that were passed down through our oral traditions. The trail will undoubtedly be one of the greatest legacies the tribe has ever bestowed upon our future.