Chalco Hills Recreation Area
February 2021
The month of February has been relatively uneventful for us. While December and January were fairly temperate (20-30 degrees) with a decent ratio of snowy-to-sunny days, this month has tested our “anything is possible when the roads are clear and you wear enough layers” attitude. We spent a good couple weeks struggling to even reach single digits above 0. Our lowest point was on Tuesday, February 16, when Omaha was apparently the “coldest in the nation” at -34 degrees (before windchill). Needless to say, our outdoors time that week was rather brief!
I will say that even with that weather, we didn’t reach the point of missing Hawaii. I mean, I’m starting to understand the appeal, but I wouldn’t trade the cozy and relaxing days spent inside our warm apartment, or the feeling of excitement when the temps finally make it back up to 30. Seasons, even in their extreme, are beautiful in their own way and I’m happy to experience each of them!
To make up for the lack of new adventures, today I’m sharing one of our favorite spots around the Omaha area to go for hikes. We’ve enjoyed it in both the fall and winter and are now eagerly anticipating enjoying it in the spring as well!
Hiking in Chalco Hills Recreation Area | Omaha, Nebraska
Chalco Hills Recreation Area is located on the Southwest side of Omaha. It’s a popular spot for hiking, jogging, biking, fishing, boating, camping, and more. We’ve enjoyed it mostly by walking the paved trail around Wehrspann Lake — depending on how we’re feeling, we either make a ~3 mile loop around the South end, or a 7 mile loop around the entire thing. The entire trail around the lake is paved and is plowed promptly after snowfalls so we don’t really have to worry about ice. And now that ‘mud season’ is upon us, we’re even more thankful for the pavement to keep us dry!
Out of all the lake trails we frequent, we’ve seen the most wildlife at Chalco Hills — mostly consisting of white tail deer, but also the occasional hawk, and once a bald eagle. Charlotte couldn’t care less about the deer as they run across the trail right in front of us. However, the first time we visited we came across a praying mantis on the path and she had some harsh words for it.
There’s so much that we enjoy about our life here in Nebraska, but our frequent walks around Chalco Hills and Walnut Creek are definitely the highlights of our weeks.
