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Prairie Queen Recreation Area (Southeast Entrance)
4.6 ★★★★★ 163 Google reviews · Running trail in Papillion, Nebraska · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Loop distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Prairie Queen Recreation Area (Southeast Entrance)'s own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Park with a picnic area, walking trail, and opportunities for fishing and bird watching.
What runners say about Prairie Queen Recreation Area (Southeast Entrance)
“Has a nice trail to walk and kept clean by pick nick tables.”
“It's a beautiful park with great views, wonderful walking trails, fishing and just a cool place to chill out.”
“police department monitoring area quite often so it feels safe wish it was more trees for shade and less road noise, but still good area”
Great area with lots of wildlife, basically has 2 lops - big and small separated by the bridge, so if you don't feel like walking 4 miles, use small 20 minutes trail. lots of people running, biking and fishing. path was clean even in the snowy super cold days.
I did 8.57 miles in 2 hrs 43 minutes. A well maintained park. There were not too many people there during the week. You can fish and boat. The restrooms could use a power wash. It had a workout station along the trail. I did 2 laps around the lake. There were ducks and geese on the water, and I saw a sandhill crane.
A very pleasant little suburban park with a charming little pond. Some noise from nearby roadways disrupts things a little, but still a good spot for walking or fishing.
The four mile loop at Prairie Queen is perfect for making a material down payment on a 10,000 step goal. The path is relatively flat and wide, but lacks shade, so be prepared for that. Google Maps provided us with guidance to the boat slip, but Apple took us into a neighborhood which was odd.
Trail conditions & character
“It's a beautiful park with great views, wonderful walking trails, fishing and just a cool place to chill out.”
“police department monitoring area quite often so it feels safe wish it was more trees for shade and less road noise, but still good area”
“Is an easy 4 miles around with very little elevation change.”
“The restrooms are open year round unlike some dam sites.”
“The four mile loop at Prairie Queen is perfect for making a material down payment on a 10,000 step goal.”
Plan your run at Prairie Queen Recreation Area (Southeast Entrance)
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadrestrooms — reported by runners
- Websitepapionrd.org
- Phone(402) 444-6222
Hours
| Monday | 6 AM–10 PM |
| Tuesday | 6 AM–10 PM |
| Wednesday | 6 AM–10 PM |
| Thursday | 6 AM–10 PM |
| Friday | 6 AM–10 PM |
| Saturday | 6 AM–10 PM |
| Sunday | 6 AM–10 PM |
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