Oak Trail (Fontenelle Forest) Hiking Guide
Oak Trail is where Fontenelle Forest stops feeling like a nature center and starts feeling like a hike. It follows the Mill Hollow stream, then climbs steeply onto a broad ridge lined with bur oaks the Forest dates to about 250 years old, before dropping hard to Camp Gifford Road. The Forest's own description says it can give you a workout.
Permit: Oak Trail is inside Fontenelle Forest, which charges daily admission of $15 per adult, $13 for ages 62+, $9 for ages 2-17 and nothing for members or children under 2, plus sales tax. Buy at the Nature Center desk, online, by phone (402-731-3140), or with cash at the Iron Ranger at other access points such as Camp Logan.
Distance and Climbing
Fontenelle's trail table lists Oak Trail at 1.23 miles with 332 feet of gain and 324 feet of loss in one direction. Walked out and back, that comes to about 2.5 miles and roughly 650 feet of climbing, which is the figure used on this page. The recommended-hikes page calls it a bit over a mile long with plenty of vertical travel. Expect a gentle start along the stream, a steep pitch up to the ridge, and a steep descent at the south end.
Bur Oaks and Earth Lodges
The ridge is the reason to come. Fontenelle uses prescribed fire to keep these oak woodlands healthy and regenerating. Along the ridges of Oak and Hawthorn trails, shallow depressions mark Native American earth lodge sites that the Forest dates to about 1,000 years ago. Charles Childs and other loggers worked this area in the 1850s, and some of their old routes became today's trails.
Getting On the Trail
Oak Trail sits in the Northern Uplands, about 2.5 miles of undulating trails north of Camp Gifford Road that the Forest calls an exceptionally tranquil part of the property. Its north end meets Hawthorn Trail (1.09 miles) near Mill Hollow, and its south end comes down to Gifford Road. Fontenelle lists Camp Logan, at 720 Camp Gifford Road, among its trail access points. From the Nature Center, the boardwalk, Beaver Chew, Childs Hollow, Chickadee and Hawthorn trails link toward Mill Hollow; pick up a current map at visitor services or download it from the Forest's site to plan your approach.
Fees and Hours
Adults pay $15 plus tax for a day pass. At the Nature Center you check in at the desk; at Camp Logan and the other unstaffed lots you pay online, by phone or in the Iron Ranger. Trails open at sunrise and close at sunset, and parking lots close at dark. Members who buy a key fob can use gated access outside regular hours.
Footing, Dogs and Closures
The steep sections are dirt and can be slick or icy after rain, snow or frost; the Forest recommends traction devices in those conditions. Dogs are not permitted, and neither is jogging or bicycling. Fontenelle closes every trail for several days each December for its managed deer hunt, and burn days can close the uplands with little notice, sometimes for days or weeks while staff check for unsafe trees.
Hiking tips for Oak Trail (Fontenelle Forest)
- Start from the Mill Hollow end if you prefer to climb the steep pitch rather than descend it.
- Carry a current Fontenelle map; Oak connects to several trails that are easy to mix up.
- Pack traction devices for icy winter days on the ridge.
- Look for the earth lodge depressions along the ridgetop, which are unmarked.
- Check the Forest homepage for burn-day closures before heading to the uplands.
Nearby trails to explore
- Riverview Boardwalk (Fontenelle Forest)
- History Trail (Fontenelle Forest)
- Hidden Lake Trail and Great Marsh (Fontenelle Forest)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Oak Trail is a good short training hike for an Omaha group that wants some real climbing close to home. Post it on TrailMates, agree on the access point and time in the event's group chat, and meet up before the ridge. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.