Olson Nature Preserve

Olson Nature Preserve, Albion, NE

Just eight miles north of Albion, the Olson Nature Preserve packs a surprising amount of variety into roughly 112 acres. Sitting at the very eastern edge of the Nebraska Sandhills, it's a place where you can walk from hot, dry Sandhills prairie into cool, fern-lined oak forest in the span of a hundred meters. A half-mile stretch of spring-fed Beaver Creek winds through it, alongside cottonwood groves, oxbow wetlands, and a little sandy canyon, a quiet, unhurried landscape that rewards taking your time.

It's a natural fit for a slow day outdoors: hiking, photography, birding, or simply getting a group out of town and into the tallgrass.

8 miles north of Albion on Highway 14, then west on Y Road one mile to the entrance gate