April 2025 • Nebraskaland 49
June, meaning there is often more water in the river, making
it the best time to paddle. Flows can still be highly variable
during this time depending on rainfall in the basin. For the
remainder of the summer, flows are low, but navigable.
Ken and Brian had tested the river during lower flows in
July of 2022. Paddling from George D. Syas WMA to Monroe
when flows were 350 cfs at Genoa, they had to work to stay
in the deepest channel but rarely had to put down their
paddles, grab a bow rope and walk.
With higher flows, our trip from Monroe to Columbus
took six hours, including a stop for lunch and a few more to
relax. "That was fun today," Curry said. "But it was long and
definitely not a beginner's course."
Curry said the other two segments of the trail are more
suited for paddlers not looking for an all-day adventure. The
upper segment is a 3- to 4-hour float and the lower should be
2- to 3 hours, a distance that could even be inviting to tubers.
He can see someone launching an outfitting business to ferry
customers to and from the access points at Columbus and
expects people to drive from Lincoln and Omaha to float the
river. "You've got 1.5 million people within an hour," Curry
said. "You saw the activity on the river today. Kids are hungry
and families are hungry for fun on that river."
And now, they can easily access it.
N
The Pawnees
The Loup River Valley was once home to the
Pawnee Indians. They called themselves Wolf
People, or "Skidi" in their native tongue. Early
French traders called them the "Pani Loups," and
the river took their name. The Pawnee, however,
had their own name for the river: Kari Kitsu, or
"Plenty Potatoes River," named for the abundance
of tubers Native American women gathered along
its course.
The Skidi were one of four Pawnee tribes living
in central Nebraska. They were farmers who lived
in earth lodge villages and raised corn, beans
and squash. They were also hunters and spent
much of the year hunting bison along the Loup,
Republican and Platte rivers.
Once numbering more than 60,000, European-
borne diseases brought to Nebraska by white
settlers and local battles greatly reduced their
population. The tribe eventually ceded its territory
to the U.S. government and was relocated to what
is now Pawnee County in Oklahoma. Today, the
tribe has 3,200 enrolled members.
Brian and Ken Curry load up their gear at a new access point on the Loup River Water Trail south of Monroe.
