The tallest waterfall in Nebraska is a genuine 70-foot drop spilling over a sandstone lip into a cold plunge pool — and it’s about a quarter-mile walk from your car. A footbridge crosses the Niobrara to the falls trail, and on a hot July day the mist off Smith Falls is the best air conditioning in Cherry County.
The park is really a river park with a waterfall attached. The north side of the river has primitive tent camping, and the Niobrara here is the classic float stretch — outfitters in Valentine run canoe and tube trips that pass right by, and Smith Falls is a standard stop on the way down.
Go May through mid-September, when the park is staffed and the water is bearable. The falls face north and stay shaded, so bring a layer even in summer, and expect company on summer weekends — this one is not a secret.