MoPac East Trail Near Lincoln: Your October 2026 Ride Guide

Most of us know the MoPac East Trail by its first few miles. You pick it up near 84th and O, where it joins Lincoln's more than 130 miles of city trails. Only the far end is changing this fall. The Lower Platte South Natural Resources District is building about 2 more miles of old railroad corridor past the Wabash Trailhead. The stops along that eastern stretch run on village calendars, and those calendars get shorter once October ends.

So October 2026 lines up two things at once. The trail is about to grow, and the places at its eastern end still keep their longer fall hours. Here's what that looks like if you head out from Lincoln in October.

Where the trail stops today, and where it's headed

The trail itself is 22 miles of crushed limestone from Lincoln to Wabash, through Walton, Eagle and Elmwood. The Great Plains Trails Network lists it at 21.8 miles, so the difference depends on whose measurement you use. Half-mile markers start at mile 0 at the 84th Street trailhead and run to about mile 21.5 near Wabash.

The Missouri Pacific line along this route ran until 1984, when heavy rains destroyed part of the track near Elmwood. The Nebraska Trails Foundation and the Great Plains Trails Network raised money to buy the corridor, and it was deeded to the NRD on July 3, 1991. That washout near Elmwood is the reason today's trail exists at all.

Here's where the new piece stands. BicycLincoln shared a project update on August 24 describing a 2.25-mile segment under construction east of the Wabash Trailhead. It said the corridor was closed during construction and should be finished "this fall." The NRD's own trails page, dated September 25, 2026, still says the extra miles are "being developed" in 2026 and gives no opening date. The two sources also differ on length, with the NRD calling it 2 miles. Either way, the trail end you can ride is still Wabash for now. When the new section opens, the trip from Lincoln stretches to roughly 24 miles.

The update asked people to stay out of the construction zone. It explained that riding on unfinished trail damages the work and creates extra work for the crews. If you want to know whether it has opened before you load the bikes, call the NRD at 402-476-2729.

The gap the new miles are chipping away at

The new segment is the first step toward a much bigger connection. Between Wabash and the Lied Platte River Bridge at South Bend there's a gap of about 10 miles. The route chosen for it uses about one mile of railbed east of Wabash, then follows roads north to the South Bend trailhead. The NRD opened the bridge itself for trail use in 2002. The Papio-Missouri River NRD has already brought its trail system to the bridge from the Omaha side.

Until the gap is closed, a marked county-road route runs from Wabash to the bridge. Planners are also looking past the bridge. The project team worked with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission on a feasibility study for extending the trail through Platte River State Park and Louisville State Recreation Area to the city of Louisville. For now, they're concentrating on the stretch from the bridge into the western part of Platte River State Park.

Once the gap is built, the trail distance from Lincoln to the bridge comes to roughly 32 miles: 22 existing miles plus the 10-mile gap. This fall's 2 or so miles are a small first piece of that.

A second trail beside the first, for horses

If you ride horses, here's the part you'll care about most. The MoPac corridor also carries the Charles L. Warner Equestrian Trail, a natural-surface path that runs from 98th and A streets in Lincoln all the way to Wabash. The NRD says there's plenty of trailer parking at 98th and A. That gives you a separate surface from the limestone the bikes use, plus a trailhead built with trailers in mind on Lincoln's east side.

The NRD's rules allow horseback riding on its conservation corridors unless a sign says otherwise. Those rules carry restatement dates going back to 2003 and 2005, so check the posted signs before you ride.

Trail passes are voluntary. The NRD sells them at several spots along each trail and spends that money only on maintaining the existing trails. That leaves more of its budget for bigger improvements and extensions, like the one going in past Wabash. If you ride the Warner trail often, buying a pass is a direct way to help pay for its upkeep.

What's open along the way, and when

Here are the places along the trail with a confirmed 2026 schedule or 2026 activity. Some of them also show which season they're on.

The Nacho Ride's 2026 season ended yesterday, September 29. That doesn't mean Bailey's Local closes. Its website offers online ordering and an events page, and it asks you to call to make a reservation. The Quonset and the Elmwood Convenience Store were both busy with summer group rides, but I couldn't confirm their regular October hours. Call ahead before you plan lunch around either one.

The Bess Streeter Aldrich House has the clearest schedule, and it's about to change. From November through April it's open only Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Guided tours are $5 for adults and $3 for kids 6 to 12. The separate museum at 124 West D Street is open by appointment, and admission is free with a paid house tour. You can schedule a museum visit at 402-994-3855. The Foundation's current quilt exhibit runs through November 15, 2026. Elmwood City Park sits right across the street from the house, so it's an easy place to rest your legs or eat a packed lunch.

If you have kids, Eagle's annual Trunk or Treat is Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 3 p.m. The event listing doesn't name a location yet. The Great Plains Trails Network has nothing on its October 2026 calendar, so the village events are where the fall activity is this year.

In Walton and Wabash, I couldn't find a recently confirmed café or store. Plan on the water fountains at those trailheads and pack your own snacks.

The other edge of town is growing too

Lincoln's west side is adding trail too. In June, the city bought another 100 acres southwest of Pioneers Park for the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch. The long-term plan includes a 14.5-mile trail that connects to Lincoln's trail system, along with restoring nearly 2,000 acres of tallgrass prairie and preserving 3,400 acres of native prairie. Lincoln Parks and Recreation says the new acres should open by the end of this year or next spring. The site won't be fully finished until a bridge like the one at Wilderness Park is built.

One neighbor near the corridor told 10/11 NOW he hopes to ride his horses there someday. The Prairie Corridor has no opening date yet. The MoPac's eastern extension is closer, with a "this fall" target. So this year, both the east and west edges of Lincoln's trail map are getting longer.

Planning an October ride

If you go in October, here's a simple order:

1. Pick your trailhead. Bikes and runners can start at 84th and O. Horse trailers park at 98th and A for the Warner Equestrian Trail.
2. Time Elmwood for Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday between 1 and 4 p.m. That's when the Aldrich House is open through October 31.
3. Call ahead for food. Bailey's Local in Eagle takes reservations by phone and offers online ordering. Phone the Quonset in Elmwood directly to check its hours.
4. Fill water bottles at the Walton, Eagle and Wabash trailheads. Those are the fountains on record.
5. Turn around at Wabash. Unless the NRD has announced that the new segment is open, treat the construction corridor as closed.

After November 1, the Aldrich House drops to weekends only. If the new segment opens this fall, the Wabash turnaround moves about 2 miles farther east.

I live on an acreage and keep horses, so I spend a lot of time thinking about where a trailer can park and how far a trail runs before the pavement starts. If you're looking at acreages near Lincoln's eastern trail corridor, or you just want to talk through what horse-friendly land looks like around here, Ashley Terry is happy to help. Let's Connect.