Walking between airports and the cities they serve is something I try to do whenever possible — whether that city is Lisbon or Las Vegas — and here is how you can walk through another state to get from the airport to downtown as I did recently during a business trip.
Walk Through Another State to Get From the Airport to Downtown.
That was the first time I have walked from Eppley Airfield to downtown Omaha. I found that the downtown area of Omaha is quite walkable — and the walk from the airport should take you no more than 70 minutes at the most. The weather was nearly perfect for a walk for me: dry with sunny skies; a mild breeze, and temperatures in the upper 50s in Fahrenheit.
Only one main access road exists within the heart of the airport, which is fortunate for you because this is easy to remember. Walk against the direction of the vehicles which are traveling through the airport, as they can only go one way on the access road. This road is named Abbott Drive.
Facing north on the main access road to the airport, you can see the terminal building and parking garage.
Facing south on the main access road to the airport, you can see…
…well — not much.
A sign welcomes visitors to the city of Omaha.
At one point, I turned around and realized that I was three-quarters of a mile from the airport.
The really interesting part about this walk is that you must cross through another state to get to downtown Omaha. In this case, you must leave Nebraska and walk through Carter Lake in Iowa.
The time to walk across this part of Iowa before entering Nebraska once again for me was approximately seven minutes and 57 seconds.
I was near downtown Omaha only a few minutes later. My walk of a total of three miles was approximately 57 minutes. I walked past at least five hotel properties along the way.
Final Boarding Call
Walking is great exercise which will cost you absolutely nothing — but I would not recommend walking between Eppley Airfield and downtown Omaha if:
- Weather conditions are too harsh for you, as the temperature in Omaha can be quite cold or quite hot, depending on the time of year — and that is not accounting for inclement weather
- You are carrying heavy items that are not on wheels
- You are not in reasonably good health — although other than an overpass, the topography is basically flat with no elevation
- You are rolling a piece of luggage, as I walked momentarily in the grass on the side of the road a few times, which could potentially be a problem
Abbott Drive is inconsistent with regards to traffic. Sometimes the four lane divided road can be quite busy; but vehicles were rare at other times.
If you would rather not walk, many hotel properties offer complimentary shuttle service between Eppley Airfield and downtown Omaha, as the distance of between three miles and four miles takes fewer than ten minutes to drive. Ride sharing services and taxi cabs are also available.
Once you are in Omaha, consider visiting these places of interest in the Omaha metropolitan area.
Simply walk on the side of Abbott Drive to get between Eppley Airfield and downtown Omaha. Be aware that no sidewalks exist on a few parts of the walk after leaving the airport. I did walk on grass a few times; but not for very long. Other parts of Abbott Drive have a wide shoulder lane which can be used as a sidewalk.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
