Merritt Trading Post Resort is the Sandhills fishing trip, perfected: rental cabins on the shore of Merritt Reservoir — one of Nebraska’s best walleye and muskie lakes — with a trading post that sells groceries, bait, gas, and fishing licenses under one roof. If you forgot it, they probably have it.
The cabins run from queen-bed cozy to four-double-bed group size, all with kitchens and daily housekeeping, and the night skies here are famously dark — the Nebraska Star Party sets up not far away. Snake Falls, the state’s largest waterfall by volume, and the Samuel McKelvie National Forest are both within striking distance.
Summer weekends fill with fishing tournaments; book early. Pets are welcome with permission and a fee.