45 parks & camping listed
Last updated October 2026
Keller Park State Recreation Area
A 196-acre Sandhills park northeast of Ainsworth where Bone Creek feeds five fishing ponds — one stocked with rainbow trout, the rest warm-water — under rugged tree-covered bluffs.
Victoria Springs State Recreation Area
The third-oldest park in Nebraska's system — a former mineral-springs spa on the Middle Loup with rentable cabins, paddleboats, and 21 electric camping pads in the Sandhills.
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
Nebraska's 700-acre family adventure park at I-80 Exit 426 between Omaha and Lincoln — aquatic center with slides and wave pool, 42-foot climbing wall, Go Ape ropes course, 70-foot observation tower, Peter Kiewit Lodge, and year-round programming from toboggan runs to theater.
John G. Neihardt State Historic Site
The preserved study and prayer garden of Nebraska's Poet Laureate in Perpetuity — the man whose interviews with Black Elk produced "Black Elk Speaks."
Homestead National Historical Park
The site of the first homestead ever claimed under the 1862 Homestead Act — Daniel Freeman's 160 acres outside Beatrice — with the oldest restored tallgrass prairie in the National Park System.
Calamus State Recreation Area
The developed shoreline of Calamus Reservoir — 5,000 acres of clear Sandhills water, sand beaches, electric campgrounds under mature shade trees, and a free fish hatchery visitor center.
Chadron State Park
Nebraska's first state park, established in 1921 — 974 acres of Pine Ridge buttes and canyons nine miles south of Chadron, with 22 housekeeping cabins, a swimming pool, trout in Chadron Creek, and trails tying into 100+ miles of Nebraska National Forest routes.
Champion Mill State Historical Park
Nebraska's last working water-powered flour mill — an 1892 three-story mill on Frenchman Creek with its original machinery still standing.
Fort Robinson State Park
More than 22,000 acres of Pine Ridge parkland on a former frontier fort (1874–1948) — site of Crazy Horse's death in 1877 and the Cheyenne Breakout — with roaming bison and longhorn herds, original cavalry buildings, trail rides, and a summer stock theater.
Oglala National Grassland
94,520 acres of public mixed-grass prairie north of Crawford — pronghorn country, the moon-like Toadstool Geologic Park, and the Hudson-Meng bison bone bed, all free to roam.
Conestoga State Recreation Area
A 230-acre Salt Creek lake west of Lincoln with 25 reservable 20/30/50-amp sites, a restored early-1900s log cabin, and bald eagles working the shoreline.
Sandy Channel State Recreation Area
Six sandpit lakes south of Elm Creek managed for fishing — a no-frills, high-rated Sandhills-edged SRA where the lakes are the whole point.
Rock Creek Station State Historical Park
An Oregon Trail road ranch with deep visible wagon ruts, a Pony Express relay station, and the 1861 shootout where a young James Hickok became "Wild Bill."
Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
The reconstructed 1820s military post on the bluff where Lewis and Clark first held council with the Oto and Missouria — the first U.S. fort west of the Missouri River.
Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area
Twenty sand-bottom lakes west of Fremont — Nebraska's busiest summer swimming-and-camping complex, with electric campgrounds among mature shade trees.
Windmill State Recreation Area
An I-80-convenient SRA in Gibbon with 69 paved electric campsites, six stocked fishing ponds, and an 18-hole disc golf course — the classic road-trip overnight.
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
A free NPS site on the Niobrara where 20-million-year-old Miocene mammal beds meet an extraordinary Lakota artifact collection gifted to a rancher by Chief Red Cloud.
Box Butte Reservoir State Recreation Area
A 1,600-acre Niobrara River reservoir, nine miles north of Hemingford, with 14 electric campsites, 40 shoreline non-pad sites, and some of the Panhandle's best birdwatching — 200-plus species recorded.
Wagon Train State Recreation Area
A Salt Valley lake park two miles east of Hickman — 28 electric pads, 80 primitive non-pad sites, and all first-come, first-served camping for people who don't plan ahead.
Fort Kearny State Historical Park
The first military post on the Oregon Trail (1848–1871), six miles southeast of Kearney — rebuilt stockade, parade grounds, and blacksmith shop, a Pony Express home station, Pawnee Scout history, and a trailhead for crane viewing each spring.
Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area
The southwest Panhandle's only water-based recreation area — a two-story cold-and-warm-water fishery with free first-come camping on the north shore, run by the local natural resources district.
Pawnee Lake State Recreation Area
Lincoln's big multi-use lake park — 740 acres of water, 6 miles of trails, an archery and shotgun range, and 68 electric camping sites twelve miles west of downtown.
Long Pine State Recreation Area
A pine-filled canyon park just off Highway 20, where spring-fed Long Pine Creek runs rainbow and brown trout through the campground — tubing in summer, fishing year-round.
Louisville State Recreation Area
A sandpit-lake complex on the Platte's south bank with 223 electric all-weather camping pads, a floating playground, water rentals, and towering shade trees — the polished core of the Venture Parks cluster.
Platte River State Park
A hardwood-bluff park in the Platte River valley between Omaha and Lincoln, with the 85-foot Lincoln Journal Tower, a waterfall on the trails, glamping tipis and cabins, a spray park, mountain-bike trails, and bison burgers at Scott Lodge.
Sherman State Recreation Area
The park side of Sherman Reservoir — 360 mostly no-hookup sites on open prairie, a redone electric RV campground, and some of Nebraska's best fall camping, five miles northeast of Loup City.
Branched Oak State Recreation Area
Nebraska's largest lakeside state park — 1,800 acres of lake, nine boat ramps, a marina, full-hookup campsites, and an equestrian campground northwest of Lincoln.
Lake Minatare State Recreation Area
The Panhandle's water park — 2,158 acres of lake with 101 Electric Plus campsites, a swimming beach, and Nebraska's only lighthouse, a 55-foot mock tower built in 1939.
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park
The 52-room estate of J. Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day — a mansion grown from a four-room frame house, wrapped in 72 acres of arboretum with at least ten state-champion trees.
Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest
116,000 acres of hand-planted ponderosa pine islands rising out of Sandhills prairie south of Nenzel — free entry, a 23-site pine-shaded campground, and some of Nebraska's best grouse hunting.
Missouri National Recreational River
Two free-flowing stretches of the Missouri — 59 miles below Gavins Point Dam to Ponca and 39 miles below Fort Randall Dam — among the last undammed, unchannelized miles of the Big Muddy.
Niobrara State Park
A blufftop state park at the confluence of the Niobrara and Missouri rivers in Knox County, with river-view cabins, a small bison herd, 14 miles of trails, guided horseback rides, and famous summer buffalo cookouts.
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody's 1886 Scout's Rest Ranch — an 18-room Second Empire mansion and Wild West barn you can tour, minutes off I-80.
Lake Maloney State Recreation Area
A 1,000-acre power-district lake five miles south of North Platte with 56 electric-plus campsites, two unsupervised swimming beaches, and first-come camping that's become an I-80 tradition.
Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area
The parkland around Nebraska's biggest reservoir — 35,000-plus acres of white-sand beaches, big-water fishing, and seven campgrounds on the Big Mac.
Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area
The quieter sibling below Kingsley Dam — 182 sites on Nebraska's premier trout lake, where your park permit doubles for the Lake McConaughy beaches across the dam road.
Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge
45,849 acres of Sandhills dunes and 21-plus groundwater-fed lakes, 28 miles north of Oshkosh — one of the most diverse birding sites in the country, with 273 recorded species and no camping, no crowds.
Rock Creek Lake State Recreation Area
A tiny, quiet SRA on a Dundy County lake, 5.5 miles northwest of Parks — clean, dark-sky camping and good fishing on one of southwest Nebraska's least-visited lakes.
Willow Creek State Recreation Area
A 700-acre northeast Nebraska lake with electric-plus campsites and an 8-mile limestone trail circling the water — one of the state's best-maintained camping parks.
Ponca State Park
A 2,200-acre Missouri River bluffs park on the unchannelized Missouri National Recreational River, with the Three State Overlook (Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota), 20+ miles of trails, straw-bale Green Cabins, and the free Missouri River Outdoor Expo each year.
Indian Cave State Park
Nearly 3,400 acres of Missouri River bluffs and hardwood forest in southeast Nebraska, anchored by a sandstone cave bearing prehistoric petroglyphs — plus 22 miles of trails, the reconstructed 1850s river town of St. Deroin, and river access.
Summit Lake State Recreation Area
A 190-acre Burt County lake, three miles from Tekamah, with 43 electric camping pads, a swimming beach, and a 5 mph no-wake rule that keeps the water calm.
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge
19,131 acres of Niobrara canyon country four miles east of Valentine — 350 bison, elk herds, prairie dog towns, Fort Falls waterfall, and free entry on one of Nebraska's great wildlife drives.
Niobrara National Scenic River
The federally protected 76-mile stretch of the Niobrara — 200-plus waterfalls, six overlapping ecosystems, and the best canoeing in Nebraska, all running through the Sandhills.
Two Rivers State Recreation Area
Omaha's favorite close-to-home water park — five sandpit lakes with a floating playground, kayak and paddleboard rentals, and electric campgrounds 15 minutes from the metro.
Parks & Camping FAQs
How many state parks does Nebraska have?
Nebraska has 75 state parks, state recreation areas and state historical parks, plus federal lands like the Niobrara National Scenic River.
Do Nebraska state parks require a park permit?
Yes — a Nebraska state park permit is required on vehicles entering state parks and recreation areas. Daily and annual permits are available.
Where can I see dark skies in Nebraska?
Merritt Reservoir’s Snake Campground is an International Dark Sky Park; the Sandhills and Wildcat Hills offer exceptional stargazing.