Author name: America's State Parks Editorial Team

America's State Parks is an independent online guide to the state parks of the United States. Our editorial team compiles and reviews each park profile from official state park agency sources and other primary references, and follows a published editorial and review methodology (see /editorial-review-methodology/). We update profiles and correct errors on an ongoing basis.

Sandspit Point State Marine Park

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Marine park on Resurrection Bay — sandy spit extending into the bay with stunning mountain and […]

Mosquito Lake State Recreation Site

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Small lake near Haines — surrounded by massive Chilkat Mountains, surprisingly not as buggy as the

Lowell Point State Recreation Site (Alaska)

Lowell Point State Recreation Site

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Coastal recreation area south of Seward — beachfront access to Resurrection Bay with sea otters, harbor

Liberty Falls State Recreation Site

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Spectacular waterfall on the Edgerton Highway — stunning cascading falls dropping through a narrow canyon of

Lake Louise State Recreation Area (Alaska)

Lake Louise State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Remote 28-square-mile lake — largest lake in the Copper River Basin, excellent lake trout and burbot

Halibut Point State Recreation Site

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Coastal recreation site near Sitka — scenic oceanfront picnicking and tidepooling on Baranof Island with views

Finger Lake State Recreation Area (Alaska)

Finger Lake State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Glacier-carved finger lake in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley — popular swimming and canoeing destination surrounded by boreal

Delta State Recreation Site (Alaska)

Delta State Recreation Site

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Campground at the confluence of the Delta and Tanana Rivers — gateway to the Alaska Range

Deep Creek State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Kenai Peninsula beach fishing — one of Alaska’s most popular shore-based king salmon fisheries where the

Decision Point State Marine Park

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Marine park in Prince William Sound — named by Captain Cook in 1778 when he had

Big Lake South State Recreation Site (Alaska)

Big Lake South State Recreation Site

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Big Lake south shore — boat launch and camping on Big Lake, the recreational heart of

Big Lake North State Recreation Area (Alaska)

Big Lake North State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Wilderness — Big Lake north shore — popular Matanuska-Susitna Valley lake recreation area with 3,000-acre Big Lake, one

Chena River State Recreation Site

🏆🏆🏆🏆 River Access — Day-use recreation site on the Chena River — convenient access for fishing and paddling near Fairbanks

Chena River State Recreation Area (Alaska)

Chena River State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Fairbanks Playground — 397-square-mile recreation area along the Chena River — Interior Alaska’s largest state recreation area with hot

Point Bridget State Park (Alaska)

Point Bridget State Park

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Juneau Wilderness — 2,850-acre coastal park north of Juneau — meadows, old-growth forest, and whale-watching from shore along Lynn

Alaska_Chilkat_Bald_Eagle_Preserve

Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Eagle Capital — 48,000-acre preserve hosting the world’s largest concentration of bald eagles — up to 4,000 eagles gather

Cowboy Trail (Nebraska)

Cowboy Trail

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 At 195 miles, the Cowboy Trail is the longest rail-trail in Nebraska and one of the longest in the

Willow Creek State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 700-acre reservoir in Pierce County — built on Willow Creek as a flood-control project, now a popular fishing and

Windmill

Windmill State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Named for the iconic Great Plains windmill — the wind-powered water pump that made settlement of the treeless Plains

War Axe State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Named after a local creek — small recreation area near Norfolk, birthplace of Johnny Carson (the legendary Tonight Show

Walgren Lake State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small lake famous for its local legend — the “Walgren Lake Monster” (a Nessie-like creature reported since the 1920s!).

Wagon Train State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 315-acre lake named for the wagon trains that crossed this prairie on the Oregon Trail. Popular bass fishing destination

Verdon Lake State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small lake in the far southeastern corner of Nebraska — Richardson County borders both Kansas and Missouri. Visitor Information

Union Pacific State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Named for the Union Pacific Railroad that made Nebraska a state — the transcontinental railroad (completed 1869) put Nebraska

Summit Lake State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Lake recreation area in Burt County along the Missouri River bluffs — overlooking the wide Missouri floodplain. Visitor Information

Stagecoach State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 195-acre lake near Hickman — named for the Overland Stage route that once crossed this area. One of the

Sandy Channel State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Sand pit lakes along the Platte River near Grand Island — Platte River Central Flyway zone where 500,000 Sandhill

Rockford Lake State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 150-acre lake in southeastern Nebraska — good bass and crappie fishing near Beatrice (pronounced “bee-AT-riss” by locals!). Visitor Information

Rock Creek Lake State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small lake in Dundy County — the most southwestern county in Nebraska, bordering both Kansas and Colorado in the

Riverview Marina State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Marina facility on Lake McConaughy — providing boat access to Nebraska’s largest reservoir (“Big Mac”) and its 30,000 acres

Ravenna Lake State Recreation Area (Nebraska)

Ravenna Lake State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small lake near Ravenna — named for Ravenna, Italy by founder who admired the Italian city’s beauty. Central Nebraska

Pioneer State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Named for the pioneers who crossed this region on the Oregon Trail — recreation area along the South Platte

Pibel Lake State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small Sandhills lake in Wheeler County — one of the least populated counties in Nebraska with fewer than 800

Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Reservoir in the far western Nebraska Panhandle — Kimball County is the highest county in Nebraska at 4,700+ feet

Olive Creek State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small recreation area southwest of Lincoln — 175-acre Olive Creek Lake offering bass and catfish fishing for Lincoln-area anglers.

Long Pine State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Named for the ponderosa pine forests along Long Pine Creek — cold-water trout stream at the junction of the

Keller Park State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small park along the Niobrara River — Nebraska’s most scenic river, a National Scenic River featuring 200-foot canyon walls

Gallagher Canyon State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Canyon recreation area along the Middle Loup River — dramatic limestone bluffs and canyon terrain in central Nebraska. Visitor

Dead Timber State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Oxbow lake recreation area along the Platte River — dead timber snags in the oxbow create excellent fish habitat

Cheyenne State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Named for the Northern Cheyenne people — a recreation area in the Nebraska Panhandle near Sidney, once the most

Champion Lake State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small High Plains lake in Chase County — remote prairie fishing at 3,400 feet elevation in far southwestern Nebraska.

Bufflehead State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Named for the Bufflehead duck — small but beautiful diving duck common on Nebraska’s Central Flyway wetlands during spring

Bridgeport State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small recreation area near Bridgeport — gateway to the Oregon Trail landmarks of Courthouse and Jail Rocks, some of

Box Butte Reservoir State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 1,600-acre reservoir in the Pine Ridge country of northwestern Nebraska — surrounded by ponderosa pine forests and mixed-grass prairie

Bluestem State Recreation Area Nebraska

Bluestem State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Named for Big Bluestem grass — the “king of the prairie” that once dominated 170 million acres of tallgrass

Blue River SRA Nebraska

Blue River State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Recreation area along the Big Blue River — one of Nebraska’s most scenic prairie rivers flowing through the tallgrass-mixed

ALEXANDRIA STATE RECREATION AREA NEBRASKA

Alexandria State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Small 60-acre lake in southeastern Nebraska — popular local fishing and picnic destination in the Little Blue River watershed.

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