Red Willow Reservoir State Recreation Area

🏆🏆🏆🏆 McCook’s Lake — 1,628-acre reservoir near McCook — gateway to the Republican River valley with excellent fishing and camping

Red Willow Reservoir State Recreation Area protects a 1,628-acre reservoir near McCook in southwestern Nebraska — a key recreation destination for the tri-state area (Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado). The reservoir was built in 1962 on Red Willow Creek, a tributary of the Republican River. McCook is known as the hometown of Senator George Norris — the “Father of the Tennessee Valley Authority” and one of the most important legislators of the 20th century. Norris championed rural electrification that brought electricity to millions of American farms.

Visitor Information

About Red Willow Reservoir

Red Willow Reservoir State Recreation Area in Red Willow County provides lake recreation on a 1,628-acre reservoir in southwestern Nebraska. The reservoir is popular for walleye fishing and water sports, and the surrounding high plains landscape offers scenic sunsets and open skies.

Things to Do

Fishing for walleye, bass, and catfish, boating, waterskiing, camping (80+ sites), swimming, and hunting (seasonal). A major recreation destination for southwestern Nebraska.

About Red Willow

Red Willow Reservoir State Recreation Area in Frontier County provides recreation on a 1,628-acre Bureau of Reclamation reservoir in southwestern Nebraska. Built in 1962 for irrigation and flood control, the reservoir has become one of the best walleye fisheries in the state. The surrounding shortgrass prairie supports populations of pronghorn antelope, swift fox, and burrowing owls — species adapted to the open landscape.

Things to Do

Fishing for walleye (excellent), white bass, and channel catfish, boating and water skiing, camping (multiple campgrounds), swimming at the beach, hunting (seasonal), and wildlife viewing for pronghorn and prairie species.