State Parks

Find state parks by state, activity, and visitor needs

Use this directory to browse America's State Parks profiles by destination, activity, facilities, and nearby trip ideas. The finder is built from our park profile database and is designed for planning decisions: compare parks, open detailed profiles, then use official park links for current fees, permits, closures, and reservations.

Current public scope: 4,080 park profiles across all 50 states, including 2,500+ state parks. See our editorial review methodology for how ASP researches, updates, and reviews park information.

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

Where Passage Canal Opens to Port Wells, Eight Miles from Whittier Decision Point State Marine Park covers 460 acres at

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

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

Pibel Lake State Recreation Area

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

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

🎣 Interstate 80 lake — A 15-acre no-wake lake in a 32-acre park near Wood River, part of the chain

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 Wildlife Management 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

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

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.

Conestoga Lake State Recreation Area (Nebraska)

Conestoga Lake State Recreation Area

🏆 Covered Wagon Lake — 230-acre lake south of Lincoln — named for the Conestoga wagons that carried settlers westward

Pawnee Lake State Recreation Area

🏆 Lincoln’s Lake — 740-acre lake about 20–25 minutes from downtown Lincoln — the state capital’s primary outdoor recreation destination

Sherman Reservoir State Recreation Area

🏆 Central NE Gem — 2,845-acre reservoir in Sherman County — known for excellent crappie fishing and beautiful Sandhills-edge scenery

Medicine Creek State Recreation Area

🏆 Southwest NE Lake — 1,768-acre reservoir in the Republican River basin — excellent white bass and walleye in southwestern

Johnson Lake State Recreation Area

🏆 Central NE Playground — 2,064-acre lake in central Nebraska — one of the most popular boating and water-skiing lakes

Victoria Springs State Recreation Area

🏆 Historic Springs — One of Nebraska’s oldest parks (1926) — natural springs and Depression-era CCC structures in the Sandhills

Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area (Nebraska)

Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area

🏆 Tailwater Trout — Cold-water tailrace below Kingsley Dam — one of Nebraska’s only trout fisheries, fed by 48°F water

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