Baranof Castle Hill State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Alaska Transfer Site — The exact spot where Russia transferred Alaska to the United States on October 18, 1867 […]
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: 2,900+ state park profiles across all 50 states. See our editorial review methodology for how ASP researches, updates, and reviews park information.
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
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 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 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
Sutherland Reservoir State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆 3,020-acre reservoir on the Platte River — part of the massive North Platte hydroelectric system supplying power to central
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
🏆🏆🏆🏆 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
🏆🏆🏆🏆 Named for Big Bluestem grass — the “king of the prairie” that once dominated 170 million acres of tallgrass
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
🏆🏆🏆🏆 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 just 10 minutes from Lincoln — the state capital’s primary outdoor recreation destination Pawnee
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
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
Swanson Reservoir State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆 Republican River Dam — 4,974-acre reservoir on the Republican River — one of the largest reservoirs in southwestern Nebraska
Enders Reservoir State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆 Southwest Prairie Lake — 1,707-acre reservoir in Chase County — remote prairie lake with excellent fishing in the far
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
🏆🏆🏆🏆 Tailwater Trout — Cold-water tailrace below Kingsley Dam — one of Nebraska’s only trout fisheries, fed by 48°F water
Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Pine Ridge Outpost — Rugged pine-covered bluffs overlooking the North Platte Valley — Nebraska’s “mini Black Hills” with pronghorn,
Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆 Sand Pit Lakes — 20 sand pit lakes near Fremont — one of the most popular day-use recreation areas
Lake Minatare State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆 Lighthouse Lake — Western Nebraska reservoir with a unique inland lighthouse — one of only a handful of lighthouses
Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Darkest Skies — Remote Sandhills reservoir famous for the darkest night skies in Nebraska — internationally recognized for stargazing
Calamus Reservoir State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆 Sandhills Lake — 5,124-acre reservoir in the heart of Nebraska’s Sandhills — one of the best walleye fisheries in
Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Missouri River Explorer — 35,700-acre reservoir on the Missouri River — named for the legendary Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Big Mac — Nebraska’s largest reservoir at 30,000 acres — “Big Mac” draws 1 million+ visitors annually with 100