Water Recreation
It’s hard to beat the allure of the pristine lakes and beautiful rivers in Western Nebraska. Whether you prefer kayaking, canoeing or trying your hand at tanking, there are water sports opportunities for everyone.
City of Alliance
Alliance Area
Unique adventure, filled with one of a kind sites, exceptional hospitality and fun, family activities make Alliance one adventure that you and your family don’t want to miss.
Dusty Trails, LLC
North Platte
Dusty Trails is the ideal location for outdoor adventure. Providing opportunities for horseback riding, tanking, tubing, canoeing, or kayaking down the North Platte River. At the end of the day there is always the option of the petting zoo.
Photo by Nebraska Tourism
Box Butte Reservoir
Hemingford Area
Box Butte Reservoir, a 1,600-acre lake and recreational area, is 10 miles north of town. It offers excellent fishing, boating, swimming, windsurfing and sailing, and is part of a state recreation area with picnic areas, hiking and primitive camping.
Photo by Nebraska Tourism
Bridgeport State Recreation Area
Bridgeport Area
Just off Highways 26 and 92 on the west edge of town, Bridgeport State Recreation Area offers primitive camping, hiking, fishing, swimming and waterskiing. It is open year-round. A state park entry permit is required.
Buffalo Bill State Recreation Area
North Platte
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Recreation Area offers camping and hiking right next door to the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, which makes it easy to tour the ranch house and barn that Col. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody built for his home in North Platte.
Dismal River
Mullen Area
Experienced canoers and kayakers can test their skills on the Dismal River south of Mullen. The Dismal is a fast-flowing, spring-fed river with plenty of twists and sunken debris that make it a natural obstacle course.
308-546-0636
Lake Maloney
North Platte Area
A few miles south of North Platte, Lake Maloney with 1132 acres of state recreation area, gives access to fishing, boat ramps, beach areas, camping, golf, archery, wildlife watching, and trails.
Photo by Nebraska Tourism
Lake Minatare & Lighthouse
Minatare
Lake Minatare is large, but not so big that it needs a lighthouse. It has one anyway and it offers an impressive 360-degree view. It was built by the Veterans Conservation Corps, a New Deal agency that provided jobs to unemployed veterans.
Merritt Reservoir
Located in a picturesque valley of the Snake River 26 miles southwest of Valentine, Merritt Reservoir offers some of Nebraska’s best fishing, along with boating and camping. It is a deep lake with excellent inflow from the Snake River and Boardman Creek. Reserve camping online through NE G&P.
Merritt Reservoir SRA | Valentine, NE 69201-1904
402-376-3320
Merritt Trading Post Resort
Valentine
We are located on the white sand beaches of Merritt Reservoir a quality multi-species fishery. We have over 200,000 acres of public accessible land for hunting. The resort offers lakeside cabins, bait, tackle, groceries, convenience food items, ice, beer, fuel, boat rental, kayak and canoe rental.
HC 32 Box 23
Valentine NE 69201
Valentine NE 69201
402-376-3437
Middle Loup River
Thedford Area
People looking for a family-friendly river trip can float or paddle down the Middle Loup River just north of Mullen. The Middle Loup is spring-fed and has relatively calm waters as it meanders through wide, sloping Sandhills canyons. Canoe and kayak rental is available for both rivers.
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
North Platte Area
Working to preserve natural resources, the Nebraska Game and Parks provides education and management of lands, fish hatcheries, and regulation of hunting or fishing.
301 East State Farm Rd
North Platte, NE 69101
North Platte, NE 69101
Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest
Valentine Area
Located south of Nenzel in Cherry County, this 116,000-acre national forest is a fantastic representation of the unique Nebraska Sandhills prairie ecosystem. Popular uses of the forest include hunting, fishing, horseback riding, camping and bird watching.
Smith Falls State Park
Valentine Area
One of the Niobrara River Valley’s many waterfalls, Smith Falls is the highest in the state. The spring-fed water drops almost 70 feet and then flows into the Niobrara River. A short hike and a walk across a historic truss bridge that spans the Niobrara River will take you to a walkway to the falls.
402-376-1306
Sutherland Reservoir State Recreation Area
North Platte Area
The Sutherland Reservoir is a 3,000-surface-acre lake located three miles south of the Interstate 80 Exit at Sutherland, Neb. NPPD owns and manages the Sutherland Reservoir, part of its hydropower system. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) oversees most of the recreation areas at the lake.
Walgren Lake State Recreation Area
Hay Springs Area
A newspaper story in a 1922 issue of the Hay Springs News reported the sighting of a Loch Ness-style monster at Alkali Lake. Rumors circulated of ranchers losing cattle to the hungry beast, but no physical evidence of the creature’s questionable existence was ever discovered.