Location

Park Map

• Sept – 2022
• Weather – warm and humid, but comfortable on the beach

Facilities

• We have been waiting for this park to open after reconstruction from hurricane Harvey in 2017. We had previously stayed on the Bay side in 2020.
• Everything is new and everything worked!
• There are 60 concrete pads, all ‘back in’ and level. The driveways are all asphalt.
• Direct access to the beach from the campground and day-use area.

What we Liked:

• New facilities!
• All-in-one power / water pedestals.
• 2 miles of beach without vehicles.
• The shower has fans that moved enough air to keep the floor dry.
• The outer edge spaces have some privacy, the inner spaces have none.
• A short drive from restaurants on the Seawall and The Strand.

What we didn’t like:

• Mosquitos! The gauntlet of 50 yards must be passed from the campground to the beach without being carried away by the swarms of mosquitos! The campground was not as bad.

Photos

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It is located about halfway between Lincoln and Omaha. Just off I-80.

• August 2022
• Hot and muggy!

Facilities

This is a big park with all kinds of activities! Tennis, playgrounds, canoeing, biking, paddle boats, horseback riding, fishing, a wave pool with water slides and an observation tower that overlooks the Platte River.

The restroom and shower building was clean.

Our pad was fairly level, however, mud had run into the pad from earlier rains and it made a bit of a mess.

The Lakeside area had a lot of shade which was welcome in August!

The Strategic Air Command Air and Space museum is very close to the park.

Platte Valley state park close by too for additional camping or swimming.

TV and cell service.

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• August 2022
• Hot and hot!

Facilities

This is an example of an over-used park and under-staffed / under-budgeted operations. The showers and restrooms were cleaned some time this year…. Pay showers.

The site was fairly level.

Sand beach… due to the ongoing drought, we had to hike more than 1/2 mile to water!

If you are not on the water with a boat or jet-ski, there is very little to do. You can have your camper hauled to the water edge by a huge tractor.

No TV Service and limited cell service.

Car Henge!

Carhenge is an art exhibit and a replica of England’s Stonehenge located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska in the sandhills. It was dedicated in 1987 and has survived the elements of western Nebraska well.

Ash Hollow

Map

Located west of Lake McConaughy, this historic part shows the wagon ruts left by thousands of pioneers crossing the Oregon trail!

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• July 2022
• Warm but comfortable evenings

Facilities

Nice big playground, stables and pool.  Pool only open on weekends due to staffing.

Level pads in the upper camping area. We had previously stayed in the lower area. Many pads are in full sun!

Worth the drive to the Black Hills Overlook

Clean restrooms and showers, however, only one of the four showers was functional!!

Ft Robinson!!

Map

Visit Fort Robinson a short drive from Chadron.

What we didn’t like:

• Don’t eat at Country Kitchen in Chadron!
• No TV Service and limited LTE wireless.

The post Chadron State Park – NE – 2 appeared first on Follow Our Trail . com.

• July 2022
• Hot

Facilities

The asphalt pads are fairly level and you are close to neighbors and no privacy.

RV area has a playground area, however, no trails to hike to the river(s). Trails are accessible via drive to upper section of park where cabins and the pool are located.

“Electric plus” service is just power only with community water. Plan on hauling water to fill your tank or if you are lucky, a long hose will do. 

The west side of the camping area is shaded and the center pads are more open to the sun.

Things that we didn’t like:

• Burn ban -no fires
• No ice at the office
• Pool only open on weekends and limited hours, cash only
• No TV service. Wireless is LTE only
• Two shower areas with one that is pay per use… and the only one working!

Not worth the $30 rate

Laundry available and reasonably priced.

AshFall Fossil Beds

Plan a trip to see this State Historical Park a few miles from Niobrara State Park. The site is an active dig exposing animals that were buried in ash from a volcano in the southwest Idaho area 12 Million years ago!

We were able to watch and speak with students from the University of Nebraska summer programs as they worked to uncover these treasures.

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• July 2022
• Warm but comfortable in the evening

Facilities

Pads are rock and not too level.

Clean restroom and showers.

Water not at every site.

Limited activities.

Pads are close to neighbors and on weekends it could be noisy.

Sites are shaded.

Quiet with few campers here.

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• July 2022
• Hot! Trees helped a bit!

Facillities

This park is off the beaten path… We found it as a stopping point when we were planning a trip.

Vault toilets and no showers

Playground available and kids of all ages were enjoying it!

There is shade EVERYWHERE, so this could be a nice refuge from the sunny days.

Not all pads are concrete and not very level, plan on working to find a ‘sweet spot’.

No access to the lake from the campground, although there might be a path, there were no maps available and no attendant / host.

The boat ramp is on the opposite side of the road from the campground which might keep some of the boat noise away.

FYI, Illinois gas taxes are HIGH, fill up before entering the state!

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Location and Map

• July 2022
• Hot – summery!

Facillities

The swimming area is OK, although we recommend surf-socks to protect your feet.

There is a good deal of space between pads and most pads are not too level so plan ahead.

Choose one of the lakeside pads if available, the interior pads are cut between the trees and fully shaded.

A burn ban was in effect so no campfires.

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Location & Map

• July – 2021
• Weather – Hot and flash-flood rains!

Facilities

• Notes:
• Hot! And no shade…
  • Our trip was cut short because of torrential rains and a campground power outage following a lightning storm… 2.5 inches of rain had mud across the roads and navigation was challenging.
• The pads are fairly level and easy access for back-in and drive-thru sites.
• We had expected a longer stay, however with the power out due to a blown transformer we opted not to stay.

• Park Map

What we liked / disliked

• Notes
  • During the overnight storm we realized that there was no way for park staff to communicate with campers at the base of the park and to communicate road conditions, etc. We actually wondered if we were safe?
  • No cellphone or amateur radio service

Photos

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Location & Map

• When – July – 2021
• Weather – Warm

Facilities

• Notes:
  • This is a super clean park, just up in the hills above Colorado Springs.
  • The pads are level for a short rig and looked to be all concrete pads throughout the park.
    • Some pads are sloped from the road and longer rigs may not be able to level.
  • The park is built on a ‘ledge’ just below Cheyenne Mountain and below the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Because of the elevation, there are beautiful views of the plains!
  • Dog friendly trails.
  • Laundry and playground.
  • A large visitor center.

• Park Map

What we liked / disliked

• Notes
  • Some shaded areas.
  • Lots of group activity sites.
  • Easy access from I-25.
• TV and cell service available.

Photos

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