Duck Creek Recreation Area

Fishing is great right off the bank. NRD permit required. Lots of sites but majority are on top of the hill away from the water.

Many people come here daily during the pandemic to get exercise, to fish and enjoy the outdoors. There is room to keep up social distancing.

We love Duck Creek! It has everything you would need in a campground! Excellent playgrounds for kids, swimming and beach area, bathrooms, and depending where you park, a beautiful view of the lake and the miles of Peru bottoms around it!

This park is a beautiful lake. We saw white pelicans and blue herons on this visit but it is not uncommon to see hawks, owls, and eagles in the area. This is a new park dedicated this year by the Nemaha NRD: sort of a multi-county natural resource agency found exclusively in Nebraska.

The picnic tables, vault toilets, paved walking trails, playground equipment are all new and well laid out. Gravel slabs with electrical hookup are only $12 a night but that is deceiving because you need to purchase a $5 day pass or $15 annual pass to come to the park. Yet even the some of the primitive sites have slabs for a pop-up and did not appear to cost anything beyond your vehicle pass.

The lake is too small for any boat with more than a trolling motor (there is a boat ramp) and should be outstanding for a kayak or canoe. Fishing should be great here. Paved trail and wide gravel slabs with raised fire pits should make this a great rustic getaway for handicapped campers. There is even a paved path to the end of a jetty of fishing in the lake.

This park is close to the Steamboat Trace Hiking/Biking Trail which is a 26-mile trail following the bluffs and coming within spitting distance of the Missouri River. Peru Nebraska is close, home of one of the oldest colleges this side of the Mississippi. Peru is also close for limited supplies such as Ice and band-aids. Auburn and Nebraska City are both about 10 miles away, Neb City has a Walmart.

I think this park is best for a quiet weekend getaway. I recommend you contact the NRD for an annual pass and take advantage of the other parks they operate. You could hike or Bike the Trace and tent camp for free!