Branched Oak Lake State Recreation Area features an equestrian camping section with pull-through sites providing full hookups and adjacent corrals for horses. Located at Area 2, this campground accommodates tent, RV, and horse trailer camping near an inlet with lakeside access. The equestrian camping area often gets overlooked despite its quality facilities, making it less crowded than other sections of the park. Campsites include picnic tables and fire rings with ample space for horse trailers. The lake offers archery and shotgun ranges nearby, plus a disc golf course accessible to campers. Vault toilets serve the equestrian area, while showers are available at the nearby Area 1 campground.
The equestrian trail network connects directly to the campground, allowing riders immediate access to wooded paths circling portions of the lake. These trails accommodate various skill levels with minimal elevation changes typical of eastern Nebraska terrain. Trail maps are available at the park office, showing connections between riding areas and camping facilities. Horse owners typically bring their own feed and water buckets, as natural water sources may be seasonal. The nearby town of Malcolm provides access to a well-regarded BBQ restaurant where many riders stop after trail excursions. For Friday evenings, the small town of Bee hosts a popular fish fry that attracts campers from throughout the recreation area. Reservation requirements vary by season, with summer weekends typically requiring advance booking for equestrian sites.
$25 - $485 / night
"As full-time campers we stay at Mahoney quite often as it is close to the Omaha-metro and there are so many things to do within the park: swimming, golf, zip lines, arts & crafts, trails, nature, horses"
"Walking trails. Camping spots galore. Arts and crafts. Horse riding. Water park. Lodge. Viewing tower. And they just added a ropes course. cabins for rent as well."
$35 - $340 / night
"The park itself has beautiful trails. Bring your hiking shoes or fat bike and enjoy nature.
For younger children there is a very nice splash pad. $3/person, under 3 is free.""It’s a bit off the beaten path but we got to enjoy the beautiful horses. Bonus!"
$15 - $35 / night
"Campground Review I stayed in this Louisville Rec area a few nights, moving around to three different areas of this HUGE campground are nestled in Nebraska."
"Louisville State Recreation Area is a nice large camping area offering over 200 sites with Electricity. There are also primitive tenting areas as well."
$100 / night
"The fishing is easy in all the lakes and they have a pay fishing trout lake that nearly guarantees success. Our kid and her friends love the swimming beach."
"Whether I was riding a bike around the paved roads. Fishing in one of the sandpit lakes they have to offer, or the river. Walk around the nature trails, or lakes."
$35 / night
"This is a small campground a little ways before you get to lakeside campground. These spots are electric with fire pits and picnic tables. It is near the road and the dump station is in view."
"Take your pick, river or lakeside. Some areas are more modern than others but all are nice. A few have water hookups"
$30 / night
"It is right next to lake 4 with some beach access. There are both reservable and walk up sites here. The walk up process is a little strange."
"Very nice camp sites and playgrounds for children nice clean fishing lakes and river access."
"A few vault toilets are scattered around the park, but there are no shower facilities. Nearby is a small lake along with a nature center. Park is within a valley with lots of shade trees."
$15 - $40 / night
"The lake is right there, with a nice bike path that comes all the way around."
"Lake Cunningham is a fun destination for getting outside if you only have an afternoon to escape! The lake itself is great for kayaking, paddle boarding, and sailing!"
$30 / night
"It’s not close to water like some of the others but it has a nice amount of room between spots and lots of trees for shade. There is an old playground by a vault toilet."
$10 / night
"Pleasant quiet environment other then nearby train. Location has 2 other RV campgrounds around the corner . It's a city park next to the expo center nice and clean . Pull in next to any hook up."
"The entrance was a little bit confusing. There is a pay box at the edge of the parking box. The bathrooms were locked, but being self contained, we wouldn't have used them."
ScoutMy first time camping in Nebraska. Ive been to several throughout the US. Loved the spot, I was right next to the lake, great swimming access. Downside drinking water access was difficult.
LegendCamping area 2 has a lot to offer, even if you don't own a horse.
The area is well known for being the equestrian camping area at one of the finest lakes in Nebraska. Pull through sites with full hookups, equestrian trails, and corals. Yet few people realize that there is a nice RV and tent camping area, lovely inlet with lakesides slabs, Boat docks, and Boat ramps. Showers are not available at area #2 but are available at a closeby area #1.
The lake has some nice trails including the equestrian trail that comes from the park. The park has several beaches 2 of them very close. There are archery and shotgun ranges at the lake and a decent disc golf course.
At a popular lake, this is a nice yet secluded camping area that often gets overlooked.
LegendCampground Review
I stayed in this Louisville Rec area a few nights, moving around to three different areas of this HUGE campground are nestled in Nebraska. My plan was to spend a few days taking advantage of the many amenities and activity options this area appeared to have, and I since this is a popular destination option many are considering, I sought to provide a review of the grounds from the perspective of someone who is considering staying in the west, central, or east area of the grounds. This review is for the west area.
General Info on this overall campground
This is a state-funded park, so non-Nebraska plated cars have an additional fee. A HUGE campground with around 250 total sites, with options ranging from walk-in camping tent-only sites to RV areas. There is a 3 decent-size lakes spread evenly across the grounds. Near the central lake ("Lake 2") there is a small shop which has a market where basic kick knacks and firewood are available. This is also where you can rent boats like canoes, kayaks, and stand up paddleboards for hrs, half and daily rates. There is a trail in the woods running parallel to the North Platte River. The path is in a heavily wooded area, so no lakeside views, just a nice, quiet hike with the very occasional hummm of a mosquito. There is a swim area along the beach of Lake 2. There is canoe access at the far west side of the park. In summer, it was common to see people wading across the river as it was neither a fast moving current nor deep. This is a Rec area, so day use is also an option. There are numerous locations for picnics, including Grills, and for fishing in the lakes from some roof-covered docks. Coin-operated showers (takes quarters, change machines take $1 and $5 bills) and full-service, ADA-friendly bathrooms scatter the park as well. There is a play area in the center which has a basic jungle gym. Each site has at least a picnic table and a fire pit. All tent sites are park and walk. If you want to have your car next to your picnic table, you need a padded spot. Each area of the park has these options, as well as electrical, then RV. Most sites are reservable and there are some allocated for first come, first serve. Gates will close at 10pm so make sure your road trip stops before they do. Also, packing earplugs is a must, but it won't completely help you. There is a train that goes very near the grounds - the track basically borders the south side of the campgrounds - and it needs to use its horn while passing through, which happens A LOT.
Central location-specific Info
The harsh part of being located here is if you are looking for any kind of spot that accommodates a flat plot, like sites 206 - 236, you are butted up against the train tracks and that train is LOUD! You will have no chance of a solid night's sleep since the train uses its horn very often. I was in campsite 11 another night, literally as far away from the tracks as possible and wore ear plugs and there was no avoiding it - I was waking up at 5am no matter what. This is the place you want to camp if you are tent camping. The reserve sites or tucked away from a lot of the more family-friendly activities, so you'll get some reprieve from that energy, plus can have some spots that are very close to the N Platte river's edge.
Ranger Review
I was given a pair of the Midland X-TALKER TV1P3 Walkie Talkies to test out from Midland. Since they come with a hands-free option with a compatible accessory, I also got a pair of the AVPH3 Surveillance headsets.
These came in handy (pardon the pun) when I was biking with a friend and skiing. By hooking in the headset to the side of the radio it allowed me to leave the radio in the bag, run a wire and clip a little mic with a talk on/off button to my jacket, then put a little earpiece in around my ear that was out of the way of my helmet. This also protected the radio from debris, as water is easy to collect on electronics when skiing and dust when biking.
These radios aren't big, but they're packed with a lot of features. I personally love the weather scan capability. It locks into the NOAA weather broadcasts to deliver you a forecast. This is very useful while you are on a backpacking trip or in my case doing some kayaking because it helps me plan my routes and assess risk for my activities. They also charge through micro USB if you don't want to pack the included charging cradle (AC powered), so recharging them on the go is pretty simple since you already pack those cables and a portable USB power bank for other electronics.
The 28 mile range is a bit of a stretch (pardon the pun) but this is up to 28 miles. It worked fine for me over some densely forested lakes 2 miles away and even further over open water. I had these up at my cottage in Northern Ontario with me and I was able to get reception on these when I kayaked from one family friend's cottage from ours 8 miles away. It was getting crackly at that point but there is A LOT of interference over that distance so I was shocked they worked at all.
They have 22 channels and 38 privacy codes, so it's easy to create your own network and stay uninterrupted. I also got these working with another pair of radios I had, so they work with other brands. There are some other features, and the product support on their site is great. hey have a reference guide and a user manual to learn how to operate things like the quiet mode - if so inclined.
Overall Pros
Overall Cons
GuideLouisville Lakes has a decent beach area. Not too many amenities but the bathrooms are clean. The tent sites are close together but usually are not full, RV sites ARE full often. Some tent sites are on the river side and I'd consider very pretty. I like Louisville Lakes atmosphere but it can get pretty busy depending on the summer weekend.
GuideThis has the capability to be a great little state park, but and a huge one at that is at night the trains go by about every 17 minutes. The tracks run right get along the park.
You are right on the edge of the town of Louisville which is nice if you need something you forgot.
Theres trails, Accra to the platte rover. Swimming lake. Fishing spots. Geese.
LegendLouisville State Recreation Area is a nice large camping area offering over 200 sites with Electricity. There are also primitive tenting areas as well. The sites are mostly shaded and are spacious with fire rings and picnic tables. There are 2 larger lakes and 3 smaller ones. The park offers a swim beach, playground, fishing, and lots of hiking trails. There are trails that lead right along the banks of the Platte River.
I would recommend reservations as it seems a popular place on the weekends. We stayed next to one of the larger lakes and if you enjoy wildlife, you will see plenty. I could sit and watch the pond wildlife all day long. Only downside to this campground is the abundance of trains passing through. There is a train tracks right across the lake and it can be quite noisy. Otherwise this is a wonderful campground.
RangerAs full-time campers we stay at Mahoney quite often as it is close to the Omaha-metro and there are so many things to do within the park: swimming, golf, zip lines, arts & crafts, trails, nature, horses, etc. Huge amount of walk up sites all year long. Little Creek campground is the best place to stay for amenities: laundry, hot showers but avoid any campsite located at the bottom of the hill so you are not washed away by rain water or have a site full of mud.
LegendCheck out Blustem if you like to get away from RV heavy camps like I do. You’ll find clean raised toilets, trails, and archery range, boating, fishing and hunting here. I camped here in early spring with my boys and another family and we had the place to ourselves. This is yet another really nice state recreation area within 20 miles of Lincoln Nebraska. Check it out.
GuideThis is a great state park and possibly the busiest since it’s between Omaha and Lincoln. Walking trails. Camping spots galore. Arts and crafts. Horse riding. Water park. Lodge. Viewing tower. And they just added a ropes course. cabins for rent as well.
The only minus besides it’s always busy is the road noise from Interstate 80.
Branched Oak Lake State Recreation Area equestrian camping offers specialized sites equipped for horses and riders. Located within the larger recreation area, the equestrian section provides full hookup sites with adjacent corrals near an inlet with lakeside access. This less crowded section of the park includes picnic tables and fire rings with enough space for horse trailers, while trails connect directly to the campground for immediate riding access. Additional park features include archery and shotgun ranges, disc golf, vault toilets at the equestrian area, and shower facilities at the nearby Area 1 campground.
Fishing opportunities: Anglers can fish at the seven lakes of Two Rivers State Recreation Area where "lots of fishing opportunities in the ponds and river. Even a trout lake" are available according to Justin R. The different lakes accommodate various fishing preferences whether you prefer river fishing or lake fishing.
Hiking trails: The trails at Platte River State Park offer some of the best hiking experiences in southeast Nebraska. According to Jared J., "they have a wealth of amazing hiking/biking trails that traverse through some amazing scenery... you can pick between the less intensive paved walkways or you can walk along the hilly bluffs that contour the Platte River."
Water activities: During summer months, head to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park for family-friendly water recreation. Charlie B. notes it "has it all... paddleboating, frisbee golf, horseback riding, driving range, fishing, tennis courts, river views, cabins!" The wave pool is especially popular with younger visitors, though Jennifer M. mentions there are fees: "$10 for adults (even as a non-swimmer) and $8 for kids plus $3 to rent a tube for the wave pool."
Multiple camping styles: Campers appreciate the variety of accommodation options near Louisville. At Platte River State Park, "there are accommodations for every type of camper - cabins, RV, primitive - they even have teepees!" notes Jared J. This flexibility makes the area appealing to both traditional tent campers and those seeking more comfort.
Nature immersion with access: Many campers enjoy that Louisville State Recreation Area provides natural settings while maintaining accessibility. Daniel B. shares that it has "a trail in the woods running parallel to the North Platte River. The path is in a heavily wooded area... just a nice, quiet hike with the very occasional hummm of a mosquito." The combination of wooded areas with modern amenities creates an appealing balance.
Spacious sites: Campers consistently mention appreciating the campsite layouts at Oak Grove Campground. Shannon G. notes it "is one of the smaller campgrounds and is peaceful... It's not close to water like some of the others but it has a nice amount of room between spots and lots of trees for shade." This spacing provides more privacy than more crowded campgrounds in the region.
Train noise: The railroad tracks near several campgrounds can significantly impact sleep quality. At Louisville State Recreation Area, Justin R. warns "at night the trains go by about every 17 minutes. The tracks run right along the park." Multiple reviewers mention this issue, with Bill M. simply stating "Train noise all night."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Louisville, NE?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Louisville, NE is Eugene T. Mahoney State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 46 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Louisville, NE?
TheDyrt.com has all 17 equestrian camping locations near Louisville, NE, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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