Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area

Arrived to first entrance and contradicting signs about whether overnight stays are permitted. Drove first to reservoir…pretty with lots of honking geese. Drove to lower spot near a copse of trees because it was VERY windy. Train horn in the distance can be heard and many trains passed through, but none woke me. Dirt roads rutted in some places but easy even with my low-riding Scamp trailer (13’). Next morning I realized as I continued west that the other side of the reservoir is more developed with actual sites and maybe different guidance on camping. No one else around. Would definitely stay again.

Highly recommend. Just off 80, so convenient. we arrived in time to see the sun set over the reservoir, then saw the sunrise before heading back on the road. clean vault toilets, stocked with paper. a water spigot was nearby for filling campers, jugs, handwashing. they request that you register at the entrance, and suggest an optional $5 or $10 donation. a camp host told us the campground closes today, 10/31. but I don't see any gates. theres a dock and boat ramp. it seems like a huge area with day use areas and many campsites. We could hear some highway noise and the trains in a distance, but did not find it bothersome.

Free but ask for a donation to help with upkeep. Lots of trees an of course a reservoir, not to many level spots but worked for our 30 ft trailer. Just stopped for 1 night but would return for longer stay.

We were passing through and most of the sites were taken, but the dates that people would be there were in the future by several days. We camped at a site that was reserved for July 3 on July 1. We knew we were leaving in the morning in be and wouldn’t be there when the people arrived on July 3rd. We had a great swim, dinner and s’mores, and great sleep. The trains were frequent and kept some awake. In the morning the host came over to inform us we were trespassing. We told her we were packing up, but she didn’t see the flawed reservation system the way we did. We finished our cafe took a dip and hit the road.

First come, first serve, and we got lucky with grabbing one the of the last spots on a Sunday afternoon. The sites are quite large, and all within walking distance of the water (in my opinion). There are active train tracks across the street, where the trains sound like jet planes taking off consistently throughout the night… for that reason I probably wouldn’t stay for more than 1 night, but the campsite is free and the host is great!

Lots of sites for any type of rig, very spacious. Bathrooms are pit toilets. Has a dump station. Free to stay here, but you should donate because that’s how they keep the park running. I would stay here again.

It’s a great spot off of i80. You can stay up to two weeks and it’s free, though you should donate.

Great place to camp for free, although we did do a modest donation of $5. Birds were a beautiful background sound effect.

Huge campground with countless beautiful sites. Even if you arrive after sunset, you will definitely find a very nice spot here. The camp host is super nice and friendly. She invited us to go kayaking on the lake, lent us all the equipment for free, and we had a wonderful time with her.

It could really be the perfect campground... but there are two issues to consider:

1. As others have mentioned, freight trains run regularly across from the campground and are incredibly loud. So definitely sleep with earplugs!
2. The restrooms are swarming with flies. I've never seen so many—each restroom has 50-100 flies. It's a shame because this problem could be easily managed.

Still, 5/5, as everything else here is truly more than perfect.

Very nicely run campground and wonderful host. All sites easy walk to or on Reservoir. Trains seemed to whistle through across highway at least 1x every hour until late at night. 🙄 clean bathrooms. Lots of grass area. Locals with their water toys made for happy campers all around. Stayed one nite 6/14/24

Really nice spot with free camping, donations accepted. Run as if a paid campground and lots of overflow space where there were RVs. We got the last site (#35) on a busy holiday weekend, so happy about that as it was getting dark soon!

Picnic tables and firepits with grate for cooking provided. Was able to find kindling in the trees around. 

Bathrooms were pretty nice.

Would definitely recommend.

Really easy campsite off of I-80. Easy to navigate in the dark and flat dirt roads (Masada CX-5). The lake is a hot spot for many different birds and a beaver so no shortage of wildlife. The trains kept me awake until 10:30 and started again at 6am. The campsites that I saw all have picnic tables, fire pits, and BBQ. I felt very safe as a solo female.

The wildlife make dealing with the train worth it, would stay again.

We stayed overnight with no issue. Roads were fine for our class A. Two turnarounds and spacious spots available.

Was able to find a spot in the dark and get set up away from people and close to the lake. Camping was peaceful but the best part was the pictures I got of the lake and the night sky. I was woken up quite early from a passing train so if you plan to sleep in good luck.

We lucked out with this campground staying over Labor Day weekend. Our site (#49) was at the west end of the campground and relatively secluded with a full park. I would think non-holiday weekends would also be crowded, but would thin out during the week. Dry camping, so come prepared. Other than Union Pacific freight trains running frequently it was peaceful. Drove north about 45 miles and spent a day at Scott’s Bluff National Monument. Decent Verizon cell service.

Close to highway and cheap! $5-$10 donation recommended.

Great small beaches to swim. Lots of people very popular spot but also lots of sites to park. Free but with a donation of $5 suggested. Windy so no bugs

This is a large, well maintained, campground situated on a beautiful lake. It is a short hop off from I-80 on state route 30 and could not seem further from the interstate! The only drawback we saw was the trains passing by periodically. There are three entrances, any of which will lead you to a great experience. Have fun!!

This place is huge! There’s 3 sections, each having around 20 campsites. There are multiple clean and stocked restroom houses (vault toilet) throughout each section. Pick out a campsite and be sure to register, camping is free and donations welcome. You can stay for up to 14 days out of a 30 day timeframe. Beautiful and spacious sites along the water and away from the water. You can pick from shaded or sunny sites. There’s no amenities so be sure to pack it in and pack it out as well as come stocked with food and water. There’s a grocery store in Kimball which is about 10 minutes away. The host was always doing maintenance during the day. Very beautiful sunsets here. I stayed late April and only ever had maybe 4 campers during the week and maybe 15 on the weekend. I’d definitely stay here again. My only con is that there’s a train track across the road so you do hear it constantly at night since they love to honk their horns. AT&T cell service was great 2-3 bars LTE.

Very large area so you can have your own space. The sunset over the reservoir was beautiful

Not far off the road in Kimball, NE is a lake with nice large flat spaces. Huge old trees provide shade and we have excellent cell on both our Verizon and at&t networks. Good fishing and a sand swimming beach

It is dry camping with vault toilets and a dump. Actually free, but with a suggested donation. 14 day limit.