Pawnee State Recreation Area

**Pawnee Lake State Recreation Area** was within 30 minutes of Lincoln, NE . Try to make sure all essentials are packed to enjoy your stay without frequent trips to town. This is one of those spots where you can easily park the car and use other means of transportation for your whole visit.(ie, feet, bike, boat, horse, etc.)

There are options to where you camp. RV sites and tent in three different areas. This is not my favorite sort of tent camping, you have to park and walk everything to your site. Some tent sites are located right on the lake which is nice, you can easily park your watercraft nearby. However if it’s busy your neighbors are going to be very nearby. Not much privacy in that case. We however were completely alone when we visited, the crappy weather played a part I’m sure. Shade, which we didn’t need and picnic tables. If you have a hammock you may have an issue with getting it hung, bring alternate means of suspension.

The trails are multi-use so pay attention. We were hiking in the rain so did not see anyone but the trail apples were fresh. Were we hiked it was grassy and mostly level, there was an area where hikers had trails to themselves and a few benches to sit on.

The lake looked nice but I didn’t see anyone on it. I didn’t see any algae signs but the weather may have been a factor too. We overnighted so I didn’t get to completely explore the entire area. It was pretty quiet, some motor noises but they were more of a background noise. Worth an extended stay as long as the lake is open.

Roomy but not

Located just a bit west of Lincoln, NE on nice sized Pawnee Lake.  Paved roads and paved sites with a section of first come, first serve sites (about 35 sites or half of the electric ones) with electric only (a few have 50A like ours, site 73). A good water spigot is located just as you enter the camping area and a few others are dispersed in the cg.  The lake was closed due to a toxic algae bloom which meant that is was a little quieter than normal.  The nice dump station is located a couple of miles down the road near the Park Office.  There are a couple of day use areas located on the lake also with boat ramps.  A large tent only area (50 sites) is located next to the lake and there is only one bath house in the park in the RV loop with high pressure showers.  The cg is self registration.

Popular Equestrian CG

This is a nice campground all in all. The staff was friendly and the shower/restroom facilities were clean. There were not many tent campers in our area, mostly big RVs. The camp sites were fairly close together, so you can definitely hear your neighbors, but it wasn't a big deal. One funny thing to note is that there are plenty of big trees, but they are all just too far apart to use a hammock.

Hope you like your neighbors!

Pawnee SRA is a well maintained family friendly SRA North West of Lincoln Nebraska. You’ll find powered and primative sites accommodating RV’s to tents. Pawnee can be busy during Husker Football Saturdays in the fall as an alternative to expensive lodging in town so plan ahead. You’ll find fun hiking trails along a creek, a shower house, playground, and even an archery range. In the fall this campground is near hunting land so wear bright clothes if you are going on a hike. This is one of my family’s favorite SRA’s within 30 minutes of Lincoln. You won’t regret a stay at this beautiful campground.

Well maintained gem

Clean, fairly easy to get checked into after the offices close, and pretty well cozy. Some road construction had me confused about where to camp, but a little exploring made for an easy camp set. Some highway noise in the background, but mostly peaceful.

Convenient and cozy.

The pros! Lakeside tent camping is always fun.  Lots of activities, like boating, swimming, fishing, hiking, etc. And its close to town. 

The cons! Its close to town, so it can be a bit crowded on nicer weekends. 

Its great for overnighters in the middle of the week. 

Close to town lakeside tent camping

Pawnee is a lake that offers the ability of various water and other activities.   There are the obvious acitivies for the water.  Such as fishing, all types of motor boats, jet skies, all types of water skiing and tubing.  I did see numerous kayaks at campsites I passed by as well.  But kinds seemed to have to rough of water for a novice like me.  There are also a couple swimming beaches, nature trails, horse shoe pits, and a disc golf course.  I want to say that the trails are used for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders, because I saw a couple road apples.  Honestly that don't bother me because I watch were I step, due to some parks I have visited have venomous snakes on The trail.  The campsites for tents did have some shade for lake camping.  The rv park seems to be fairly close together, but that could be common because I am a tent camper and don't pay attention that close.  There is a horse camp on The other end of the lake west side that has corals in it.  I would say that Pawnee is a definite a stop even for a day trip for outdoor or nature enthusiasts.  Especially sense it's just out side west of Lincoln.

A beautiful lake just west of Lincoln ne

We’ve spent so much time here. The location is great, lake is great, and the people have always been awesome! We love boating, swimming, camping. Family favorite! 

Here at least once a week in the summer!

Stayed here on our way traveling out west. The sites were awesome!  Very well-kept grounds and a beautiful park. Lots of wildlife and nice and quiet.

Great Place to Stay!

This was my second time staying here and it wasn’t as nice as I remembered. Our site was filled with garbage and we had to move sites. Other than that it is in a great location and their bathroom/shower house has been updated which was nice. 

Pawnee State Recreation 

Night 3 on our trip from NY to CO. What a beautiful park! We will definitely come back here when we have more time to spend. 

Fantastic park with lots to do

We had a great weekend in Area 3 of the Pawnee Recreational Area. Big spots, good working power for 30 amd 50 amp, but no water at the sites. The camp host had 200 feet of hose and we filled the clear tank from that. Lots of hiking trails, very nice weekend!

Area 3 

This campground is so peaceful. It’s one of our favorites. The trees have turned and leaves are falling. The air is cool. Love it.

The bath house was recently replaced. It is clean. Shower rates (bring quarters) are reasonable. $.50 for 3 minutes and every $.25 gives another 90 seconds. The change machine was either broken or out of change but that seems to be the norm this year at Nebraska parks. 

There’s some mowed/natural trails to hike and Area 1 has a fun 9-hole disc golf course. There’s a swimming beach at Area 1 as well but it’s too cold this time of year. 

Picnic tables are permanently in the ground. Many sites have a sidewalk from the pad to the table but ours did not. 