14 NEBRASKAland • DECEMBER 2018
By Cara Pesek
Nebraska's state parks and recreation areas – which
annually attract hundreds of thousands of campers, boaters,
anglers and others who love the outdoors – are increasingly
becoming destinations during the winter months, too, with
year-round cabin rentals, snowshoeing, holiday events,
Christmas bird counts, and more.
Perhaps no park is as busy during the winter as Eugene
T. Mahoney State Park, where the Activity Center has long
provided cooped up kids a place to burn off energy on its
indoor playground. This year, a new feature at the Activity
Center provides a place for older kids and adults to get a
winter dose of adventure, too.
Venture Climb, housed in a new, state-of-the-art addition
to the Activity Center, opened in November, just as the
weather turned cold. It features a 42-foot climbing wall
with both auto- and top-rope belays, as well as a bouldering
structure. Walls of varying heights and difficulty offer simple
routes for tykes as young as two or three, and advanced
routes challenge even experienced climbers.
"Mahoney State Park is becoming a destination for visitors
who want to have a unique, memorable and adventurous
experience," said Jim Swenson, state parks director for the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. "We are thrilled to
be able to offer another fun and engaging challenge for our
park visitors."
A family could easily spend a whole day at the Activity
Center, which in addition to Venture Climb and the popular
indoor playground, also include an outdoor skating rink
that offers scenic views of the whole park, as well as an
impressive sledding hill, complete with a snow machine.
For pricing, hours and more information for all Activity
Center features visit OutdoorNebraska.org/Mahoney. ■
New Climbing Wall at Mahoney State Park
PHOTO
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
Alyssa Baldridge of Lincoln ascends the indoor climbing wall at
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park.
