28 Nebraskaland • June 2023
ranched Oak State Recreation Area is a
busy place. Especially in the summer.
Which makes sense considering the
1,800-acre reservoir is the largest body of
water within an hour's drive of more than half
of Nebraska's population.
On weekends from late-spring into fall,
the lake is abuzz with boats pulling skiers,
wakeboarders and tubers, and with personal
watercraft. When the wind chases those folks
off the water, the sailboats moored in the
Branched Oak Lake Marina or parked at the
Lincoln Sailing Club fi nd a little more room to
maneuver.
The park's three modern campgrounds can
be just as busy: show up with your RV Friday
evening, or even Thursday, and you're likely to
fi nd all 345 spots are already taken. Demand
isn't as high for the 195 tent sites spread
throughout those three campgrounds and fi ve
others. When summer heat sets in, the two
swim beaches are the place to be for many.
Picnic shelters in the day-use areas seldom go
unused on summer evenings.
Anglers fi sh the lake year-round, in open
water or through the ice. Many hope to hook one
of the big walleyes, wipers and fl athead catfi sh
the lake holds. In the fall, waterfowl hunters set
decoys out on the lake and the creeks that feed
it, and pheasant, quail and deer hunters search
for game in the grasslands and woodlands that
comprise the 2,865-acre wildlife management
area and 1,000 acres of parkland surrounding it.
Birdwatchers fl ock to the area when bald eagles
arrive in numbers in late winter, to watch the
colony of bank swallows on the south shore in
the summer, and the rest of the year to view
many species of grassland, woodland and water
birds that spend all or part of the year there.
The park boasts nearly 17 miles of trails.
Some are groomed by local mountain bikers,
who zoom through the woods and grasslands
in Area 7. Horseback riders take care of a maze
of trails on the lake's south shore, many of them
setting off for their ride from the equestrian
camp in Area 2. During the winter, cross-
country skiers never miss a chance to cut fresh
powder.
Skiers who prefer snow will fi nd Branched
Oak to be a quieter place than those who prefer
water. But chances are they won't have the area
to themselves, which can be the case at many
of the state's parks. Not a day goes by that
you won't fi nd someone doing something at
Branched Oak.
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