26 Nebraskaland • May 2026
T
alk to the people who go to Alexandria State Recreation
Area, and they will tell you how great it is. And why:
because no one's there.
Indeed, the campgrounds at the quiet, secluded getaway
northwest of Fairbury are rarely full. About the only time
they are is during the annual Camp Spook Halloween
celebration in October. The rest of the year, even on holiday
weekends, you can almost have your pick of the 53 sites in
the park's two campgrounds.
The main draw at the park, affectionately known to locals
as the Alexandria State Lakes, is the two spring-fed lakes.
The lakes didn't exist when the Game, Forestation and
Parks Commission purchased the 40 acres in 1930; there
was only a spring-fed marsh with a muck bottom known to
grab ahold of the feet of duck hunters and wayward cattle
and not let go.
ABOVE: A haunted tunnel graces a campsite during the annual
Camp Spook Halloween event at Alexandria State Recreation Area.
RIGHT: The 95-acre park features two lakes covering 43 acres and
two campgrounds.
BELOW: The glow of a lakeside campsite is reflected in Lake 2.
