Branched Oak State Recreation Area – Homestead

12000 West Branched Oak Rd.
Raymond, NE 68428

USANebraskaRaymond

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GPS Coordinates: 40.95722 -96.87315

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What a great find! We were rolling through Nebraska and the park we had planned on staying at was full, go figure. Checked the site and found this one. They use Reserve America and because of that silly system and the way government agencies just don’t do commercial stuff right there is a 3 day window where sites become first come first served. We arrived on a summer Sunday to find 3 full hookup sites available for first come first served. Now I need to point out the annoying… the park reserves the right to reserve sites within the 3 day window IF someone calls in. So you are forced to re-register and pay day by day for each day you want to stay. It is an asinine and silly rule but alas that is how government works. Your fallback could always be water electric sites as there were literally hundreds of those available during our 3 day stay.

Beautiful park and the sites were an easy walk from a small swim beach. The water is perfect for swimming in, not too hot not too cold. It is reasonably shallow out to the 5 mph buoy and simply lovely for cooling off.

Our large rig fit right in to the site as it is smartly angled to the road for easy backing. Sites have good separation with picnic tables and fire rings. All the neighbors were on vacation and in great moods. A lovely fun place to stay. If you have a boat the lake is a blast for skiing, fishing and jet skis. Lots of campers stay down in the partial hookup backins, hang out on the beach and bring their boats on to the sand.

A nice playground is located behind the swim beach also.

The park is 15 minutes from downtown Lincoln which is a neat place to visit.

Nebraska State Parks have cheap camping rates BUT they get you on per vehicle fees. For out of state residents it is $8 per car per day in addition to the camping fee. If you are towing a trailer with a truck you have to pay the $8 for your truck! Nightly rate for full hookups with a trailer and truck comes out to $34 per night.

Verizon 4G was solid.

Side note this is Nebraska so you need to be aware of weather. The park had been hit by sever thunderstorms two days early bringing down lots of trees and large limbs on to the campsites. Be aware.
9 years ago
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Overall Rating

Ease of Access

Quality of Sites

Customer Service

Reservation Process

Ambiance

Local Area

One of the best campgrounds we have ever visited. As noted in the description they offer only 12 full hookup sites but we stayed in October during the week and arrived without reservations to stay in site 77 for 3 days. Nebraska uses Reserve America so avoiding reservations saves $7 enough to cover one day of one vehicle entrance fee. The full hookup sites are only $26 per night BUT you also have to pay per motorized vehicle (in our case 2) $5 each = $10 per day extra. Even at $36 per night it is still reasonable. If you can do with partial hookups it is even cheaper.

The best sites are 71-77 for the full-hookup sites as they all backup and overhang a slope that then overlooks the western arm of the lake. Amazing views and a short walk down to the picnic area, small sandy beach and playground. There are some fun little single track biking, hiking, horsebacking trails that depart from this area. In addition the paved roads looping around the lake are lightly traveled and make for a solid 11 mile loop, through in an out and back to the Area 3-8 peninsula and you have a 13 mile ride. (South Shore Campground or Area 1)

Verizon 4G was 4 bars solid and fast. Over the air digital TV was excellent. Nights were quiet and neighbors were great… all i all a very special campground near Lincoln Nebraska. We would absolutely return again if passing through.
11 years ago

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Branched Oak State Recreation Area Campground in Raymond Nebraska offers full (12 sites), partial (287 sites) and primitive RV and tent camping in 9 campgrounds situated around a recreational lake. Boating, fishing, hiking, and biking. This state park is popular in season and offers excellent camping opportunities no matter your preference. Campground areas range from dirt/ gravel roads and pads to paved roads and parking pads (south area). The park is very family friendly with fire rings, picnic tables, and bbq stands. Warmer months find this park crowded with vacationers enjoying the waters and pretty scenery.

Note: GPS coordinates are to the South Camping area. A paved road circles the lake and is accessible to RVs. The surrounding area is rolling hills with no shoulders so drivers are encouraged to use caution and care.

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