Lake Ogallala Campground

We drive across Nebraska a few times a year and as long and boring as the drive is, Lake Ogallala and Lake McConaughy (across the highway) are true gems! ReserveAmerica was not the most helpful when we made reservations as it stated that there was a water hookup at the site (not true) and there was a dump station in the campground (also not true), so be aware. There are water spigots throughout the campground though and a dump station at Lake McConaughy State Park Campground across the highway – the day use fee you pay to stay at Ogallala should get you into McConaughy as well without any added cost. The campground was very pretty, lots of large, old growth trees and big, grassy sites with level, gravel parking pads right on the edge of the lake. Campground has WiFi available as well (for a fee)

We were here from 6/28-7/1, Sunday to Wednesday. The campground was beautiful with plenty of trees for shade. The lake was breathtaking especially in the evenings around sunset. Roads were nice. Each site was a back in, some gravel and others slightly paved. Was very quiet, which we liked. Lake McConaughy was just on the other side of the dam which was close enough for us to go and play during the day and then come back to quiet Lake Ogallala to relax and rejuvenate. We did have 30 amp hookup however the breaker was broken when we got there. I called the visitor center and they had a maintenance guy there within 30 minutes to fix it. There was only a fire pit with a grill/grate top to cook on. Wish we would have brought our tabletop grill!! Overall this is a great campground close to the action but far enough away to be relaxing. We will definitely keep this on our list for camping.

The sites are level and spacious with gravel; there are trees and some grass. This campground is near a trail, which wanders around another small lake. Lots of waterfowl.

The sites are all back-in, which is perfect for trailers and 5th wheels. But we have a class A so we couldn't take one of the waterfront sites. We parked across the road, which fit us just fine.

Not full hook-up; Electricity and 50 amp, but no dump. However there is a dump site in the campground next to this one.

Before our planned 5 nights at a commercial park we wanted a night at a quieter and less crowded park. The campground at Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area was our choice. This campground is on Ogallala Lake which is just below the earthen dam that forms Lake McConaughy Reservoir north of Ogallala Nebraska. It's located about 14 miles north of I-80 off Nebraska 61. If driving from I-80 you go all the way across the dam and turn right following the signs to the state recreation area. The campground is about mile down at the second right.

Camping is laid out in 3 loops. The furthest loop is all first-come first-served. Most sites in the other 2 loops are reservable from May 15th to October 15th. We showed up on a Monday night at the end of September and there were only 5 other sites taken in the campground.

Most campsites have electric. There are water faucets scattered throughout the campground. There is no dump station. There's a central bathroom with showers. A new bathroom is under construction nearby with individual bathrooms. Loop roads and pads are paved which was nice after some significant rain in the area recently.

There is a pay wifi hotspot with the option to buy 24 hours for $3.99. I'm not sure how fast it would be if the campground was crowded. With the campground empty I measured 3 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up which was adequate for email and Facebook.

The campground is nicely treed. Our site was right on the lake although it was too cold to try swimming. There is a hiking/biking trail that leaves from just beyond the 3rd loop and plenty of access around the lake for fishing.