State Recreation Area

Fort Kearny State Recreation Area

Buffalo & Kearney County, NebraskaAbout 376 acres
Status
Open (per official listing)
Entrance fee
Not posted
Day-use reservations
None mentioned
Dogs
Not stated — check with park
Camping
Yes
Official site
outdoornebraska.gov(308) 865-5305

Official page last checked Oct 29, 2026. How we keep this current

Overview

Covering about 376 acres, Fort Kearny State Recreation Area lies in Buffalo & Kearney County, about 6 miles southeast of Kearney.

The park supports cross-country skiing, winter sports, boating, swimming, and fishing. On the water side, there is a swimming beach and a fishing pier. For overnight stays there are campsites (tent sites and showers).

Camping

Campground or site typeSitesHookups / featuresPrice
Camping
Park-level flags from NGPC GIS; individual campgrounds and site counts not published in this source.
—ElectricShowers—
Camping details from the park

Camping: Yes. Site types: pads with electric, pads without electric, non-pad sites without electric. Facilities in park: showers, dump station, drinking water, modern restrooms.

From the official park page, checked Oct 29, 2026. Site counts and prices can change; confirm when booking.

Things to do

CampingBoatingFishingPicnickingSwimmingWinter sportsCross-country skiingHikingBikingWildlife viewing and birding

Trails

TrailLengthDifficultyNotes
Fort Kearny Nature Trail0.93 mi—Status: Open Restricted (lengths summed from GIS segments)HikeDog SledSnowshoeCross Country SkiNative Material surface
Fort Kearny Hike Bike Trail1.8 mi—Status: Open Restricted (lengths summed from GIS segments)HikeRoad BikeMountain BikeDog SledSnowshoeCross Country SkiDecking, Hard Surface, Imported Material surface
Trail descriptions from the park

Fort Kearny Nature Trail (0.93 mi)

Fort Kearny Hike Bike Trail (1.8 mi)

Boating and paddling

Boating

Fishing

Fishing, Accessible fishing piers

A state fishing license is usually required.

Amenities

Facilities

  • Restrooms
  • Flush toilets
  • Vault or pit toilets
  • Showers
  • Drinking water
  • Picnic areas
  • Picnic shelters
  • Playground
  • Parking

Water

  • Swimming beach
  • Fishing pier

Camping

  • RV dump station
  • Tent camping

Accessibility

  • Accessible fishing

✓ listed by the park · ✕ the park says it is not available. Anything not shown here isn’t mentioned by the official source — that means unknown, not unavailable.

Accessibility

  • Accessible fishing

Conditions change. Contact the park to confirm specific accessible features before your visit.

Getting there

Address
2199 30 Road
Kearney, NE 68847-9804
Nearest town
Kearney — about 6 mi southeast (straight line)
Coordinates
40.6568, -98.9939
Phone
(308) 865-5305
Email
ngpc.Fort.Kearny@nebraska.gov

Google Maps directionsApple Maps

Nearby state parks

Fort Kearny State Historical Park
1.2 mi southwest (straight line)
Windmill State Recreation Area
8.8 mi northeast (straight line)
Union Pacific State Recreation Area
13.7 mi west (straight line)
War Axe State Recreation Area
14.4 mi east (straight line)
Sandy Channel State Recreation Area
20 mi west (straight line)
Cheyenne State Recreation Area
22.3 mi east (straight line)
Mormon Island State Recreation Area
34.7 mi east (straight line)
DLD State Recreation Area
37.3 mi east (straight line)

Sources and freshness

“Last checked” is when our system last read the official source. No change has been detected since this page was first published. Hours, fees and rules can change without notice — confirm with the park before you go. Methodology

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