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Pawnee State Recreation Area

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Ben Vaneperen of Lincoln makes a turn on his personal watercraft at Pawnee State Recreation Area.
Ben Vaneperen of Lincoln makes a turn on his personal watercraft at Pawnee State Recreation Area. Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.

Photos and story by Eric Fowler

If you want to hop in a boat or on a personal watercraft and go fast, there aren’t many places to visit in southeastern Nebraska. Yet Pawnee State Recreation Area is one of those spots, making it a busy place on a summer weekend. But it is also a quiet place most times, drawing families to its campgrounds, sunbathers to its beaches, anglers to its water and hunters to its woodlands. And all just a short drive from Lincoln.

The 780-acre lake is the second largest of the eight Salt Valley lakes managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and built in the 1960s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control. The lake’s two campgrounds offer nearly 200 sites, 68 with electrical hookups, all with plenty of shade. Lakeview, located on the north side, is the largest and lives up to its name, with tent sites on the water’s edge. Area 3 includes RV and tent sites next to the Middle Creek inlet. A group camp there is popular among Scouts.

Large day-use areas on the east and west sides of the lake draw plenty of folks from the capital city and other nearby communities. Both include sandy swim beaches, and there are two shelters and plenty of picnic tables and grills for those who like dining outdoors on a summer day.

Jonah Phillip, Foster Pierce and Jaydon Phillip of Lincoln play on the swim beach in Area 1.
Jonah Phillip, Foster Pierce and Jaydon Phillip of Lincoln play on the swim beach in Area 1. Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.

Mowed trails and service roads wind through the 1,150 acres of parkland and wildlife management area surrounding the lake. Popular among hikers, bikers and horseback riders, the trails and roads nearly encircle the entire lake, with the only gap being 580 yards along Northwest 126th Street. But don’t let that stop you from making the 7-mile hike.

Along the way, you might spot deer and other wildlife in the woodlands, or shorebirds along the lake’s edge. In the late winter, when ice comes off the lake, there could be as many as 100 bald eagles feasting on gizzard shad that couldn’t handle the cold, a sight that draws photographers from Lincoln and other nearby communities.

Anglers can find blue, channel and flathead catfish, saugeye, and crappies, including some big fish, as well as bluegills at Pawnee. Kids can also keep busy catching white perch and bullheads from the bank.

With no centerfire rifles or handguns allowed, archery and muzzleloader deer hunters are drawn to the area, and squirrel and rabbit hunters have plenty of critters to pursue. Even waterfowl hunters have room to put out a spread of duck or goose decoys on the lake.

A family fishes from the bank near their campsite in the Lakeview Campground.
A family fishes from the bank near their campsite in the Lakeview Campground. Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.


The lake’s shotgun range, located in Area 1, is a popular place among shooters wanting to get tuned up for the hunting season or just learning to shoot. An archery range in Area 3 gets plenty of use as well.

Pawnee has an interesting distinction of being both busy and quiet, perfect both for relaxing away from the crowds, no matter the season, or jumping right in the middle of the summer fun on the water.

Kobie Hill and Caleb Bruhn of Lincoln head back to their vehicles following a morning duck hunt.
Kobie Hill and Caleb Bruhn of Lincoln head back to their vehicles following a morning duck hunt. Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.
Amanda, Joshua and Victoria Walls of Omaha enjoy dinner by lantern light in their screen tent in the Area 3 campground.
Amanda, Joshua and Victoria Walls of Omaha enjoy dinner by lantern light in their screen tent in the Area 3 campground. Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.
A bald eagle perches in a tree in Area 1. The lake is a favorite stop for eagles in the spring.
A bald eagle perches in a tree in Area 1. The lake is a favorite stop for eagles in the spring. Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.
Snow falls on a trail leading through the woodlands at Pawnee State Recreation Area.
Snow falls on a trail leading through the woodlands at Pawnee State Recreation Area. Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.
Pawnee Lake, fed by Middle Creek, is located north of Emerald in Lancaster County.
Pawnee Lake, fed by Middle Creek, is located north of Emerald in Lancaster County. Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.
Kenzie and Brianna Kesselring of Garland ride their horses down a trail in Area 2.
Kenzie and Brianna Kesselring of Garland ride their horses down a trail in Area 2.
Photo by Eric Fowler, Nebraskaland Magazine.