LAKE MCCONAUGHY

2019-86808 2020 lake McConaughy Brochure.indd 12019-86808 2020 lake McConaughy Brochure.indd 1 4/9/2020 10:32:00 AM4/9/2020 10:32:00 AM

CAMP

ING

Lake

McC

onau

ghy

offe

rs v

isito

rs m

any

way

s to

cam

p,

from

Prim

itive

cam

ping

alo

ng th

e sh

orel

ine

on th

e w

hite

sa

ndy

beac

hes

to F

ull H

ooku

p ca

mpi

ng in

Litt

le T

hund

er

and

Lone

Eag

le c

ampg

roun

ds. O

ther

cam

ping

am

eniti

es

incl

ude

Elec

tric

Plu

s an

d B

asic

cam

ping

, alo

ng w

ith

mod

ern

rest

room

s an

d co

in o

pera

ted

show

er h

ouse

fa

cilit

ies

and

dum

p an

d fil

l sta

tions

.

Rese

rvat

ions

for L

ittle

Thu

nder

, Lon

e Ea

gle

and

Lake

O

galla

la c

ampg

roun

ds m

ay b

e m

ade

onlin

e, b

y ph

one

or in

pe

rson

at t

he p

ark

offic

e du

ring

busi

ness

hou

rs. O

vern

ight

ca

mpi

ng fe

es a

pply

. To

mak

e re

serv

atio

ns o

nlin

e, g

o to

O

utdo

orN

ebra

ska.

org.

Pho

ne re

serv

atio

ns c

an b

e m

ade

thro

ugh

the

Neb

rask

a Ga

me

and

Park

s ca

ll ce

nter

at

402-

471-

1414

. The

cal

l cen

ter i

s op

en fr

om 9

a.m

. to

6 p.

m.

Cent

ral T

ime,

Mon

day

– Fr

iday

(clo

sed

on h

olid

ays)

.

FISHIN

GFi

shin

g ha

s lo

ng b

een

a fa

vorit

e ac

tivity

at L

ake

McC

onau

ghy,

with

its

cool

, cle

ar, d

eep

wat

ers.

Gam

e fis

h sp

ecie

s in

clud

e w

alle

ye, c

hann

el c

atfis

h, n

orth

ern

pike

, w

iper

, whi

te b

ass

and

smal

lmou

th b

ass.

The

are

a ha

s fo

ur

fish

clea

ning

sta

tions

loca

ted

at M

artin

Bay

, Ott

er C

reek

, La

ke O

galla

la a

nd C

edar

Vie

w. T

he a

rea

offe

rs s

ever

al

boat

ram

ps w

ith d

ocks

, dep

endi

ng u

pon

wat

er le

vel.

Cont

act t

he V

isito

r’s C

ente

r for

ram

p av

aila

bilit

y. F

uel a

nd

boat

rent

al a

re a

vaila

ble

from

ven

dors

aro

und

the

lake

.

Lake

Oga

llala

is w

ell-k

now

n fo

r its

qua

lity

fishe

ry, a

nd

rain

bow

trou

t are

am

ong

the

spec

ies

mos

t pop

ular

with

an

gler

s. In

add

ition

to ra

inbo

w tr

out,

angl

ers

may

find

yel

low

pe

rch,

cha

nnel

cat

fish

and

an o

ccas

iona

l wip

er.

Lake

Oga

llala

has

impr

oved

ban

k ang

ler a

cces

s are

as in

the

nort

hwes

t cor

ner,

wes

t sid

e an

d ne

ar th

e Ki

ngsl

ey H

ydro

Pl

ant a

long

with

a k

ayak

laun

ch d

ock a

t the

nor

th b

oat r

amp.

Lake

McC

onau

ghy

wh

ite

san

dy

bea

ch

BOAT

ING

As

Neb

rask

a’s

larg

est r

eser

voir,

Lak

e M

cCon

augh

y is

a

prim

e de

stin

atio

n fo

r wat

er s

port

s re

crea

tion.

Whe

ther

you

en

joy

wat

er s

kiin

g an

d tu

bing

, sai

lboa

ting,

par

asai

ling

or

fishi

ng, t

he L

ake’

s 30

,000

sur

face

acr

es p

rovi

de p

lent

y of

sp

ace

for t

hese

and

oth

er a

ctiv

ities

. Br

ing

your

ow

n bo

at o

r pe

rson

al w

ater

craf

t or r

ent o

ne fr

om a

priv

ate

outfi

tter

.

If w

ind

curt

ails

fish

ing,

ski

ing,

sai

ling

and

othe

r wat

er s

port

s on

the

big

lake

, all i

s not

lost

. Lak

e Og

alla

la, lo

cate

d be

low

the

dam

, is o

ften

shel

tere

d fro

m th

e w

ind.

Som

e of

Lak

e M

ac’s

bays

als

o m

ay re

mai

n ca

lm o

n w

indy

afte

rnoo

ns.

VISITO

R AND

WAT

ER IN

TERP

RETIV

E CEN

TER

The

Lake

McC

onau

ghy

Visi

tor a

nd W

ater

Inte

rpre

tativ

e Ce

nter

is o

ne-q

uart

er m

ile s

outh

of K

ings

ley

Dam

on

Hig

hway

61.

The

Vis

itor C

ente

r mak

es a

gre

at fi

rst s

top

upon

arr

ival

as

it ho

uses

the

park

offi

ce, g

ift s

hop

and

publ

ic re

stro

oms,

and

off

ers

a be

autif

ul v

iew

of t

he la

ke.

Neb

rask

a pa

rk p

erm

its, fi

shin

g an

d hu

ntin

g lic

ense

s an

d he

lpfu

l inf

orm

atio

n to

enh

ance

you

r vis

it ar

e al

l ava

ilabl

e he

re. T

he c

ente

r als

o ho

uses

two

1,00

0-ga

llon

aqua

rium

s,

as w

ell a

s st

ate-

of-t

he-a

rt in

tera

ctiv

e ed

ucat

iona

l exh

ibits

de

pict

ing

the

stor

y of

wat

er in

Neb

rask

a an

d th

e hi

stor

y,

hydr

olog

y an

d ge

olog

y of

the

Nor

th P

latt

e Ri

ver V

alle

y an

d La

ke M

cCon

augh

y. L

earn

abo

ut th

e co

nstr

uctio

n of

Ki

ngsl

ey D

am m

ade

from

orig

inal

pho

tos

and

8mm

foot

age

in th

e Et

hel S

. Abb

ott T

heat

er.

Look

ing

for a

loca

tion

to h

ost y

our n

ext m

eetin

g? L

ake

McC

onau

ghy’

s co

nfer

ence

room

and

Eth

el S

. Abb

ott T

heat

er

are

avai

labl

e to

rent

for m

eetin

gs a

nd s

peci

al e

vent

s.

HUNT

ING

Com

e fa

ll, L

ake

McC

onau

ghy

beco

mes

a p

rime

hunt

ing

dest

inat

ion,

esp

ecia

lly fo

r wat

erfo

wl.

Clea

r Cre

ek W

ildlif

e M

anag

emen

t Are

a at

the

wes

t end

of t

he la

ke a

ttra

cts

subs

tant

ial n

umbe

rs o

f Can

ada

gees

e, w

hich

can

be

hunt

ed fr

om p

ublic

blin

ds. O

ther

par

ts o

f the

Wild

life

Man

agem

ent A

rea

offe

r exc

elle

nt h

untin

g fo

r dee

r, ph

easa

nts,

turk

ey a

nd s

mal

l gam

e. A

fter

Lab

or D

ay, p

arts

of

the

Lake

McC

onau

ghy

Stat

e Re

crea

tion

Are

a ar

e op

en

to h

untin

g, a

s w

ell. LA

KE AR

EA FA

CILITI

ESBe

fittin

g its

sta

tus

as o

ne o

f Neb

rask

a’s

top

vaca

tion

spot

s,

Lake

McC

onau

ghy

/ Kei

th C

ount

y ar

ea o

ffers

a w

ide

varie

ty

of lo

dgin

g, d

inin

g an

d re

crea

tiona

l opp

ortu

nitie

s. V

isito

rs

can

stay

in c

abin

s or

mot

el ro

oms,

sta

ke o

ut a

spo

t on

the

whi

te s

and

beac

h or

cho

ose

a m

oder

n ca

mps

ite w

ith a

ll th

e am

eniti

es. A

var

iety

of r

esta

uran

ts in

the

area

will

ser

ve

your

mea

l, or

you

can

coo

k yo

ur o

wn

food

ove

r an

open

ca

mpfi

re. T

o pu

rsue

the

optio

ns a

vaila

ble

to y

ou in

this

are

a,

incl

udin

g bo

at a

nd w

ater

craf

t ren

tals

, par

asai

ling,

gol

fing

and

guid

es to

take

you

fish

ing,

vis

it ilo

vela

kem

ac.c

om.

NEAR

BY AT

TRAC

TIONS

Ash

Hol

low

Sta

te H

isto

rical

Par

k is

a m

ust-

see

whe

n vi

sitin

g La

ke M

cCon

augh

y. A

sh H

ollo

w is

wes

t of t

he la

ke

on U

.S. H

ighw

ay 2

6 an

d w

as a

n im

port

ant s

topp

ing

poin

t on

the

Ore

gon/

Calif

orni

a Tr

ail.

Ruts

of c

over

ed w

agon

s ca

rryi

ng w

estb

ound

imm

igra

nts

on th

e O

verla

nd T

rail

can

still

be

seen

, and

pre

hist

oric

cav

e dw

ellin

gs h

ave

been

pr

eser

ved.

Ash

Hol

low

’s v

isito

r cen

ter o

ffer

s di

spla

ys

and

info

rmat

ion

on th

e ar

ea’s

rich

his

tory

. The

gro

unds

at

Ash

Hol

low

off

er o

ver 2

mile

s of

sce

nic

hiki

ng tr

ails

and

a

desi

gnat

ed a

rea

for e

ques

tria

n rid

ing.

VISITO

RS PL

EASE

NOT

E!• U

nlic

ense

d ve

hicl

es, i

nclu

ding

thre

e- a

nd fo

ur-w

heel

ed

ATVs

, min

i-bik

es a

nd d

irt b

ikes

, are

pro

hibi

ted

in th

e

recr

eatio

n ar

ea.

• No

alco

hol i

s al

low

ed a

t Lak

e M

cCon

augh

y.

Lake McC

on

aug

hy

State R

ecreation

Area

1475 Hwy 61N

/ Ogallala, NE 69153-5930

Phone: 308-284-8800 Em

ail: ngpc.lake.mcconaughy@

nebraska.gov

2019-86808 af 4/18

Any program that receives federal funding from

the National Park Service, or the United

States Fish and Wildlife Service prohibits unlaw

ful discrimination on the basis of race, color,

religion, age, gender, marital status, national origin, age, disability or political affiliation. Any

person who believes he or she has been discrim

inated against in any program, activity,

facility, or service, should contact the Nebraska Gam

e and Parks Comm

ission, Lincoln, NE

402-471-0641, the Equal Opportunity Comm

ission, Lincoln, NE 402-471-2024, TTY/TDD

402-471-4693; United States Fish Wildlife Service, Civil Rights Coordinator, 4401 N

. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203; Director, Equal Opportunity Program

, U.S. Department of Interior,

National Park Service, 1849 C Street N

W, M

ail Code 0008, Washington, D.C. 20240-0001.

LAKE MCCONAUGHY SRAN

early everything about Lake McConaughy is big. A

t 30,000 surface acres it is N

ebraska’s largest reservoir; its dam is

among the largest of its type in the w

orld; and its fish grow

to trophy proportions, accounting for several state records. Even its nicknam

e, “Big Mac,” reflects its size.

Located 8 miles northeast of Ogallala, Lake M

cConaughy State Recreation A

rea is managed by the N

ebraska Game

and Parks Comm

ission and is known to m

ost Nebraskans and

residents of neighboring states as a great place for outdoor recreation. Big M

ac’s white sand beaches and clear w

aters are a favorite w

ith campers, sailboaters, w

ind surfers, sw

imm

ers, water skiers, picnickers, scuba divers, hunters

and others seeking outdoor fun.

SHARE THE SHORELINERem

ember to share the shoreline w

ith the many bird species

that make their hom

e at Lake McConaughy, especially the

endangered Interior Least Tern and threatened Piping Plover that m

ake their nests along the shoreline. Visitors (and their dogs) are rem

inded to give them a w

ide berth. Visitors must

avoid marked or fenced-off nesting areas of beach, obey all

signs, and keep all pets on leashes.

MORE INFORMATION

A valid Nebraska Park Entry Perm

it is required for all vehicles entering the park. Perm

its can be purchased:

• At O

utdoorNebraska.org

• At the park

• From Gam

e and Parks permitting offices or

permit vendors

Fish

ing

on L

ake

McC

onau

ghy

Vis

itor

and

Wat

er In

terp

reta

tion

Cen

ter

STATE RECREATION AREA

LAKE M

CCONAUGHY

Pip

ing plover

OutdoorN

ebraska.org

2019-86808 2020 lake McConaughy Brochure.indd 22019-86808 2020 lake McConaughy Brochure.indd 2 4/9/2020 10:38:48 AM4/9/2020 10:38:48 AM