Reviews of Branched Oak State Recreation Area (Park)

Dylan Pittman

Nice boats for rent. They have a few options. Live music every Sunday night starts at 6pm throughout the summer at the bar/restaurant. Stopped for lunch with my son he loves the lake and we will be renting a boat again next summer. And you can get fishing Lic at same stop as boat rental. Be safe.

Xavior Lincoln

Huge, mowed, and lots of boats. A very nice lake that I've only been to once to fish with a buddy and the jetty we tried was very jagged rocks, no path down the middle. I also didn't catch anything but my friend was lucky.. probably just better at fishing tho...

Ashley

Grew up going to this lake and still prefer this lake over any around the Lincoln area.

William Luong

Great fishing big lake big fish

Shawn Raiter

Went there to eat had a good veiw of the lake they had a band the food was ok

Carl Luke Wid

I like the area. Decent sized lake and has all the amenities.

Jeanna Little

The people at the Branched Oak Yacht Club are so nice and welcoming.

Dylan Henry

Great lake to spend the afternoon or the weekend!

Jamie Crane

Good lake for carp.

Jeremie Green

I wish the marina had a decent restuarant... the one that's there has a very limited menu and it's expensive for what you get

Jeremy Skrdla

Nice place, but really busy on the weekends

Michael Webb

So much fun, I recommend bringing jet skis if you have them, the beaches are great as well. Can get more busy around 2pm

Tamara Smith

Absolutely beautiful,clean well kept parking, loved swimming.

Bellemc22

Just beautiful! Great place to take the bikes. Love it!

Terry Wieczorek

Nice lake - great little bar and grille next to the boat ramp

Kim Zwiener

View from picnic area on south shore swim beach. June/2019. No beach in sight with all the rain we've had this year. But still fun, all the same.

Justin Harris

Great place for primative camping!

Aairo Heart

Branched oak is a nice lake to take your family to to just have a good time fishing, grilling, etc. What I would like to see more of from them is more private camping spots, if I wanted neighbors I'd stay home. There's a lack or that nature experience when it comes to camping. At least plant more trees so that there's that illusion of privacy

daryla isaacs

Need 2 people at gate to let those people who have park passes through. Dangerous at times when traffic backs up into the main road!

Jordan Gottula

Great lake one of the more crowded ones around lincoln but still fun

Jason Bagley

Branched Oak State Park is a beautiful park with a large lake for boating, fishing, and swimming. There are places to camp/RV or just picnic/grill. Near the swimming area they have public bathrooms and showers which is nice. It is a little isolated and can be difficult to find, but overall it is a beautiful place to spend a day or weekend.

Gandolf Grey

Nice place but too many people leave there trash everywhere and take fish that are below the size limit. You know the ones the V.C. army

Roger Cherry

The DNR they're at the park are a bunch of idiots! One in particular, but the others follow and don't call him out! Someone disobeys the leash law, and the other one calls me out on it because their dog is attacking, but the guy who had his dog on a leash goes to jail and is a decorated veteran and former police officer! What a bunch of yahoos, like Barney Fife

Roberta Gilleland

Love this place been coming for 26 years!

Linda

They keep the grounds clean and patrol to prevent or stop troublemakers. Just not enough dump stations.

Brenda Rathe

Great place to relax or have a blast

Donald Stebbins

This is a great place for AKC field trials

Kevin Allen Sr.

Very nice....but no fish..

Jenna Jones

Love that my dogs are allowed here (but there is also a beach with no pets allowed for those that perfer no animals). It's a clean lake, well organized, and lots of fun!

Vanessa Johnson

The sunset are awesome!

Dave Hultgrien

They raised nightly rates from $20 to $25. They haven't improved the parks or the roads.

Brian Anderson

Sunsets are amazing here. Great beach as well.

Fat Mama

This is a nice park. The lake is beautiful. The only downside is if you go here on any sort of holiday during the summer, be prepared to feel like a sardine. The camper sites are extremely close to each other. So you're going to get to see your neighbor's quite a bit, whether you want to or not.

wkempcke .

It is a nice place with the exception neighbors across from us had very loud music all day and until 1AM. Someone did call the sheriff on them but they all hid. When sheriff left they all came out again. But at least the music was turned down.

Lily H

Best lake to boat or fish in the area

Katie Keber

It's a pretty neat place. The green algea was a bit creepy but I guess thats just nature.. The game wardens and cops really only mess with ya on the holidays. Other than that it's pretty chill and a nice place to spend the weekends! I'd go there again and again!

Ashley Hildreth

This is the lake I always go to, love the boathouse bar and the staff, best camping place

Steve Schumacher

Great swimming beaches! We drove down from Omaha on a friday afternoon. We spent a few minutes fishing (our kids are young and get bored easily) but both kids managed to catch a bluegill (crappie?) And were happy. Then we went over to the north swimming beach (Area 10?). We loved it but we later found out it is the worst of the two swimming beaches. The sand is more muddy here than the other beach and the wind was pushing floaties down the beach instead of back towards the shore. We have been back 2 more times since that first time and loved it both times. All 3 times the wind breeze was blowing from south to north. So the lieber point beach is by far the better of the two but as you 3xpect is also more crowded.

Matt Cogdill

We have been coming here for years. We have tent camped for many of those and recently bought a camper and have been out this summer numerous times. We kayak, jet ski and fish this lake and love it. Great family atmosphere. The only reason I didn't give a 5 star is because we could use another swim beach or two.

Vital SMITH

Too much bugs and insects. They all will be inside your rv, they will pass through the screens. Nasty place. Not recommending.

Tenant DeBerg

Great lake for recreation, just need some of the visitors to obey the rules.

Matt Nelson

Great place for a late season race!

Danny Boyce

It a good place to camp but hard to get a spot

tara smith

Love this Lake, plenty of room for large gatherings. Good prices

Mona Whitlake

Relaxing. Great place to get away and expose children to nature.

Ned Doricent

Very very very very over fishing place. Great place for camping and seeing tons of people.

Rafael Estrada Moncada

Definitely a cool place to train for a sprint triathlon! The swim, bike and run course are all on line for the last blast Lincoln sprint and Olympic triathlon!

John Adsit

Love the lake and the campgrounds but to much reserved area.

Angie Madden

This recreation area has a lake that can be boated, camping electrical and primitive, fishing, marina, plenty of day use space and fun! We enjoy the wide open spaces and the well kept park!

Josh Brown

It was awesome, would be nice if there would be restricted boat beaching. That way the tent camp spots wouldnt be cluttered with boats and people from RV sites like they have been this year.

Josh Michaud

It was lovely. Would be nice if people picked up their trash instead of leaving it everywhere!

Phil

Had fun fishing with my kids

Aysha Lawson

Fun day trip with friends and family

Dan Burt

The best lake in Southeast Nebraska by far.

Sidney Moyer

It is a nice area, but it's kind of cramped. The bathrooms are disgusting and the water smells awful. Other than that, it is a fun area with a lot to do.

Bryan Swanson

Great place, wish weather had cooperated.

LaVonna Cline

Enjoyed the first really warm day of spring by just sitting in our camp chairs and soaking in nature.

gettin it done

Great big place with more than enough to do

Lori Copeland

Awesome place.

jake jacoby

Amazing park with great views and really inexpensive

Cami Norman

Nice place to relax and unwind. Get back to nature

RuBix GoKu

Beautiful place to enjoy the outdoors

Josh Schumacher

The beaches are gravel and the playgrounds are limited. It's always overcrowded with campers and the lake water is disgusting.

Lori Grinvalds

Very poorly organized vehicle departure for Sprint Triathalon. We are still waiting to get out. Ridiculous.

Shannon Parra

I love going out to branches oak.

Carleen Kinney-brown

Was happy to see clean bathrooms and swimming areas. Was a wonderful place.

Dwaine Anno

Family atmosphere and good rv sites

Brandon Wallace

Great site, just wasn't taken care of very well. Bathrooms were never stocked, and our site had trash that we had to pick up upon arriving, other than that great. Maybe just an off weekend for em? Who knows...

Marlon Weiss

Water temp good, lots of boats, dog friendly. Marina nice. Out of good cell phone range. Friendly staff.

J Sherman

Nice place to camp. Pro was people respected the quiet hours. Cons were (and there are a lot) people let their dogs roam free which is against park rules, they parked on the grass with trucks and boats against park rules, people would speed through the area. They need to change the rule for marking your camp spot. There were tents only on spots for days with no one there because they wanted the spot for Memorial Weekend, two weeks away. There should be a 24 hour rule, be here or lose the spot. Others couldn't camp because of this. There are other rules not followed, but I can't remember them now.

Becky Gaffney

Nice beach and picnic facilities.

Kallie Krugman

Beautiful grounds. Nice lake, lots of space. But some bathrooms are not very clean, I recommend holding your breath.

Sean Brozak

I love branched oak. I always stay in middle oak. Showers need updated though but the water has always been warm. Always see a games and parks person multiple times a day and they will stop if you need help. Just wish people would pick up there own trash.

Thireena Yuki Ono

Used to be a nice place for the family but now it's all about parties. Drunken adults and loud music. Definitely don't want to bring your kids here on a weekend. Maybe a weekday fishing day will suffice. I'm going to be headed to other smaller lakes around Lincoln instead.

Tonya Barnes

Absolutely love it out there!!! Always a great family time. Area 4 is a clean, spacious area. We love it

Sarah Lightbody

Beautiful lake and beach. Restaurant was fun too.

Jan Hall Synacek

Nice for camping swimming fishing over nite stays vacationing. Prices good. Clean well kept park.

Skeet Riggs

I've met alot of good fun people out here. Always willing to help

Mely Q

Good fishing and awesome place

Christina McClain

I love this lake. Great food at bar, reliable marina, & nice services.

Tom Tom

Well taken care of and plenty of space, lake was a little crowded but extremely friendly! Easy to access the boat docks in and out.

Jane Riskowakl

It was so beautiful. Staff was very helpful Thank you branched oak for a wonderful time.

Morgan Ballard

Always a good time

Jim Burnett

Would camp here again. Very pleasant by the lake. Last time we rented a pontoon boat and the kids swam in the water--too cold for me though!

Steven Wagle

Nice park. Beach, picnic areas, camping. Huge lake.

Scott Johnson

Nice lake. Great for all ki D's of activities

Jonta Nivongsa

Great lake! Very popular so if you want calmer water go on a weekday

Beryl Barnes

It was so peaceful and romantic

Holly Silva

It's Beautiful!! Area 3 was just a little to busy.

Sandra Garcia

Big lake! Good for swimming, fishing, boating, and hiking

Lacey Slocum

Always fun. Fun to swim just packed and good fishing as well. Pretty sites !

Edgar Ortiz

Awesome lake for fishing, hunting, and camping.

Krystal Peters

Had an amazing time celebrating my best friends birthday!!!

Holly Kelch

Trees for shade and quiet area But need to mow grass a little shorter.

Lee Jergenson

A fun location for a family outing nice campsites and fishing is always productive.

Rae Wulf

Nice small beaches and lots of camping area, Branched Oak Lake is lovely and not too far from Lincoln to be inconvenient. We love going out in the evenings once in a while during the summer months and just chilling on in the sand! The water isn't ALWAYS the cleanest, but it is a small lake in the middle of the country, not Lake Michigan by any means. Great for grilling out and chilling!

Rebecca Eschenweck

Lots of garbage laying around. Makes me sad people can't be responsible for their trash.

brandon stauffer

Nice campsites. We tent camped with a family of 6 and it was ideal. Only thing that would have made it better was catching some fish. The sandy beach was great to let the kids get in the water for a couple hours as well.

Kim Zierke

Very nice campground. Clean, well kept and level.

Heath Dumler

We love this park. Natural areas are gorgeous.

Deedra Zumbrunn

Great place to camp and enjoy friends and family! Good shaded places, good fishing and swimming!

Jeffery Person

Beautiful well groomed park. Plenty of bathrooms and showers. Nice trails, great place to take your dogs, nice camping.

Adam Langley

It's great place, but there is no hot water in the shower, but I like it alot

Ryan Ellison

Gorgeous area with nice beaches and nice water!

Jarret Bruckner

Good time with friends, very peaceful. A couple who were camping next to where we were decided to have a fight while we were out there (she ended up winning.)

Timothy Finch

Good place to swim, the water is checked every week. Places to grill and have a nice party. There is a small play ground for kids. Bad part is the sand on the beach is as hard as a rock. I wore crocs and did just fine.

Josh Wall

Very fun camping area. Always booked up and hard to find room at the last minute. the swimming areas are nice. Beautiful lake and good bar and grill.

Matt Schneider

They need to spend the money we spend for camping on their park and not send it to other parks like mahony state park, bathrooms need work in area 2

Neil Schmidt

This park is not bad fishing and good for the family

Sandra Kosierowski

Beautiful scenery. We enjoy the swimming area. Great fish cleaning station. Kids like the playground. Trails for hiking or biking.

Dean Vavra

Nice well maintained park,

Kyle Deppe

Clean facilities and a great beach

Brian Clift

I've been going to Branched Oak since the mid 80s as a kid. After a few years of my not going, I started taking my family there. We've had decent experiences up until this year. The beach and swimming area were full of beer cans, bottles, and worst of all broken glass. Within 5 minutes, the first kid in our group came to me with a small cut on her foot. I didn't think much of it and she wanted to keep swimming. Within 5 minutes after that my son had a piece of glass stabbed 1.5" into his foot. I took him back to camp to get bandaged up. Not much after returning from camp a third kid got a slash on his foot that may require stiches. Unfortunately I don't think we can come back in good conscience, out of respect for our children's health. Ruined what was becoming a family tradition

Daniel Agosto

Loved it went sailing with brother in law

Christopher Vance

I think it's great for the weekends it's a good place to get breakfast and I have had many fun camping nights... Thanks

coryn does

Historic old school district with history of ppl going to "bazaars" and having basic shops/business around. Swimming/camping/fishing around it is a great way to keep the area alive. Lots of fishing spots, even on a busy weekend.

frank m

Clean grounds and overall well maintained park. I'm camping next to two empty handicap accessible RV sites that I was not allowed to reserve despite a physical need and handicap license plates from my state of residence. Attempted to use the handicap accessible shower which was rather clean for a campground shower, but was out of service. I don't mean to suggest this isn't a great place, but if you require accommodations for mobility issues you will not find them here, or through Nebraska Game and Parks camp site reservations. Go Big Red

Erin Ng

Nice place to swim just 20 minutes outside of Lincoln. Drinks are allowed before 10pm, and we also brought our dog (on her leash) out in the water with us. The only thing that would be nice is more shaded areas or tress on/near the beach.

Richard Bourisaw

Had an absolute blast here. Swimming area is great. Family friendly.

Vinnie Treinen

Loved everything about my weekend... Except the weather. Nice big open campgrounds. Quick access to a big beach.

Larry Gunderson

Great out-of-the-way spot to go loved it definitely go back

Melissa Collins

Great place to take the family.

LunarEclipse

Beautiful big lake, plenty of areas to camp, bathrooms and showers around as well.

John m

Very relaxing, and quiet. Nice getaway close to home.

Dora Franco

Nice first time here love it

jordan hinrichs

This is one of Nebraska's larger reservoirs and it gets the most traffic out of all the state rec areas. Branched Oak has a TON of campers and very little regulations in comparison to the 'more important' reservoirs out west. The fishing opportunities are sub par unless it's spring or late fall. In the summer, there is just too much boat traffic most days and the fishing is sub par. This is a good lake to camp in the spring or fall when there are less people. It's not regulated well so the fishing and camping rules are abused.

Missy Miller

Nice for ⛵, swimming. Hiking camping and day activities.

Ace TatorTot

A very nice park. Late fall and early spring is a great time to experience the bald eagles that frequent the area.

Vicki Eastman

Recently dredged and buildings redone. Good fishing areas and camping.

Bob Anderson

Great lake and campground, bathrooms could be cleaner

lori stanley

It's my favorite spot here in Lincoln/Raymond to go to

Terry Wittgren

Nice park great facilities the marina has good food and drinks

Yasir Almotawa

The lake is very huge and has lots of activities available. Whether you are fishing, camping or hanging out the place is for you. It is pretty far out but it is well worth the ride. The fishing is really good. Has nice size fish.

Jeremy Cullinane

Great camping,just need a shower for the less fortunate campers.

Mike Taylor

Boat rental for a reasonable cost. Great time for the family!

Bill Wilken

Great place camp sites not setup for newer rvs

Kimberly Hall

I absolutely LOVE this place! Check out the marina store for your last minute water recreation needs... ask for Mike McClelland!

Titus Nissen

Great place to have fun

Ken Pieretti

Great place for an AKC hunt test!

Yassine

A very good lake in the area

Michelle Ummel

Love the place. Good family times!

Kevin Black

Nicest lake I've ever been to

Jeremy Ludemann

Wish we had more likes like this in the state of Nebraska

Kenna

Such a pretty area

Gringo Loco

One of the better (and larger for here) lakes in the Omaha/Lincoln area.

Tom A

State taxpayer funded park shouldn't have leased areas off limits to the general public

Samantha Maynard

Ok lake, kind of small. But lots of beach areas for the kids. The boat ramps could use some revamping, that area is very congested. But it was a nice place to bring our boat for the day. Kids enjoyed swimming!

Jerry Arv

Awesome place to fish and hangout with the family

Joshua koziol

Great lake plenty of area

Ryan Murphy

Beautiful park fishing isnt the best could use a heavier stock but still an awesome place to camp or just hang out

sue peterson

Very clean, lots of picnic areas

Sarah Watson

Nice place to camp and boat...just wish they'd mow more often. Other than that it's fun and relaxing

David Lamilla

Nice place to camp

Michael LeSage

It's a little mid puddle but always fun

William Pollo

I came from california to spend some time with my family. Great place

Cory Leedom

Plenty of fishing access nice camping spots

Deena Griffin

Not the cleanest lake but some of the best sunsets.

april heath greve

It was our family's 1st time camping at branched oak it was a phenomenal experience. We will be visiting more often as we found out we truly love the outdoors and the atmosphere that branched oak brought to our families 1st camping vacation to Lincoln parks and recreation.