Platte River State Park

Platte River State Park is a Nebraska state park that encompasses a total area of 519 acres of land that is located in Cass County and near the City of Louisville. More specifically, the park is situated halfway between Lincoln and Omaha and approximately 25 miles south of Louisville. The park was created in 1982 and is under the management of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

The park was formed after two privately owned summer sites were merged into one large wooded area that is situated along the Platte River. Consistent with the original summer sites goals, the park’s management sought to provide exceptional facilities for family recreation activities while keeping the cost of such amenities as low as possible. 

The Platte River State Park has successfully been able to do this so far, and in recent years, the park has committed to this objective by seeking to upgrade the visitor experiences at four public recreation areas in the Platte River Valley. This program is likely to cost about $34 million upon the project’s completion.

Today, the park hosts a lot of public amenities that include an amphitheater, 31 camper cabins, archery range, hiking trails (10 miles), showers, group camp, restaurant, picnic areas, modern restrooms, mountain bike trails (10 miles), fishing dock, tepee rentals, swimming pool, paddleboat rentals, 21 housekeeping cabins, snack bar, crafts center, observation deck, and a nearby golf course. 

These amenities are a great attraction to visitors that love to enjoy recreational activities like hiking, campfire programs, swimming, horseback trail rides, and mountain biking. Dogs are allowed into Platte River State Park although some restrictions will need to be followed. Most importantly, all dogs and other pets for that matter should be leashed, and dogs should be kept out of restricted areas of the park.