Johnson Lake State Recreation Area — Attraction in Nebraska

Pretty area with large grass/gravel pads. Website states water so being a full time RV’er I looked twice and as an amenity water was listed. There is NO water near your site. (Most reservation site will say drinking water 200 ft away from this site, etc. we were not given any hint) We usually don’t carry water from site to site due to the weight. We expected water so we didn’t fill up before we got to our site. We carry a plethora of hoses and still had to go purchase another 50 feet of hose to reach the 250 ft water faucet (which was the only one we saw for the entire side of the campground we stayed at.) Then the state of Nebraska charged you an additional $8 per day (out of state) for admission on top of your camping fee. Rather expensive compared to most states parks in the US when it is all added up! Add NO water at sites and I had to consider all pros and cons to even rate a 3. There also seems to be no rules at least non that are enforced. Campers parking their cars/trucks all over the grass, side of the road and driving the wrong way on campground roads even though it’s clearly marked one way. We have marked this campground off our list for future travel in Nebraska. Fees added up to what a KOA or private park would charge with...

Johnson Lake is a great place for the family to get away. There are many things to do and it's kid friendly. There is an open area at the beach but also to the side there are trees right up to the water which allows for sitting in the shade and being 10 feet from the water. One of the best features of the swimming area is that it never really gets deep. It drops off "after" the swimming area. My 5 yr old was able to walk all the way out to the end of the buoys and still touch. There are a few playgrounds around the park for kids to play on and a very nice paved bike trail that can take you around the entire lake. Wide enough for passing and riding side by side with no problem. There are plenty of RV spots to camp for a few days. However, Johnson's lake is a favorite spot for the locals, so if you're going on a holiday, you should reserve in advance.

My only complaint but I'll admit is also my fault. I heard you could ride ATV/UTV's there but you cannot. There are no designated areas and you are not allowed to at all. That would be a fun feature for them to add...

I don't have children or a dog so those aspects don't apply. However, I appreciate.a good product for a reasonable price, and I don't see the product or the price as reasonable, especially as a non resident. Fees were way to high for what I received. The only positives were it did have nice shade. Mosquitos were terrible, maybe worse than the fees. Restrooms okay, but disappointed to find pay showers after paying the fees. The beach I located looked more like a small boat launch, and sported a sign announcing "No Swimming". You could always use the fish cleaning station as a shower... no fee there. Camp host seemed okay. After some of my small Nebraska town camping experiences, I'm very unimpressed with what the state has to offer non residents as well as residents. I struggle to give it even two stars out of five. Your state parks people must be taking a page out of some other state parks rule books. I will do my best to avoid other Nebraska state camp grounds in the future. The small towns will get my business...