Ash Hollow State Historical Park — Attraction in Oshkosh

This is a hidden gem in Nebraska, the views are spectacular and the secluded area is a peaceful location to relax. There is a spring with an area for picnicking in the shade of some large trees. There are a few trails in the area you can take a walk along, there's a few paved trails that lead down to the cave and spring from the visitor center. There's a handful of other fairly short grass trails as well.

The visitor center is at the top of the hill and is near the cave. I have never been in the visitor center but it seems to be a large building for the amount of traffic here. The cave is a neat little sight with some short history about the surrounding area, but it is a very shallow cave.

To the south of the park there is a one room school house that is a very cute display of what the school used to look like when it was operating.

This is a great little park to come visit off of the beaten path, I will be returning if I end up driving...

This is a very interesting stop along the Oregon Trail with a unique story of its significance. Windlass Hill has ruts of the trail's desent to the valley and the visitor's center collection of Native American artifacts are worth seeing. The state charges a modest daily entrance fee (higher for out of staters) and another small fee for the museum. The entrance pass is the same as the state parks so if you camp at nearby Lake McConaughy, then you are covered until 12pm the next day...

I arrived at 9:45 am, before the visiter center opened. I did have a great conversation on the history of the area and the Oregon Trail with Cody, who maintains the grounds of the park. He was able to point out areas of interest, explain some of the experiences of the emigrants at Ash Hollow and give me directions to Rachel Pattison's historic grave at the nearby cemetery. Thank you, Cody! The visitor center had still not opened by 10:20 am, so I continued on...