Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area
Dept. Natural Resources
Write a Review Lincoln Highway Kimball, NE 69145 308-254-2377 Official WebsiteGPS: 41.2313, -103.8241
Overview of Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area
Camping is closed from Nov. 1- March 1. Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads. Learn more: Boondocking 101*
Last Price Paid: $0
Reported by Passin Thru on 9/18/2024
Longest RV Reported: 35 feet (Fifth Wheel)
Reported by Kurtsmouse on 12/15/2018
Number of Sites 48
Open Seasonally March - Oct.
Elevation 4,822 ft / 1,469 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 308-254-2377
camper-790093 asked on 9/8/2024
Do they close for the winter months? If so, when do they close the campground?
WhatsNext_OutWest asked on 3/29/2021
A review mentions water available, but would like to confirm... does the dump area have a water spigot for tank filling?
Reviews of Oliver Reservoir State Recreation Area 41 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 24 Users
Last reported 9/18/2024
Confirmed by 7 Users
Last reported 5/14/2024
Confirmed by 4 Users
Last reported 5/1/2024
“Beautiful, clean, Roomy ”
Reviewed 7/15/2021
| Nightly rate: | $5 |
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| Days stayed: | 14 |
| Site Number: | 18 |
Overall Rating
Nice park, lots of room between sites, lake with swimming beach. Campground host was super nice. Hear trains in the background. Wasn’t a problem tho. Fire rings & tables at every site. The campsites are by donations only. Recommended 5 to 10 bucks.. dump station and water on campground. We love it.
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Verizon 4G
Russ would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Needed attention, but not a bad stay”
Reviewed 6/4/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 42A |
| RV Length: | 20' (Pop Up Camper) |
Overall Rating
Camped 5/12/21 (Wed night) and donated ($5-$10 donations requested). My review is based on what we experienced at the time of our stay because this actually is a nice, large campground on the lake. A rainstorm had gone through, and we found some roads in the campground super soft & muddy. We opted to choose a grassy site and ended u... more
Camped 5/12/21 (Wed night) and donated ($5-$10 donations requested). My review is based on what we experienced at the time of our stay because this actually is a nice, large campground on the lake. A rainstorm had gone through, and we found some roads in the campground super soft & muddy. We opted to choose a grassy site and ended up in the west-side loop by the lake. It needed mowing; our fire ring had no grate; the picnic table was old and peeling paint. The pipe to the water spigot by the VT was broke and someone had tried to fix it with duct tape (didn't work). The VTs were dirty. The trains were often & blew their horns, but even more annoying was a continual banging/thumping sound that went on through the night and up until we left the next morning. Very strange - it was not coming from the campground, but from somewhere across the lake.
Other sites had better picnic tables and fire rings w/grates. Maybe our area was due to be mowed, but hadn't been due to the rain. Most sites were nicely spaced out. Ours was large, level and in the tall trees. Not many other campers during our stay mid-week. There is a boat launch here, a pier and a playground for kids.
If in the area we'd camp here again, hoping for better conditions next time.
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Verizon 4G
WhatsNext_OutWest would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Free. Donations Accepted. RV Dump. Regular Trains.”
Reviewed 5/23/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| RV Length: | 20' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
This is a very nice, complimentary campground on a reservoir. Leave a little cash to say thank you. A new RV dump station is available as of May 2021. It is located near the second set of bathrooms southeast of the main camp entrance. Yes, there is regular train traffic across the highway. Highway 30 is the historic Lincoln Hi... more
This is a very nice, complimentary campground on a reservoir. Leave a little cash to say thank you.
A new RV dump station is available as of May 2021. It is located near the second set of bathrooms southeast of the main camp entrance.
Yes, there is regular train traffic across the highway. Highway 30 is the historic Lincoln Highway, so as the trains make noise, just think about how this travel corridor opened up the West.
Lots of bird life for birdwatchers around the lake and on the marshier west end of the lake. Lots of opportunities for shady sites under the cottonwood trees.
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice camping area, but there are the trains. ”
Reviewed 5/23/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
| Site Number: | 23 |
| RV Length: | 28' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
We arrived on a Thursday and most of the good, waterfront sites were taken, but even if you’re not on the water, you still have a lake view. Many sites available, mostly on grassy areas with good spacing. 14 day limit, but it appears that maybe some of the locals might just setup for the summer. There were a few campers that never had ... more
We arrived on a Thursday and most of the good, waterfront sites were taken, but even if you’re not on the water, you still have a lake view. Many sites available, mostly on grassy areas with good spacing. 14 day limit, but it appears that maybe some of the locals might just setup for the summer. There were a few campers that never had any activity the whole time we were here. Seems that several sites had campers that were setup for next weekend so that they would have a spot for Memorial weekend. And like everyone else said, lots of trains. Presently, the lake is near full capacity, so it extends much farther west than what shows up on Google maps. Next time we will try and find a spot off the western entrance. I averaged 6-8 mbps downloads with good Verizon coverage.
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Verizon 4G
Rwhyman would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Super nice campground! ”
Reviewed 4/29/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 6 |
| Site Number: | 22 |
Overall Rating
This place is huge! There’s 3 sections, each having around 20 campsites. There are multiple clean and stocked restroom houses (vault toilet) throughout each section. Pick out a campsite and be sure to register, camping is free and donations welcome. You can stay for up to 14 days out of a 30 day timeframe. Beautiful and spacious sites ... more
This place is huge! There’s 3 sections, each having around 20 campsites. There are multiple clean and stocked restroom houses (vault toilet) throughout each section. Pick out a campsite and be sure to register, camping is free and donations welcome. You can stay for up to 14 days out of a 30 day timeframe. Beautiful and spacious sites along the water and away from the water. You can pick from shaded or sunny sites. There’s no amenities so be sure to pack it in and pack it out as well as come stocked with food and water. There’s a grocery store in Kimball which is about 10 minutes away. The host was always doing maintenance during the day. Very beautiful sunsets here. I stayed late April and only ever had maybe 4 campers during the week and maybe 15 on the weekend. I’d definitely stay here again. My only con is that there’s a train track across the road so you do hear it constantly at night since they love to honk their horns. AT&T cell service was great 2-3 bars LTE.
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AT&T 4G
Abby would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Reviewed 3/3/2021
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
Very nice place. Stayed right on the water. It was only us and 1 other camper. Train came through 1 time and the park ranger drove through 1 time also. We had cell service and we picked up 7 tv stations. Great place!
Kenny would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Pleasant Stay”
Reviewed 10/10/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 9 |
| RV Length: | 35' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
Nice well maintained park and if you aren’t in the central section on the water, plenty of space. I was off the lake but had a nice view. Trains come by frequently during the day, not as much during the night. Didn’t bother me as much as my neighbor with the industrial generator and the two yapping dogs that they did nothing to quiet... more
Nice well maintained park and if you aren’t in the central section on the water, plenty of space. I was off the lake but had a nice view. Trains come by frequently during the day, not as much during the night. Didn’t bother me as much as my neighbor with the industrial generator and the two yapping dogs that they did nothing to quiet. Not very many walking trails but you can put together a couple mile walk. They do ask for a small donation
If I come again, I will go to the western section, much more privacy and there is a chance to get waterfront.
Large rig friendly
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Verizon 4G
Cindy would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful boondocking spot with lakeside view right out back window.”
Reviewed 10/9/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 35 |
| RV Length: | 28' (Fifth Wheel) |
Overall Rating
We have stayed here a couple of times when crossing though Nebraska. It is close to I-80, has lakeside camping access, is big enough to spread out comfortably from other campers, and... it is free!!! Donations are suggested and (we think) warranted to help support the maintenance of such a good resource. Others have noted, and it... more
We have stayed here a couple of times when crossing though Nebraska. It is close to I-80, has lakeside camping access, is big enough to spread out comfortably from other campers, and... it is free!!! Donations are suggested and (we think) warranted to help support the maintenance of such a good resource.
Others have noted, and it is true, the train tracks are very close and the freight trains passing through are very frequent. This does not bother us as we love trains and find them nostalgic and somehow reassuring. Lovely wife sleeps with earplugs anyway and I just plain sleep through the sounds at night and enjoy them during the day. Your tolerance may be different.
This visit we arrive for one night on a Friday and there were quite a few others in the main section. We chose the West area and had a great private site overlooking the lake all to ourselves. There is also an enormous field area we would use is no other waterfront was available and we wanted to maintain our sense of elbow room.
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Verizon 4G
Boondock Ramblers would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Easy overnight ”
Reviewed 8/14/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| RV Length: | 32' (Class C) |
Overall Rating
Many campers crowded at the waters edge. Initially a lot of boat and JetSki noise however a big storm blew through and cleared most of them out. We pulled into a spot away from the water in a large grassy field. Easy for big rigs towing vehicles. Did not use facilities. Busy railway artery across the highway with frequent train sounds.... more
Many campers crowded at the waters edge. Initially a lot of boat and JetSki noise however a big storm blew through and cleared most of them out. We pulled into a spot away from the water in a large grassy field. Easy for big rigs towing vehicles. Did not use facilities. Busy railway artery across the highway with frequent train sounds. Did not keep us awake with the camper closed up and a/c running. Lots of small debris from previous campers all around. Sites need a good raking. Easy to get to from I-80.
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Packed Memorial Day weekend ”
Reviewed 5/23/2020
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
Overall Rating
We got in late Friday night of Memorial Day weekend and it was packed. Lots of RVs and trailers. We found a spot we could tent camp on the grass near the reservoir. But very little privacy. The train wasn’t too loud but there was a lot of noise from the RV generators. There were bathrooms with vault toilets. It was a little windy but w... more
We got in late Friday night of Memorial Day weekend and it was packed. Lots of RVs and trailers. We found a spot we could tent camp on the grass near the reservoir. But very little privacy. The train wasn’t too loud but there was a lot of noise from the RV generators. There were bathrooms with vault toilets. It was a little windy but warm. Not far from the highway which was nice.
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Verizon 4G
kpal would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
Recreation
- fishing
- picnic area
- recreation trail
- swimming beach
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- dump station
- restrooms: vault
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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