Just a mile from highway 34 near Aurora sits a tranquil lake with lots to offer. Pioneer Trails Recreation Areas features amenities such as picnic shelters, grills, restrooms, and camp sites for RVs and tents. The amphitheater overlooking the lake is a great place for a gathering or performance. Trails around the lake are perfect for biking and hiking, horseback riding, or dog walking. Fishing, boating and swimming are popular activities at this park. If you have the proper licenses, you can also hunt ducks, geese, deer, pheasant, quail, turkey, and furbearers.
The Pioneer Trails Recreation Area features a 40-surface-acre lake which can store 277 acre feet of water. Constructed on a tributary of Lincoln Creek in 1986, the project was designed to provide flood control, aquifer recharge, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities.
Target shooting is prohibited. Discharging center-fire and rim-fire rifles, handguns, and muzzle-loading firearms are prohibited unless a special trapping permit is issued by the District. Hunting is prohibited on the south 250 feet on the lands located in the SW 1/4 of Section 26 designated for public use.
If you see vandalism or another illicit activity taking place, please call the sheriff's department immediately: (402) 694-6936.
Fish consumption advisory: Many waterbodies in Nebraska have an increased load of certain toxins that may cause health concerns for those that consume a large amount of fish from these lakes and rivers. As of the most recent report (2023) from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, the lakes at Oxbow Trail and Pioneer Trails Recreation Areas are listed as having increased levels of mercury. The advisory is not a ban on eating fish from affected waterbodies, but it is suggested that the public limit long-term consumption of fish caught from those specific waterbodies to eight ounces per week (for adults). Women of child-bearing age, those who are pregnant or nursing, and children under 15 years of age are the population most sensitive to the effects of mercury. For more information, see http://dee.ne.gov/NDEQProg.nsf/OnWeb/FCA
Camping
Tent and RV camping are allowed at Anderson Recreation Area and Pioneer Trails recreation area from mid-April through the end of October each year. The cost is $5 for tent camping/night and $15 for RV camping/night. Payment is made on-site at the parks and camping spots are first come first served. No advance reservations are available.
RV campsites have 50 amp electric hookups. There is a shared fresh water pump at the site. Campers can use it if they bring a long hose to attach. There is a dump station at nearby Streeter Park in Aurora. There are also flush toilets available at Pioneer Trails.
Aurora
See what's available in nearby Aurora from events, to restaurants, to attractions, on the Chamber of Commerce website.
