Lake McConaughy

[RayRay27]

Family and I took a quick trip out to lake McConaughy this past weekend. The lake is really low right now, dumping about twice as much as they're taking in from the North Platte. Probably have to drive a few hundred yards in some spots to get to the shore which for me was okay because you get to really rip it in 4Lo and get those 35s spinning in the soft sand.

Weather was crappy for most of the time on SaturdayandSunday. It was really windy, cool and overcast. Still chomping on sand in my mouth a day later. We opted to stay in a cabin this time as opposed to camping on the beach which in hindsight was a brilliant idea. Tried to do some fly fishing but it was nearly impossible to get good casts in a 20 mph sustained wind in your face.












We had to hit Walmart in Ogallala and I came across this sweet 60 series hot wheels while perusing the toy section. So the trip wasn't completely bad.

 

[VoodooBlue_Vixen]

It sounds like that Walmart trip may have been the highlight of the weekend?!
I'd bet however, it was still a better time than city life!

 

[RayRay27]

It sounds like that Walmart trip may have been the highlight of the weekend?!
I'd bet however, it was still a better time than city life!

Anything is better than the city.

 

[SteveH]

I was there from Wed-Sunday - agree on the crazy wind and mediocre weather. We walked the beach many times, but I didn't see your 80, however!

 

[nakman]

That's wild the lake was so low... I drove across Nebraska on Saturday and it rained the whole time.. standing water in the medians, every little river and lake along the way looked totally full. And then once across the Colorado state line things dried up signifantly, completely different climate. maybe this was their first rain in a while.

 

[nuclearlemon]

how burnt up was the scenery? a friend bought a trailer home there last year and doesn't want to go open it up this summer because she thinks everything nearby will be burnt and nasty.

 

[RayRay27]

how burnt up was the scenery? a friend bought a trailer home there last year and doesn't want to go open it up this summer because she thinks everything nearby will be burnt and nasty.

My, boss bought a place on the North west side of the lake and his place was good and we didnt see any burn scar. We didnt drive far enough west on the north side of the lake to see what the full extent looked like.

 

[subzali]

What cabin rental did you go with?

 

[RayRay27]

What cabin rental did you go with?

We stayed at the Kingsley which is right before you cross over the dam going north. Not sure I'd recommend it. It was our first time staying there. It's really small, barely adequate for two adults and two small kids. No screen door on the main entrance so at night as soon as you open the door, a million bugs fly in. It was very basic. Fridge, microwave, toilet and shower. AC worked okay.

 

[lazyLfarm]

I’m bummed I’m missed everyone! Anyways, same caveat, I live here so anyone feel free to reach out if they want to chat cruisers, grab a beer or need help or a shop.


2 weeks ago



Yesterday


Yesterday evening was amazing, all the city folk left ( I’m just kidding mostly ) and after about 6 it went completely calm and silent after a quick storm. Went out and fished for a few hours.

 

[MDH33]

Been to macconaughy a few times. It's usually my pit stop camp on my way to CO/UT. Last week I took a few days off and my daughter and
I decided to check out the sand hills up by Valentine, NE. I had passed through there a couple of times and it looked intriguing so we took a few days to explore. Camped and kayaked the Niobrara river and then explored around Lake Merritt, which is a mini version of McConaughey. It has a mix of dispersed and developed camping and nice beaches for swimming and the fishing is supposed to be great. It's also a "dark sky" destination with some of the best star gazing in the lower 48. Northern Nebraska is so much more interesting than the I-80 slog. Highway 12 (Outlaw byway) follows the Missouri with lots of cool sites and camp spots along the way. Zero traffic and perfect speeds for the old FJ60.

Here's camp along the Niobrara.

Lots of tubing, canoe, kayak outfitters in town and along the river. Easy to set a day trip up, 2 to 12 hours to float depending on drop point and mode of float.

We got dropped at Smith Falls, which was really cool. Took us 3 hours to kayak downstream to our camp.

We explored some forest roads and 2 tracks around Merritt reservoir and looked for a camp spot, but the water was pretty low in the back bays, and it was getting hot out, so we ended up getting a site in one of the campgrounds on the main lake. It was nice, spread out, clean and not crowded. Swimming was great. Temps were heading into the triple digits, so the water was a welcome break.

Couldn't get the kid out of the water

Worth checking out the area if you have the time or are passing through. I'll definitely be taking the hwy 12 route again the next time I'm heading to SD or WY. I want to see more of the sand hills too. Maybe in fall when it's cooler I'll check them out on my way West.