Camp in a Caboose, Fish for Trout! Two Rivers State Park, Nebraska
Written: Apr 29 '01 (Updated Apr 30 '01)
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Pros: Fish for trout, see turtles, two rivers merge.
Cons: Can be crowded on holidays.
The Bottom Line: Camp in a caboose, way out in the country. Two rivers merge here, fish for trout.
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Have you ever camped in a caboose? Neither have we, but we plan to some day, and we know just where to do it, at the Two Rivers State Park off US Highway 77 in Venice, Nebraska. Keep your eyes open! If you close them, you will miss this town and the park altogether! It will be about 1-2 miles South of the Highway, then 1-2 miles West from there. If you need to buy a park sticker ($14.00/annual) or pay for camping, you need to go to the building to the right. If you are hungry, or need bait, go to the building on your left. The park is 660 acres, about 320 of which are seven sand pit lakes.
The concession stand has ice cream, burgers, hot dogs, chips, and most anything to keep your hunger at bay until the fish start biting. Speaking of fish, you can catch trout while the weather is still cool. After that, they don't survive our hot Nebraska summers very well. When we were there on an 80 degree afternoon, one man was discouraged from buying a trout license as others hadn't had much luck with catching them earlier in the day. The trout are hatched in one city, then grown in a second city, until they are transferred to a water tank trailer and driven to the park.
My husband and I stopped there, after a trip to Lincoln, with our three dachshunds in tow. We went for a one hour walk and were able to complete the circle by the camping and day use area with plenty of time to spare. I stopped and let "the girls" cool off in one of the small lakes, stopping to smell the roses, figuratively speaking. The water was clear, to about a one foot depth. We stopped at the put and take trout take, where you are allowed to keep the trout you catch, unlike another one of their trout lakes, where you need to put them back into the water.
At this particular lake, we saw folks who caught several fish, who were standing in a handicap accessible covered shelter which abutted the edge of the lake. As well, little children pointed out that there were turtles bobbing their heads above the water, and sunning on a piece of wood sticking out of the water. They were about the size of my hand, their ultimate size I'm unsure of. They had a bit of red on their heads, red-earred turtles?
While in the day use area, we were where the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers join, serenaded by the honking of Canadian Geese which had stopped to rest on their journey. There was a man who was hitting golf balls across the river in their direction. I am not sure if he was trying to discretely take home a goose for dinner that night, a bad shot, or just got tired of having his golf balls laying around his home. I took offense to this, offending my sense of pollution. I mentioned this to the authorities, who really didn't see this as pollution, golf balls in the river. Doesn't sound very natural to me.
Geography/History
This park is so named because this is where the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers meet. Lewis and Clark had a meeting with the Oto Indians, who owned the land. The meeting took place at a location later named Council Bluffs (the council which took place on the bluffs). The Indians signed the treaty agreement, deeding the lands to the settlers, resulting in the Indians moving to a location close to the Kansas border. They even got a county named for them, Oto County, most other counties being named for governors.
Camping
When we were there a couple of years ago to camp, we noticed there were several families wading in the river, it was so shallow. I am not sure if I would really want to do this, being afraid of accidently stepping on someone's fishing hook that may have become dislodged. Then again, perhaps I'm just a fraidy cat.
Speaking of camping, there were a couple of LOVELY areas in which to camp, about one half of them under the tall cottonwoods the other half on the shore. There is a scenic vista of the river, with a mansion in the background, about 1/2 mile off in the distance. I can think of few things finer than camping to the sounds of Canadian Geese honking nearby, with a river just beside you. This is WAY out in the country, so the stars should look like chocolate chip ice cream in reverse. (Black sky with LOTS of white stars.) There are fire grates and modern plumbing is available during the warm months. A small playground, complete with a tire jungle gym, is there for the kids to burn off their pent up energy.
There are 73 sites with electricity and water, with additional primitive sites available. No reservations are accepted, it is on a first come, first served basis. Camping fees are $7-8 per night, with electricity $3 extra. What I wouldn't give for air conditioning some nights! Put and trout fishing is $1 per tag and bicycle rentals are $2 per hour.
Access to the river was very easy, unlike most other places where we've camped. Indeed, the claim to fame of this campground, is there are relatively few areas to get access to the Platte River, this being one of the few. There are no steep hillsides to contend with, just throw your line over the edge of the waters and hope for the best. I saw no boats in the river, it is probably too shallow. I saw no docks for boats at the lakes.
Cabooses
The cabooses were donated by Union Pacific, when they decided to no longer use them on the railroad. They have been refurbished to sleep 6 persons with two bunk beds in the rear and two in the cupola. They have air conditioning, and a modern bath with a shower. These also have a stove, refrigerator and a table with four chairs. There is an also a deck and picnic table available. These are available between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but they are NOT handicap accessible. You need to make reservations at (402) 359-9040.
Rentals are $55 per night, with a two night minimum on the weekends or a one night stay during the week. You will need to bring your own bedding, cooking gear, etc. All that is provided is the furniture. Two of the cabins are smoke free. You might want to call the park about deposits.
Types of Fish
The type of fish available are: large mouth bass, crappie (pronounced croppy), bullhead, catfish, blue gill, carp, pickerel, sun fish, northern pike, and tiger muskie.
Hunting
You can hunt, in season, from the first Tuesday after Labor Day until the end of spring turkey season. Game to be bagged include: squirrels, turkeys, quail, pheasants, and cottontails. You may hunt deer with a bow and arrow. If you want a unique camping experience in a caboose, this is the place to go. Traditional camping is available as well. I've heard they can be crowded during the weekends and holidays. There were about 20 cars when we were there on a 75 degree Friday in April.
If you want a unique camping experience in a caboose, or just wish to get away from it all, in the middle of the country, this may be just the place to go, especially if it is off season or not a holiday.
You may also check out my other reviews about State Parks in Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa:
Platte River State Park
http://www.epinions.com/content_18308959876
Pelican Point Park
http://www.epinions.com/content_13198265988
Schramm Park and Hatchery
http://www.epinions.com/content_12532551300
Ponca State Park
http://www.epinions.com/content_12199235204
Louisville State Recreation Area
http://www.epinions.com/park-review-628F-4B7F119B-3A5B52CC-prod3
Lake Manawa in Western Iowa
http://www.epinions.com/content_19327127172
Thanks for reading and have a safe and happy summer!
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: March-May
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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remnjava
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Member: Carol
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