Chadron State Park is a public recreation area located within the

Nebraska National Forest The Nebraska National Forest is a United States National Forest located within the U.S. state of Nebraska. The total area of the national forest is 141,864 acres, or 222 sq miles (574 km2). The forest is managed by the U.S. Forest Service's ...

, south of Chadron,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, in the northwestern portion of the state. The park's include a portion of the Pine Ridge

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...

and Chadron Creek. The park is wooded with

ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

throughout and cottonwood trees near the creek and lagoon.

History

Chadron State Park was established in 1921, making it Nebraska's oldest state park. The

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

was active in the park in the 1930s: In August 2012, with the park threatened by the 58,000+ acre West Ash Wildfire, crews set backfires in the park to deprive the fire of fuel. The controlled burns worked and saved all structures and equipment. The park reopened to visitors in September 2012. Although 90% of the park burned, no infrastructure was lost and its forest survived intact, with most of the fire having stayed on the ground as an understory grass fire.

Activities and amenities

Activities include swimming in a regulation-sized pool, horseback riding, archery, disc golf, hiking, tennis, sand volleyball, and fishing. The park has rental paddleboats, hiking trails, campground, and cabins.

References

External links

Chadron State Park
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Chadron State Park Map
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission {{authority control State parks of Nebraska Protected areas of Dawes County, Nebraska Protected areas established in 1921 Civilian Conservation Corps in Nebraska