If you’re looking for a great place to spend a summer day, you can never go wrong heading for a lake. There are hundreds of them all over the state ranging from some that are barely bigger than ponds to the massive Lake McConaughy. With so many beautiful lakes to explore, some of the great ones are bound to be overlooked.

Gallagher Canyon State Recreation Area is located between (and slightly south of) Lexington and Cozad.
It has one of the most scenic, but tragically overlooked, lakes in Nebraska. It's very close to Johnson Lake, which tends to get all of the attention.
YouTube/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Gallagher Canyon SRA is a little harder to get to, and it's a lot more primitive, but what you lose in modern convenience you get back in pure natural beauty - and then some.
flickr/John Lillis

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The lake here has lots of little channels to explore, which you can do at under 5 MPH on the wake-free water.
YouTube/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
This is the perfect place for fishing; a number of species are abundant here, including some of the biggest channel and flathead catfish in the area.
YouTube/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
But Gallagher Canyon SRA is also a beautiful place to just get out and enjoy nature. There are 72 non-pad campsites, none of which have electric or water hookups. There are outhouses (which visitors say are well maintained), but on the whole the area is relatively untamed.
YouTube/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Unlike the nearby Johnson Lake, Gallagher Canyon is hardly ever packed with visitors. On some weekends, there may not even be anyone else there. It’s like your very own natural mini-paradise.

Have you ever visited Gallagher Canyon? If not, this summer is the perfect time to go! For 14 of our other favorite Nebraska lakes, see this list from last year.

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