Enjoy Fort Robinson State Park and Toadstool Geologic Park

In this post, I discuss a summer adventure to this great, state park in western Nebraska

Two metal, water towers stand in a green, grass field under a clear, blue sky. The one on the left has "Fort Robinson" and the one on the right has "State Park" written on them.

 

Nebraska isn’t all flat cornfields! Looking for some hidden gems for recreation? Check out Fort Robinson State Park and Toadstool Geologic Park, both located in the far, northwestern corner of the state!

Fort Robinson State Park

Fort Robinson State Park is a great place to visit! It is a former fort (hence the name 🙃) that has been transformed into a family-friendly rec area! It offers hiking paths, history, and many of the old soldiers’ Quarters were refurbished and are now available for vacation rentals. This is unique and allows Fort Robinson to actually be known as a great, family reunion destination.

Sometimes called a “gem of Nebraska State Parks”, Fort Robinson was quite nice! (It’s a little-known fact that western Nebraska is actually very pretty! I recommend it over the rest of the state!) The park features LOTS of shade trees!

A grassy park at sunset with several tall trees and small wooden cabins spaced throughout the area, under a clear sky.

A wide grassy field with an American flag on a flagpole in the center, surrounded by small buildings and trees under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

We did struggle with some ticks and bugs though at least it was quite green when we were there in late May. The mosquitoes weren’t bad though I’m sure they could be at times (and the tent-camping section was all grass, under trees, near the creek. It seemed fairly dark and damp–it looked like a great place to snag a few-hundred mosquito bites! 😝)

To be fair, we’ve only been to two of them, but this has been our experience with Nebraska state parks. We’ve never been impressed with their tent-camping areas (we had another disappointing, tent-camping experience at another Nebraska state park, on a Great Plains road trip, several years ago–though it did result in some Northern Lights viewing!)

For this trip, we actually chose to stay in the RV camping area. Though the sites were pretty tightly packed we were quite happy with this option.

A fenced-off historic pool structure labeled Post Swimming Pool – 1935 stands behind a chain-link fence, with a dog looking through the fence. Trees and houses are visible in the background.
Puppers checking out the old, fort pool
A row of white houses with porches lines a quiet street at sunset, with a sidewalk and grass in the foreground and trees in the background.
These were Officers’ Quarters that are now available for rent!
A dirt road runs alongside a wide, open grassy field under a clear blue sky, with distant hills and scattered trees on the horizon.
Western Nebraska is quite beautiful!
Where is Fort Robinson Located?

Fort Robinson sits right on US Hwy 20 in far, northwest Nebraska, less than five miles southwest of the small town of Crawford.

The park has quite a storied past. It started as a fort during the Indian Wars in the 1880s–this was actually the sad location of the death of Crazyhorse, the great Lakota warrior.

A historic sign reads, "Fort Robinson" and gives details about the fort

A stone marker reads "On this spot, Crazy Horse Ogallala Chief was killed, Sept 5, 1877". A wood cabin is in the background.
The actual site where Crazyhorse died

Fort Robinson also served as a large reservation for many American Indians including Red Cloud and his people.

A historical sign describes the Red Cloud Agency--a former American Indian reservation that was located at this spot.

The fort was also a “remount” location for Calvary horses (meaning the battle horses and their wounds were treated here and new mounts were provided). Fort Robinson was also a war-dog training camp and a German, Prisoner of War camp during World War II.

A Nebraska Historical Marker stands in a grassy field. The sign reads “German P.O.W. Camp” and provides historical information about a World War II camp for German prisoners of war in Nebraska. Bushes and open plains are visible behind.

A grassy field with bushes. In the distance is a small, cement bunker-type building
This is about all that remains of the former, German, POW camp
A Nebraska historical marker titled K-9 Training Area stands by a road and grassy field, describing the World War II war dog training center established in 1942 and deactivated in 1946.
A sparsely furnished, sunlit room with large windows, an old examination table with restraints, and metal racks along the walls, viewed through glass. Trees are seen outside.
Horse vet center! That table moves to the vertical. They would strap a standing horse to it, sedate the animal and then move the table–with the horse strapped to it–back to the horizontal to perform procedures–not bad for 1940s technology!

Toadstool Geologic Park

Toadstool Geologic Park is literally in the middle of nowhere! It is situated in the far, northwest corner of Nebraska, about 30 miles north of Fort Robinson, 20 miles northwest of the small town of Crawford and 40 miles west of Chadron, Nebraska.

The park looks a lot like Badlands National Park in South Dakota or the North Dakota Badlands at Teddy Roosevelt National Park–you can read more on that hidden gem here!

Light-colored rock formations and rolling hills under a clear blue sky with sparse green vegetation scattered throughout the landscape.

A dry landscape featuring rocky hills under a clear blue sky, with sparse green grass and patches of white, sandy soil in the foreground.

Toadstool Geological Park is mostly a place for hiking though it does offer some camping options…

This was my first big hike after severely breaking my ankle a few months prior. It was a little tougher than we were first expecting for a “nature trail” but I finished the route thanks to my awesome trekking poles and help from Mr. Trekker!

The trail said it was a one-mile “nature trail” which are usually fairly easy. This hike wasn’t “difficult” but there was plenty of uneven ground and some scrambling on loose gravel as well as a few steeper ups and downs…

We learned later that I “may” have gotten a little too aggressive with twisting my ankle around on the uneven ground on this hike. A few weeks later, at my next ankle-surgeon checkup, we found out I broke one of my titanium pins! 😅 The doctor was like, “How did you manage that?!”–she had planned to take it out anyway 😇 

A short hill with large, flat rocks layered on each other that lay on their sides surrounded by light-colored gravel all under a clear, blue sky.

A large, flat boulder is precariously balanced on a mound of pale, rocky ground under a clear blue sky.

A natural stone bridge spans a deep ravine in a dry, rugged, badlands landscape under a clear blue sky, surrounded by sparse green shrubs and layered rock formations.

A small log cabin with a sod-covered roof stands behind a wooden fence in a grassy field, with rocky hills and a clear blue sky in the background.
This is a mockup of a sod house–these were common in this part of the country in the past

If you’re looking for some great, family-friendly outdoor and camping options in western Nebraska, check out Fort Robinson State Park and Toadstool Geologic Park!

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