Low water hinders access at northwest Nebraska lakes

Low water levels from drought and irrigation are limiting access to lakes in northwestern Nebraska. 

Joe Rydell, northwest district fisheries supervisor for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, has provided information about the following lakes in his region.

Lakes closed to trailered boats or limited to launching small boats by hand: Island Lake at Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Lake Winters Creek at North Platte National Wildlife Refuge, Smith Lake at Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Whitney Lake Wildlife Management Area. 

Box Butte State Recreation Area and Wildlife Management Area: Water levels have dropped below the capabilities of the boat dock. The concrete ramp is still usable as employees clear silt that has accumulated on its lower end. A temporary roll-in service dock will be installed for fall but launching and loading may be more challenging than usual. 

Beem Lake at Avocet Wildlife Management Area: The concrete ramp is still usable but larger boats will not be able to navigate the shallow water. The boat dock will be removed for the season and reinstalled when water levels rise. 

Crescent Lake Wildlife Management Area: The lake has dropped below the concrete ramp is possibly unusable for trailered boats. 

DeFair Wildlife Management Area: Drought has made the lake inaccessible by watercraft.  

Lake Minatare State Recreation Area: The water levels continue to drop, and the low-water rock ramp is the only usable ramp. Park employees will continue to work to provide access as the lake drops. Lake taper can require boaters to back farther into the water to float larger vessels off the trailer. 

Smith Lake Wildlife Management Area: The lake is drawn down for an Aquatic Habitat and Angler Access Improvement Project. The ramp area will be closing soon as construction workers move there after completing work on the south side of the lake. Construction is expected to be complete this fall. 

Walgren Lake State Recreation Area: The lake is extremely low and considered unusable for boats. 

Other regions of the state also are experiencing low-water conditions. People are encouraged to call ahead to state park locations or to area managers for the most current ramp conditions as water levels and ramp conditions can vary from one lake to the next week to week.  

The persisting drought has resulted in Game and Parks having to close several boat ramps. They can be found on the Public Access Boating map at OutdoorNebraska.gov/guides-maps/maps, which is regularly updated.   

Observations of changing conditions that affect boat ramp status can be reported by emailing [email protected] to have the Public Access Boating map updated.  

In places where ramp access is still available, Game and Parks advises boaters to be patient and cautious when launching and loading a boat.   

Boat operators should have a spotter with them or check to see if the end of the ramp is visible from the shoreline or dock before launching, if water clarity allows. When a lake’s water level falls, less of the boat ramp is underwater, reducing the length of the ramp for a successful launch, which can cause problems launching and loading a boat.  

Once on the water, boat operators should be mindful of the increased possibility of underwater hazards during low-water conditions.