Nebraska state park opens reservations early for the first time during sandhill crane migration

Nebraska sandhill crane tourism may be seeing a slight increase from previous years. That’s according to the park superintendent of Fort Kearny Historical Park and State Recreation Area Gene Hunt.

The recreation area is opening its reservations for the first time in its history to allow more visitors to catch a glimpse of the spring sandhill crane migration.

“One of the reasons we're doing this early reservation is because we do get a lot of calls, probably starting about the first of the year, and they're wanting to come and see the sandhill cranes. And most of these folks, this is a destination place,” Hunt said. “They want the reassurance that they will have a campsite.”

Fort Kearny State Recreation Area usually opens up reservations for its 38 reservable campsites in April. But starting early next month, people can start reserving spaces to use in March. The rest of the park, with its about 120 campsites, will still be open for walk-ins.

Hunt said Fort Kearny sees visitors from all 50 states and some foreign countries who want to see the migration.

“It's a form of customer service and hopefully we'll be able to accommodate the folks, and there'll be one less, one less thing for them to worry about,” he added.

Hunt estimates this early reservation opportunity will help bolster Nebraska’s tourism industry, since it helps visitors feel more at ease about their trip.

Fort Kearny is one of the more desirable locations for sandhill crane watching, Hunt explained, due to its Hike and Bike Trail bridge, which is almost 1,000 feet long and offers views of the cranes on the Platte River.