Lake Minatare - Something Surprising

Lake Minatare

Built on the edge of Nebraska’s sandhills, Lake Minatare is a secluded oasis of clear water and dense woodland. More than a century old, the remote refuge is an irrigation reservoir supplying water to the North Platte Valley farmers.


The great, blue aqua fir is encircled by a hedge of cottonwood trees that glow dazzling yellow in the fall. A terrible drought has shrunk the shoreline, exposing a wide gap of white sand and a narrow land bridge.


Gazing out on the beach from within an exotic forest, gives the scene a strange, tropical feel. It’s hard to believe such a lush, riparian environment exists in the arid plains of the Great American Desert.


Overlooking the horseshoe-shaped bay, a line of rugged buttes creates an incredible backdrop for the unique landscape. Towering above the point of a narrow peninsula, a full-sized lighthouse seems out of place as it shines over a landlocked prairie paradise.


During a breezy autumn, big clouds are blown across the sky, creating moving shadows that glide silently over the rolling ground. Many miles from the main road, the area is a place of unsurpassed beauty which is something you might find surprising to exist in this - The Land of Corn.


A remote refuge

Full-sized lighthouse

Rugged buttes

A unique landscape

Dense woodland

A prairie paradise

A breezy autumn

Unsurpassed beauty

Great, blue aqua fir

An oasis of clear water

A terrible drought

A lush environment

An exotic forest

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