A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Army Corps of Engineers campground

Hunter Cove

Army Corps of Engineers campground in Harlan County Lake, Harlan County, Nebraska. 1,971 feet. 1.1 miles from Republican City.

Managed by
Army Corps of Engineers Harlan County Lake
Elevation
1,971 ft USGS elevation model, at the mapped point
Sites
129 81 standard electric, 28 standard non-electric, 20 tent only non-electric
Longest rig
80 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
Electric, Water
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Harlan County

Overview

Hunter Cove Park is located on the eastern end of Harlan County Lake near Republican City, Nebraska.

The 13,000-acre Harlan County Lake is the second largest lake in Nebraska. The lake and surrounding land hold great appeal for sportsmen, birders, naturalists or anyone wanting to just get away.

Recreation

Harlan County Lake is popular for fishing, hiking, hunting and boating.

Walleye, wipers, white bass, northern pike and channel catfish are the most sought-after fish species. Game animals include pheasant, quail, prairie chicken, white-tailed and mule deer, turkey, waterfowl, rabbit and squirrel.

The lake offers a variety of hiking trails of varying length and style, as well as one equestrian trail a short drive away. An off-road vehicle trail is located in nearby Republican City.

Facilities

Hunter Cove Park offers 150 campsites, both with and without electric hookups.

The facility provides a playground, a volleyball court and a boat ramp and two full service marinas are located on the east end of the lake.

The main road is hard surfaced, while others are gravel. A fish cleaning station with grinder and running water is located near the entrance.

Natural Features

Located in south central Nebraska, lands surrounding Harlan County Lake are primarily mixed grass prairie land. The campground is mostly forested, offering ample shade during the warmth of summer.

The Republican River Valley was once occupied by one of the greatest concentrations of buffalo on the Great Plains and was a favored hunting ground for the Pawnee, Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indian tribes.

The description, directions and fees are the Army Corps of Engineers’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • boating
  • camping
  • fishing
  • hiking

The land around Hunter Cove

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated February 25, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.