Fort Robinson State Park

Camp Robinson, established in 1874, was one of several army posts with a mission to protect Indian agencies. It was almost continuously occupied by the military for various purposes until 1947 when it was transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture for a beef research station. In the early 1970s the beef research operation was phased out and the Nebraska State parks took over the property.

The buildings at Fort Robinson are in excellent condition and the grounds are well tended but most of the buildings can be rented for the night by individuals or groups so they do not have exhibits and are not opened to tour. We walked/rolled along the roads and found a few interpretive signs and a display in the 1887 adobe brick officer's quarters which isn't accessible. We also found a small exhibit on native wildlife in the activities building. 

Two museums are located in the park. The Robinson History Center is very small and has displays on Native Americans and the soldiers stationed at the fort. The  Trailside Museum of Natural History has exhibits with fossils of mammals found in Nebraska including two mammoths that became tangled during a fight and died stuck together. 

 

Nebraska State Parks have a high entrance fee for people who are not residents of the state. Museums inside the parks have an additional fee. It's easy to miss the booth for the entrance fee which is on the side of the entrance road. Do not pass it by because you must have a park pass to be inside the park. In our opinion the park and the History Center are not worth the fees charged. The Trailside Museum is interesting but maybe not worth the park admission fee plus the museum fee. 

The first floor of History Center is accessible but the entrance has a sloped ramp, a sloped threshold, and a door that opens outward making it very awkward to enter. The upper level has stairs only. The first floor of the Trailside Museum is accessible. The lower level has stairs only.

Parking is along the sides of the roads and there's plenty of room for any size RV. Park  42.66845, -103.46665