Branched Oak Lake State Recreation Area is located west of Raymond in Lancaster County. The largest lake in eastern Nebraska with about 1,800 acres of water. The lake has two swimming beaches and is a popular rec reational area for boating, swimming and fishing.

Area 2 horse camping is in the Homestead Campground area near the southwest corner of the lake. Funded in part by a matching grant from the Nebraska Horse Trails Committee, this modern equestrian camp features 14 white rock pads with electrical hookups and hitching posts. One campsite is concrete and handicap accessible. Each campsite comes with one horse stall. Note: Reservations are not available online. Riders must phone 402.783.3400 to reserve. If the campground is not reserved by Thursday, sites will be given to other RV campers.

The primitive camp is northwest of the modern camp and portable fencing is allowed. For day use, rid ers should park their rigs in the designated area adjacent to the primitive campground.

From the campground, follow the signs to the Area 2 trails (shown below) which run through the woods and near the shoreline and continue to the dam at the east end of the lake. With the loops and turns, riders can enjoy about 10 miles of shared trail. Across the Raymond Road blacktop is the wild life management area which is also open to riders. There are not marked trails and riders should not enter area during hunting seasons. Branched Oak is a favorite for southeast Nebraska and a destination ride for those traveling.