Nearby Recreation Several other Nebraska park areas lie within a short driving distance of Willow Creek. These areas all have modern campgrounds, picnicking and other facilities. Cabin lodging is available at Niobrara and Ponca . Both parks have swimming pools. About a half hour to the northwest is Grove Lake State Wildlife Area and Trout Rearing Station.
Visitors can even feed the fish in the rearing ponds.
One of the few trout streams in northeast Nebraska crosses the area, and visitors may have the opportunity to view a variety of wildlife. A few miles north and west of Grove Lake is Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park , a fascinating area. Here visitors can watch ongoing excavations of prehistoric animals preserved under layers of volcanic ash deposited eons ago.