Less than 30 minutes south of Valentine in the Sandhills of Nebraska is Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area. Designated as an International Dark Sky Park — the first of its kind in Nebraska ...

The annual Nebraska Star Party held at Merritt Reservoir last month was the first since the site's international certification for uniquely dark skies. Some think it deserves even greater recognition.

Merritt Reservoir and Niobrara State Park, for example, have adopted policies that minimize light spill, protecting the environment while resulting in an experience where the Milky Way isn’t ...

VALENTINE, Neb. | Heavy clouds wrapped themselves around the Sandhills landscape as Steve Isom guided his boat along the face of Merritt Reservoir dam. It was 5:30 a.m. and Gary Howey, Hartington ...

Visitors to state park areas in north-central Nebraska will find enhanced day-use and camping amenities. Projects in the works or completed will appeal to an array of park users. The following is ...

Merritt Reservoir provided some excellent muskie fishing for local walleye tournament anglers early this summer. While on vacation, the St. Libory couple hooked into their personal bests as far as ...

LINCOLN — Nebraska’s remote Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area is gaining acclaim for its remoteness and “exceptionally dark skies.” In July, a premier star-gazing event there, the ...

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission just certified a new state-record common carp. The nearly 40-pound fish was caught in April by fisherman Chuck Hensel. Hensel, who lives in Valentine, caught the ...