From sandcastles and swimming, to the simmering of an outdoor stove, the signs of summer are here this Memorial Day weekend at Branched Oak Lake State Recreation Area, just outside of Raymond.

The campground filled all 458 sites by Thursday and while the lake's Nebraska Game and Parks supervisor, Tom Morrison, said the sites filled at a normal pace compared to years past, he's noticed most license plates are from local areas versus out of state.

"Its Lancaster county, Seward county..I counted a few out of state plates..one from Iowa, one from Oklahoma, one from California and that's about it," said Morrison.

Morrison said he thinks the size of the lake and campground attracts a lot of locals from both Omaha and Lincoln.

"Its a great weekend and as the summer goes on, you know its like that in all of our parks in Nebraska, whether you're in the western part of the eastern part, this is our time of year," said Morrison. "Its our Christmas time!"

More than 32 million U.S. residents are expected to travel more than 50 miles from home this holiday weekend, according to AAA Travel.

Morrison said many people chose to go camping for the holiday weekend because you can make it as secluded as you prefer.

The campground allows visitors to book their reservations ahead as much as a year, and in the early part of May they still had a few open spots, which Morrison said is typical.

Traveling across the country is expected to increase by 1.5 percent this Memorial Day weekend compared to 2008, according to AAA Travel. However, experts expect Americans to take 20 million fewer trips than last year, overall.

Still, Morrison is positive about the summer's outlook for state parks across Nebraska, pending good weather.