These 10 Best Campgrounds in Nebraska Camping can provide you an opportunity to indulge in superb outdoor activity such as camping, hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking, with spectacular natural landscapes ranging from the towering dunes of the Sandhills to the broad plains of the Great Plains.
Nebraska boasts a camping spot for every requirement, from basic camping with nothing but a tent to luxurious RV parks with bells and whistles, thanks to many state parks, recreational areas, waterfalls, and national monuments.
Certain attractions might not be open or require reservations in advance. Currently, some eateries only provide pickup. Hours/availability may have changed.
Summary
| Guide | Camping in Nebraska |
|---|---|
| Things to bring | Tent, torch, etc |
| Campgrounds | Branched Oak State Recreation Area, and more |
| Best places to visit | Strategic Air and Space Museum |
| Situated | U.S. |
1. Branched Oak State Recreation Area
The largest of the Salt Valley Lakes, Branched Oak State Recreation Area, is host to various recreational and outdoor activities. The 5,595-acre park has nine public use sections surrounding the lake that offer camping options ranging from basic to tent sites with non-electrical camper pads to luxurious RV sites with hard-surfaced campsites and electricity hookups.
Address: 12000 W Branched Oak Rd, Raymond, NE 68428
2. Chadron State Park
The Chadron State Park was Nebraska’s first state park, founded in 1921 among the rocky buttes and gorges of Nebraska’s Pine Ridge. This great family-friendly state park, at the height of approximately 5,000 feet in the center of the Nebraska National Forest, is against the stunning splendor of the Pine Ridge.
Address: 15951 Hwy 385, Chadron, Nebraska 69337-7353
3. Fort Kearny State Historical Park
The Fort Kearny State Historical Park, founded in 1848 as an outpost and a staging station for gold prospectors, Pony Express riders, and Overland Trail visitors, commit themselves to provide an insight into the life of a distant colony in the American West.
Address: 1020 V Rd, Kearney, NE 68845
4. Fremont State Recreation Area
The Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area is one of eastern Nebraska’s most popular recreation places along the Platte River. The location, which is three miles west of Fremont, provides a variety of outdoor activities, including camping, hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing, swimming, and water skiing.
Address: 4349 West State Lakes Road, Fremont, NE 68025
5. Indian Cave State Park
The Indian Cave State Park along the Missouri River is a historic preservation area and public recreation area that protects a cave containing prehistoric petroglyphs. The 3,052-acre park, in the southeast part of the state between Nemaha and Richardson counties, offers a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities.
Address: 65296 720 Rd, Shubert, NE 68437
6. Lake Minatare State Recreation Area
The picturesque Lake Minatare State Recreation Area is a 2,970-acre park home to Nebraska’s lone lighthouse and federal waterfowl refuge. Lake Minatare Campground, near Scotts Bluff National Monument and Chimney Rock, offers camping pads with electricity hookups, over 100 non-pad sites, and modern facilities with potable water.
Address: Minatare, NE 69356
7. Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area
The Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area is on the beaches of the little Lake Ogallala, commonly known as the “little lake” due to its proximity to the Kingsley Dam and the massive Lake McConaughy. The peaceful 320-acre lake is a popular fishing spot, especially for rainbow trout. It also has a protected beachfront.
Address: 1475 NE-61, Ogallala, NE 69153
8. Louisville State Recreation Area
The 192-acre Louisville State Recreation Area on the south bank of the Platte River in Cass County has five sandpit lakes, one of which is swimmable. The park has towering cottonwood trees, is open all year, and has a great RV complex with 223 camping spaces.
Address: 15810 NE-50, Louisville, NE 68037
9. Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park is a year-round public recreation facility on the Platte River, about four miles east of Ashland, that offers year-round lodging and recreational opportunities. The contemporary park, which is -on 700 acres along the Platte River, offers a variety of facilities.
Address: 28500 W Park Hwy, Ashland, NE 68003
10. Mormon Island State Recreation Area
The Mormon Island State Recreation Place (SRA) is a lovely picturesque area taking its name after the Mormon immigrants’ winter layover on their way west. Mormon Island SRA, part of Nebraska’s distinctive Chain of Lakes, is home to hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes.
Address: 7425 US-281, Doniphan, NE 68832
Best Places to visit near Nebraska
Old Market
The Old Market is a great place to buy, eat, and understand how Omaha could have been in its early days.
The region has a lovely vintage vibe thanks to cobblestone lanes and rebuilt ancient buildings from the early nineteenth century.
Many retail enterprises, ranging from galleries to coffee shops and fine dining restaurants, are housed in these unique structures.
Many of Omaha’s major tourist sites and top things to do, such as the Durham Museum and the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, are within easy walking distance of the Old Market.
Strategic Air and Space Museum
The rich artifacts on show at this museum in Ashland, midway between Omaha and Lincoln, will excite fans of aircraft and aviation technology.
The museum, which was a Strategic Air Command in 1959 and became different over the years, got to its current site in a contemporary structure in 1998.
The name was changed to the Strategic Air and Space Museum a few years later. The museum covers 300,000 square feet and features a variety of aircraft, spacecraft, and unique exhibitions that vary often.
The enormous B-17G “Flying Fortress,” the B-25N “Mitchell,” and the MIG-21F “Fishbed-C” are among the aircraft on display. Several ICBMs are stationed outside the main structure (Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles).
Checklist Before Camping In Nebraska
Here’s a list of things to bring with you to Nebraska. We have chosen items that we believe are essential (or at least high priority) to assist you. Expect to get wet and dirty as a part of class exercises or out on your own.
- Light jacket
- Shoes for hiking
- Gloves
- Toiletries
- Sunglasses
- Water bottle
- Sunscreen
- Flashlight
- Extra batteries
- Blanket(s)
- Sleeping bag
- Small electric fan
- Small rug
- Desk lamp
- Portable radio
- Binoculars
FAQ
Can you bring pets to your camping in Nebraska?
This depends on the campground and its rules, but you can bring your pet to state parks with a leash.
How many people are allowed for camping in Nebraska as a group?
This is again up to the campground you choose to do camping, but there is no limit if you do your camping out in the wilderness.
Can you camp anywhere in Nebraska?
Not anywhere but within the limits of laws; if it is not prohibited in that area, you can camp.
Shefali Jain is a Content Writer & Editor at USWorkforce.org
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes. In her time at the organization, she has written and edited content on a range of topics, including employment law, human resources, and business management.
ARTICLE SOURCES
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- https://www.nebraskalife.com/top-15-nebraska-camping-grounds[↩]
- https://www.nebraskalife.com/10-best-places-to-visit-in-nebraska[↩]
- https://outdoornebraska.gov/parks/go-camping/campground-policy/#:~:text=Dogs%2C%20cats%20and%20other%20pets,or%20%E2%80%9Cpack%20it%20out.%E2%80%9D[↩]
- https://outdoornebraska.gov/parks/go-camping/campground-policy/#:~:text=Dogs%2C%20cats%20and%20other%20pets,or%20%E2%80%9Cpack%20it%20out.%E2%80%9D[↩]