Best Designated Camping in Nebraska
For many visitors, Nebraska is a land filled with historic sites and quaint small towns to explore. With endless grassy prairie, it is not often a first choice for the campers and other outdoors people. However, there is more than just prairie in Nebraska. From the cliffs and bluffs along the Missouri River, to the badlands of the Panhandle, Nebraska hosts something for every camper to enjoy during their stay. Campers can enjoy fishing for bass, pike and walleye while the hikers can wander through old prairie and riverside brush searching for the abundance wildlife in the state. Nebraska may be the go to state to get a taste of what American pioneer life was like, but visitors will discover it is that and more.
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park Campground
Quick Camp Site Info
| # of Sites | Price: | Comforts: | Availability: |
| 74 sites | $16-$28 for campers RVs allowed |
Running water Flush toilets Hot showers |
Reservations available Open year-round |
Located along the scenic Platte River, the attractions at Eugene T. Mahoney offer year-round entertainment. Visitors not only come to fish and hike around the Platte River, but they also enjoy the entertainment surrounding the park including the Strategic Air and Space Museum, the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park, Quarry Oaks Golf Club and the Iron Horse Golf Club. The campground in the state park serves as an excellent base camp for all the adventure in the area and is easily one of the best in the state. The campground isn’t for those that yearn for a primitive camping experience, it is ultra modern and perfectly maintained. Even tent campers will feel like they have pulled into a resort rather than a campsite. Aside from tent and RV spots, the campground also hosts cabins with modern amenities to please even the pickiest glamper. While all these modern amenities may be a turn off for some, it is still an excellent campground located in a scenic area.
Enders Reservoir Campground,Enders Reservoir State Recreation Area
Quick Camp Site Info
| # of Sites | Price: | Comforts: | Availability: |
| 232 sites | $7-$15 for campers RVs allowed |
Running water Flush toilets Hot showers |
No reservations Open year-round |
Enders Reservoir is a manmade reservoir created by Enders Dam and its recreation area is also a major part of a waterfowl refuge. Visitors to the area can expect not only great bird watching opportunities, but also great fishing which is what attracts the majority of the birds. For the visitors that enjoy this area, the campground is a great base of operations for all the water-based recreation around Enders. Visitors come to fish, swim, boat and water ski on the shimmering reservoir water, but the area is also a popular hotspot for winter activities. The large campground is needed to accommodate all the visitors to this area and comes with modern bathrooms nearby all the sites, a boat ramp as well as picnic tables and fire rings in most sites. Many of the sites in the campground are situated in a clear, lightly shaded area by the water but forested sites are available as well. For campers that forgot some essential supplies like groceries, bait or fuel can find them just north in the quaint small town of Enders.
Fort Kearny Campground in Fort Kearny State Recreation Area
Quick Camp Site Info
| # of Sites | Price: | Comforts: | Availability: |
| 38 sites | $7-$20 for campers RVs allowed |
Running water Flush toilets Hot showers |
Reservations available Open year-round |
Fort Kearny was the home point of the Pony Express, outfitting depot for campaigns against Native Americans and a crucial fort to protect pioneers heading west. Today, thousands flock to this fort to learn about its history and watch the occasional Civil War re-enactment. In the shadow of this massive fort is the Fort Kearny Recreation Area and its beautiful campground. The campground is located only a mile from the fort so excited history buffs will be able to visit at their leisure. However, even for those not interested in the fort, there is plenty to do. The area is dotted with around eight sandpit lakes and in the springtime, it is home to the largest concentration of sandhill cranes in the Platte River valley. Campers can enjoy fishing the lakes, taking their non-motorized boats out, swimming or hiking along the many nature trails that trace their shores. The campground itself is located on beautiful wildflower strewn prairie with stately cottonwood trees, many over 100 years old, providing shade to the sites. While the campground hosts a number of developed sites, those who crave the serenity of nature will find it in their primitive camping area. However, whether campers choose developed or primitive campsites, they are both close to clean public restroom facilities so even primitive campers can have certain luxuries.
Pawnee Lake Campground, Pawnee State Recreation Area
Quick Camp Site Info
| # of Sites | Price: | Comforts: | Availability: |
| 31 sites | $7-$18 for campers RVs allowed |
Running water Flush toilets Hot showers |
Reservations available Open year-round |
The Pawnee State Recreation Area features the second largest lake in the Salt Valley, the campground’s eponymous Pawnee Lake. This area offers a number of amenities for the corn-huskers that annually come to play here including a wonderful campground. Campers will find plenty room to pitch a tent in their spacious sites situated in the light forests, boaters will be able to launch and dock their boats at the nearby lake and anglers can throw themselves at the abundance pike, walleye, bluegill and bass that call Pawnee Lake home. The campground itself is right down by the water and many sites can enjoy a lakeside view, but they fill up quick and interested campers should reserve in advance. There is also a sandy designated swimming area just a few feet from the campground that is perfect for summer fun. However, for the campers at Pawnee that get sick of the lakeside, there are more than 1,800 acres scattered with trails for hiking. However, fall hikers may want to be weary as hunting opens in the area after Labor Day. Regardless of if hunting season is in effect, there are a number of paved trails around the camping area that serve as an excellent way to see the area as well.
Ponca State Park Campground
Quick Camp Site Info
| # of Sites | Price: | Comforts: | Availability: |
| 57 sites | $20 for campers RVs allowed |
Running water Flush toilets Hot showers |
Reservations available Open year-round |
Nebraska Tourism
Sitting astride the bluffs of the Missouri River Valley, Ponca State Park serves as the eastern entrance to the Missouri River in Nebraska. Most Nebraskans flock to this state park not just for fishing or hiking but rather for its number of outdoor educational programs including astronomy, geology and archeology. However, with these programs as well as top notch fishing and hiking, it has made the campground hugely popular. The campground is hidden away from the waterside behind the bluffs in lush forest. This keeps the bugs from the river away from campsites as well as provides unparalleled privacy. The campground is close enough to the state park’s 20 miles of trail as well as the fishing and water recreation in the river to assure that campers are never too far from something fun to do. For campers that still want for entertainment, there is a horseback riding outfitter a few miles outside of the campground that sits above the forest and bluffs as well as a sandy swimming area complete with lifeguards in the summer. Like in other states, the Missouri River breathes life and brings fun to the state of Nebraska with its cool clean waters that give birth to beautiful surroundings.
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