Free Camping Collection with

Camper submitted image from Smith Creek Recreation Area - 1

Camper submitted image from Smith Creek Recreation Area - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Smith Creek Recreation Area - 3

Roads

Camper submitted image from Smith Creek Recreation Area - 4

Buildings

Camper submitted image from Smith Creek Recreation Area - 5

Water

Free Camping Collection

Established Camping

Smith Creek Recreation Area

9 Reviews

Do you own or manage this property?

Claim Your Listing

About

State Park

Suggest an Edit

Location

Smith Creek Recreation Area is located in Nebraska

Coordinates

40.8036 N
97.3299 W

Open in Google Maps

The Dyrt Alerts

Get reservations at sold-out campgrounds.

Learn More

Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Fair
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Phone Service
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Big Rig Friendly

Enjoy camping on government land. Limited or no services at this camping area.

PERMIT might be REQUIRED

We curate permit requirements across the US for our PRO members. Try PRO to see if Smith Creek Recreation Area needs a permit.

Try PRO for Free

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

First Come - First Served

The Dyrt Alerts

Get reservations at sold-out campgrounds.

Learn More

Contact

General Info

kenneth B.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 22, 2024

First BLM Camping

Great place clean facilities..heard a dog barking but.. kids ..dogs no issues here.. Nothing to stop wind so be prepared if your thinking of hanging out for a while Gravel road from highway to camp so keep dust in mind..

But for me it was all wonderful!!!!

Siteagainst frence in gravel parking area

Month of VisitMay

Amilyn W.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 26, 2023

Great quick overnight spot

Just a short drive down dirt roads off highway. Easy to find following diirections on Maps app. We were the second campers til another rv showed up during the night. RVs camp in gravel parking lot where toilets are. Unable to review toilets as we didn't use them. Large grassy area with trees and a couple teeter-totters, covered picnic area with electrical outlets, bbq grill and campfire grill. There's a floating dock with picnic table, perfect for enjoying a morning cup of coffee. A great quick overnight spot overall.

SiteDispersed

Month of VisitNovember

(6) View All

Alexander K.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 6, 2023

Interesting Night

Pulled in around midnight. We were under the impression that there was a gravel or dirt road that goes around the water to get to the designated tent spots. I didn’t find out until the next morning there was not and couldn’t explore upon arrival as there was a camper parked where I believed the road began. With no other way around, we parked the car in the lot and set up a tent on the first grassy area we could see. Once I got out of the car, there was constant barking that echoed around the area from around 12:15am throughout the night and next morning. The person with the camper had their dogs chained up outside all night and they would not stop barking. We were tired from driving all day and found a flat spot in the grass and set up as we couldn’t keep our eyes open to keep driving to another spot. The fun doesn’t stop there!

As if the constant barking wasn’t enough, there were coyotes yipping all night too. It sounded like a lot of them and it sounded like they were getting closer and closer. That mixed in with the ‘mooo-ing’ of cows all night as they were right across the road. The person with the camper also had their loud generator running all night. Nothing like some

All in all, it was not a good night of rest with all of the noise although it was nice to wake up there near the water. Could obviously do without all the barking and generator sounds but hey- that’s life right?

SiteParking Lot Grass

Month of VisitNovember

Julia C.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 11, 2023

Clean, quiet, lighted

Two other car campers there already when we rolled in close to midnight. Gravel road leading to the campground was in good condition. Convenient to I-80, but far enough removed that we had no freeway noise (my goal). Parking lot had a nice bright light. Clean vault toilets. Small playground.

Month of VisitOctober

Donner N.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 3, 2023

Nice, pleasant, did its job

Off a back road campsite that is pretty decent. Newer made ground toilets which were nice to have. They have pretty lax rules. Had no troubles setting up my tent in the area, does seem a lot of locals swing by during the day to visit but that was no issue. Not super buggy aside from moths.

Month of VisitAugust

Ron O.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 14, 2022

Quiet spot

Nice quiet spot on a creek fed lake. Boat/fishing dock. Newly constructed restrooms on a concrete pad. Only one drive up spot 4 or five spots for tents on grass a short carry from the parking. Day I was there only one other tent camper. The road in is typical gravel country road that can get a bit muddy with rain. My drive in spot was on the lake shore, no gravel so got quite muddy after the rain storm that blew through. Nebraska clay very slippery sticky and heavy. But really liked the place for an overnight stay.

SiteShore side drive in

Month of VisitAugust

Yallaen

Traveler

Reviewed May. 30, 2022

What a disappointment

I saw this site via a browser search. I also followed up with this app. The description was that it was a nice campground "south of I-80", with old vault toliets upgraded to portajohns.

First, to get here, I drove 20+ miles on dirt road. Luckily, I had a Jeep Gladiator, so it handled the roads.

Upon arrival, I found a mess! It appears that the state was building new bathrooms and concrete sidewalks...but the parking lot area was a MUDPIT! Good thing I had 4×4! A large 24ft tow behind RV had taken up a large portion of the area, and appered stuck in the mud.

This site was a mess, and I left. Maybe I will revisit in future,but as of Memorial Day 2022, no way!

To get back to civilization, another 10 miles of dirt road to York, NE.

Sitena

Month of VisitJune

Barrett M.

Scout

Reviewed Mar. 8, 2022

Quiet secluded

Quiet secluded dispersed camping with clean bathroom

Month of VisitApril

Abby M.

Legend

Reviewed Apr. 22, 2021

Great stay and close to interstate!

What a great stay. Stayed for 3 nights and only had 1 other camper. State trooper checked in one afternoon. There are 4 vault toilets, 2 male/2 female. Stalls aren’t separate though but overall very clean and stocked. This place was very peaceful and had both beautiful sunrises and sunsets. There’s a couple spots you could park in the lot and camp from a van or camper. There’s several spots available to pitch a tent near the shelter or down the hill. Multiple ring fires, picnic tables and grills available for use. There’s also trash bins which is nice.

Little bit of traffic for those looking to fish. Nice little walking paths along the lake. You can stay up to 14 days, free. Be sure to pack everything needed but there is a Walmart 15 minutes away. I had 2-3 bars of LTE via AT&T and was able to work efficiently. Definitely would stay here again.

Month of VisitMay

(4) View All