Modern Campground — Niobrara State Park

We ended up having nearly the whole place to ourselves! Spots 43/44 were absolutely perfect! On the end which is always nice. Also far enough from the road so it wasn’t too noisy. It was downhill from the horse riding spot and there’s some dogs up there who were barking and came down to our camp twice. Level and spacious enough for our tent (some of the other spots were valleys). It was a short walk to the bathroom/shower.

Right off of spot 43 is a path to a clearing right on the riverbank for fishing. You might not like that spot if it’s busy and people are walking through your camp set up to get to it.

Showers and bathrooms were quite clean aside from bugs. Water had that icky egg smell lol.

Lots of bugs around in general! Mosquitoes, gnats and spiders were especially bad for us.

We drove around and looked at some of the other spots nearby. The primitive campsites looked super private and the cabins had some amazing views, I think cabin 10 would’ve been the best view but cost $170 per night.

Nice camping for extended stay of 14 days. Different length back in sites with picnic table and fire ring with grill. Camp host available. Handicap pad sites. I would have given a five star except for the cost!

We think $30/day for just electric is expensive but we’d been boon docking so we sprung for the expense for 3 nights. Showers are extra😳. Laundry available.

Little town of Niobrara, just a few miles away has limited shopping but a nice little grocery store, hardware store, museum, and fuel.

Confluence of the Missouri and Niobrara Rivers.

Nebraska State Parks have walk up and reservable spaces. We usually risk it and easily found a walk up on a Monday afternoon after the weekend crowd left.

We stayed in the RV campground but took a bike ride around the rest of the park. We stopped at the park office and chatted with assistant superintendent Nate. Very nice guy with lots of good info.. He told us about a nice loop we could continue our bike ride and we went around the picnic and tent area. Some incredible exclusive sites and great views of the Niobrara.

Not to be mistaken as Fort Niobrara, Niobrara State Park , NE is near Niobrara and Verdel, NE. The popular Niobrara River runs along the far side of the park and one of the attractions is the old train bridge which is now part of the converted trail that you can explore.

When we arrived the 80 degree temperatures from Kentucky did not arrive with us. The weather was windy, sprinkling and dropping with the sun. The night time low was about 43 degrees. I learned on another trip to pack all temperature range clothing especially this time of year, so I had my sniffle gear. We were one of three occupied sites in the campground. The other two sites had RV’s , I decided on truck camping and was glad I did.

The actual campground is spacious and had some trees. The showerhouse was well maintained and something new to me had pay showers. I hadn’t packed any quarters but have now added another helpful tidbit to my list of must haves while camping. (Roll of quarters, check) I attempted to leave my windows open after throwing a tarp over the truck but even though the temperature was low the mosquitoes were FIERCE! I don’t even want to know how bad they are in warm weather. So with the truck closed up we snuggled in for the night. I was a little surprised when I was woken by my dogs barking at coyotes that could be heard very nearby. Considering how sparsely populated the area is it shouldn’t have been that surprising, you really feel like your out in the middle of nowhere. Just shows how Northern I am ;) I was disappointed it was overcast , the sky would have been phenomenal with no lights to ruin the view.

This Park is laid out in a “horseshoe” and speed restrictions make it a long drive from end to end. The visitors center has some helpful employees that were very informative. Not surprisingly the river is the big draw in the area. The Ranger I spoke to said that there was a reinactment of the Lewis and Clark expedition due in that weekend. I was directed to the trailhead further in past the several cabins sitting in opportune locations along the road. The trail was moderately technical and you get to walk across the Niobrara on an old train bridge converted to a walkway. Unfortunately the far side was closed. There is also a horse trail ride offered (which would have been interesting with the boys).

The one con of the campground is that though you have an excellent view of the Niobrara River there is no easy access to it from the sites. Definitely a destination campground if you enjoy the river sports.