Best Tent Camping near Ashton, NE
Tent camping options near Ashton, Nebraska include several established areas with basic amenities. Blue Hole Wildlife Management Area provides primitive tent sites with drive-in and walk-in access, while Bowman Lake State Recreation Area and Cheyenne State Recreation Area offer more developed tent camping with some facilities. Tooley Park Campground near Marquette serves as another option for tent campers seeking access to water activities.
Sites at most tent campgrounds have minimal improvements, with dirt or gravel surfaces and limited infrastructure. Blue Hole Wildlife Management Area lacks drinking water and toilets, making it suitable for self-sufficient campers with proper supplies. Cheyenne State Recreation Area provides trash collection, toilets, and allows pets and fires, though without electric hookups. Interstate noise affects several camping areas, particularly Blue Hole which sits close to I-80. Bowman Lake State Recreation Area offers drinking water and toilet facilities in a more secluded setting.
The tent camping experience varies significantly between locations. Blue Hole Wildlife Management Area serves primarily as an overnight stopover for travelers rather than a destination campground. A visitor noted, "It's a small area with a pond just off the interstate. I wouldn't make this a destination, but for a one night needed rest stop it's ok." Tooley Park offers river access popular with kayakers and day users, though some campers report it can become crowded during peak times. According to one camper, Bowman Lake provides "quiet and private" tent sites with river access and fishing opportunities. Most tent campgrounds in the region remain relatively uncrowded even during holiday weekends, with Cheyenne State Recreation Area reportedly hosting only one camper during a Labor Day weekend.
