Best Tent Camping near Columbus, NE

Recent Tent Reviews in Columbus

241 Reviews of 11 Columbus Campgrounds

• C

  Chris H.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 14, 2024

  Buckley Park Campground

  Beautiful

  This Campground is beautiful and cozy! Picnic table and fire pit at site with 30 and 20 amp. Note that it is a 4 day Max and you have to leave for 10 days before you can come back. New spots at Lucy Holm were not open as it was middle of November when we stayed. They have an 18 hole disc golf, tennis, volleyball, basketball, pool, and 3 playgrounds. They have really put a lot of work in this park. Would love to stay during the summer!

• C

  Chris H.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 14, 2024

  Columbus Agricultural Park

  Full Hookups

  The only good from this Campground is its full hookup year round. It was dirty and very outdated. Most of the sewer hookups were broken and backed up and the electric boxes were broken and outdated. If you have a newer rv I would suggest not staying here or try to find a good electrical box. No fire rings, most sites just had a fire on the ground. This place is just run down and dirty, ok place for a night.

• 

  Pat V.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 16, 2024

  Maskenthine Lake Recreation Area

  Great Campground

  This campground is one of our favorites. It’s got clean restrooms and showers, plenty of water available plus the dump station. Nice lake for fishing or kayaking. Great trails for hiking or mountain biking. Super quiet place and some pretty great sunsets!

• 

  Lisa M.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Newman Grove City Park

  Good spot for an overnight

  This city park has eight or nine spots available some have full hook ups and some have just water and some have just sewer and some have just electric. We stayed on spot nine, which had all three. Only downside to this little place was since it is the city park and there is a playground here, quite a bit of local traffic bringing the kids in. Nice walking trail around part of the golf course. When we were there, there was no place to pay, but I called the city clerk and she said just to put the money in a dropbox at City Hall, which is $20 now.pretty close to the road that goes through town so a little bit of traffic noise.

• 

  Tim C.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Beaver Crossing City Park

  Perfect

  Perfect little spot right off the interstate. Clean, quiet, hookups. Nice park. Fun town.

• 

  Pat V.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 7, 2024

  Branched Oak Lake State Rec Area

  Decent Place that needs Updating

  We stayed here for a mountain bike race weekend. Nighttime is great for stargazing and they have pretty stellar sunrises. We enjoyed the archery range and took plenty of walks. The shower facilities need a lot of updating and the RV spots are pretty dated with narrow roads. We were glad it wasn’t a weekend with a full campground and we think it would be pretty hectic during their peak season.

• 

  Pat V.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 4, 2024

  Lake Wanahoo State Recreation Area

  Quiet and relaxed weekend

  It’s been a few years since we stayed at Lake Wanahoo, but we decided to stay there over our anniversary weekend. The place is still great, and this time of year it was very quiet and peaceful.

  I was able to fish at the lake, we used the trails for walking and biking. Being close to town allowed us to have a great anniversary dinner at a steakhouse!

  We are definitely going to be using it more!

• 

  Ken G.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 23, 2024

  Pioneer Trails Recreation Area

  nice, quiet campground near the highway

  We stayed there in late August on a weeknight.  The sites look new, possibly recently refurbished.  There is a small lake near which is an easy walk.  Everything was clean and recently mowed grass.  In the middle of corn fields, but a nice quiet place to spend one night.

• 

  William R.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 31, 2024

  Smiths Creek Recreational Area

  Perfect for those driving cross country

  Very easy to find, free and simple. Pull up, park, sleep, enjoy lake in the morning!

• 

  Cindi

  Scout

  

  Aug. 29, 2024

  Wildwood Lake

  Goose haven

  This lake and campground are inundated with geese. We kayaked and I noticed “things” floating everywhere in the water. Goose poop. It was gross. Someone had also smeared (likely) human poo all over the walls and floor of the outhouse. I’m not going back.

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 1, 2024

  Double Nickel Campground

  Well Run Campground with Exceptional Service

  We’d passed through this area a few years ago when traveling I-80 and noticed there was a campground(CG) and golf course here in Waco, NE. We added this CG to our list and finally got a chance to stay here. The CG is a little ways off I-80 and easy to get to. Check-in was quick and easy and we were led to pull through site 303 with FHUs. There are separate prices for weekdays and weekends. The utilities were at the center of the long gravel pad. Water pressure was okay at around 40 psi. We got 2 bars on Verizon. The sites here are decently spaced especially for a private CG. The CG was clean and well-maintained. If there were long-term residents, you could not tell. We were here over a weekend, so there were families and a lot of kids using the swimming pool, mini golf, and the large playground area. Each site, along with a picnic table and fire pit has a bench swing. There’s a decent-sized dog park on the south side and larger one on the north side. The CG has its own tornado siren plus an underground tornado shelter. There’s one cabin for rent. They also have a well-kept laundry room with 2 washers and 2 dryers. York has your main amenities such as Walmart. The golf course right next door is a deceptively tough 9-hole course.

• 

  Eric P.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2024

  Double Nickel Campground

  Good facilities and family friendly

  Really nice staff. Bathhouse is nice and clean. There are all sorts of games: Basketball, volleyball, miniature golf, Large Jenga, etc... Nice pool. Only issue: road noise. It's just off the expressway. It's not too bad though.

• 

  Alika T.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 29, 2024

  Ta-Ha-Zouka Park

  Cute simple short term sites

  They have 18 electric sites $26/night and tent non electric sites for $18/night. 7 day max stays. Reservable.

• 

  Rose S.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 25, 2024

  Spikerush State Wildlife Management Area

  Got there late at night, but couldn’t see much

  May have missed some thing because we arrived in the dark, but could see any areas with flat, low grass areas for camping

• T

  Tim S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Ta-Ha-Zouka Park

  Easy access and large sites

  Great stopover campground or for staying awhile. Norfolk is nearby and has a lot of restaurants and shopping. The Cowboy Trail starts here and continues to Valentine, NE. Clean bathrooms and showers as well.

• 

  Kyla B.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 21, 2024

  Dead Timber State Rec Area

  Quiet retreat

  There are areas dedicated for daily use, primitive camping and electric sites. Great Lake for kayaking or a small jon boat. Has restrooms available, no showers. No dumpsite. Fire pit and picnic table available at sites.

  Appears to be a quiet retreat with minimal campers.

• 

  Scott B.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 21, 2024

  Prairie Oasis Campground & Cabins

  Great stop while driving through

  Stopped here for the night while traveling through the area. Great stop. Clean and safe campground with full hook ups. Would recommend.

• 

  Maya H.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2024

  Smiths Creek Recreational Area

  Safe and perfect for travelers using 80

  About 3 turns off the highway via dirt road. Very pretty, clean toilets, potable water, has picnic tables and grills. Definitely staying again on my way back east

• 

  Donner N.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 3, 2024

  Smith Creek Recreation Area

  Second Year Camping Here

  Camped here previous year, and it was nice to come back to. Bathroom and lots of spots to set up. Also looks like it might be getting an update with the pavilion

• 

  Terry D.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 30, 2024

  Prairie Oasis Campground & Cabins

  Great place

  Nice n quiet with a good breeze lots around for kids to do well kept n everything works as should I get back this way I will spend more time here next time .owners are real friendly and informative.

• 

  Timothy K.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 16, 2024

  Smith Creek Recreation Area

  Free camping right off the expressway

  Great little spot right off the expressway.  Seems to be used mostly for RV's but has space for tents.  Tent spaces are not marked but there are fire pits to give you a general idea of where to camp.  Also, looks like they are constructing a picnic/gazebo area.

• 

  Jennifer T.

  Traveler

  

  May. 28, 2024

  Branched Oak Lake State Rec Area

  Beautiful spot

  We spent Memorial weekend here in 2022. We had to park in a designated parking spot and walk in to set our tent. The site was shady and came with a picnic table, fire ring and We were right on the shores of the lake. It was a beautiful and very relaxing to hear the waves, although the wind coming across the lake was mighty fierce and destroyed the canopy that we had over the picnic table. And the beating of the tent all night long was a little hard to get some decent sleep. But the area was nice and close to the restrooms and spacious campsites

• 

  Gabriel H.

  Traveler

  

  May. 11, 2024

  Timber Point Wetland

  Good for what it is

  Small park with only 3 campsites. It has a hiking trail and a pond to do some fishing. Stayed for two days and would come back. Be wary though that there is limited availability

• 

  Elizabeth B.

  Scout

  

  May. 10, 2024

  Pawnee State Recreation Area

  Expensive and Dirty Bathrooms

  Nebraska campgrounds are never that stellar in my opinion often right by the freeway, but this one was the worst. The location is beautiful but the restrooms were the worst I’ve ever seen. It costs nearly as much as a site in a national park with the out-of-state permit, and music was played at all hours by people without any recourse. The cherry on top was our vehicle being pelted with rocks when the person next to us started mowing at 7am.

• C

  Chris A.

  Guide

  

  May. 5, 2024

  Czechland Lake Recreation Area

  Great first come first serve campground

  This is a nice small campground that is well taken care of. We stayed at site number 8 which may be one of the more unlevel spots. The passenger side of our 5th wheel was about 7" lower than driver side and rear of fifth wheel was about 3" lower than front before we levelled out. 

  Pros:

  -Well maintained walking trails that are perfect for dogs

  -Most sites have 30 and 50 amp hookups

  -Fire rings and picnic tables at most sites

  -$18 a night for electric hookups

  -Quiet

  Cons:

  -Some sites are very unlevel  

  -No water or dump station

• k

  kenneth B.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 22, 2024

  Smith Creek Recreation Area

  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!!!!

• 

  Tony G.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 16, 2024

  Double Nickel Campground

  Pleasantly Surprised W/ owners that really care for your stay.

  Stayed here a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised. Many kid activities with even a Saturday movie night the park put on for the kids. You will not find better service anywhere. Also, next to a golf course that you can literally walk to from your site to play if you like this sort of thing. If you run low on wood, just simply call up to the office and they will bring you more. Will be back there very soon.