Best RV Parks & Resorts near Conestoga Lake

We stayed here one night as we were just passing through. The park is really nice and the playgrounds are the nicest I have ever seen! I even had to take my turn on the swings and down the slide. . The new campground is nice with full hook ups, however this is not your normal state park style camping. This is full on RV parking lot with campers stacked on top of each other. I’m never a fan of sitting at my picnic table to eat 8 foot away from someone dumping their sewer tanks. That’s the only con I see here. Luckily we had one of the end sites.

RV camping at Platte River is a very new concept. Bison Campground has concrete pads with full hook ups located in a cleared area of forest on top of a hill, so there are no shade trees anywhere. Summertime would be brutal ☀️. Very clean campground but sites are very close to one another, so if you are looking for privacy this is not the place.

Nice quick stop for 1 night while driving through in Lincoln, NE area. I tented 1 night while traveling through the area on a summer roadtrip 2015. Easily located off of Interstate-80. All the amenities you'd need for tenting or RV hookups. Affordable. It is in a Nebraska State Park but the $5 day pass wasn't a deterrent. Quick drive into Lincoln as well as easy interstate travel to Omaha, NE if you're passing through.

First, the owners are SO nice and helpful. The campground is right off the exit so it is very convenient and easy to get to, they have full hook ups for a very reasonable price so it was a great choice for a stop on our cross country trip. The amenities are nice- they have a pool, large playground, mini put and standard camp store. Things look a bit old but well maintained. Each spot had a porch swing, picnic table and fire ring which we very much enjoyed. The laundry room was closed due to Covid, but they do have one which is helpful too :) my kids particularly enjoyed the mini put and pool.

This is a very nice campground right off I-80 at the Lincoln downtown exit. My son and I stayed here for a week until he could move into his apartment. It was very clean and well kept. We had full hook-ups and cell service and wifi. They have a large off leash dog run which was so nice. There were so many things for younger kids to do. I wish I would have known about this place when mine were younger. We travel a lot and I have to say for a private campground this is a nice one. As for the price, for a family with kids they have lots of activities. Wish we would have gotten a deluxe patio site-maybe next time.

Popped in for a quick one night stay on our way west. Chose this place based on reviews on The Dyrt. It is mid week in October but it's so quiet, which we really like. Great pull through spaces with full hook ups and fantastic WiFi which allowed me to get some much needed work in. When I told the owner we had two dogs he put us directly across from the dog park which our pups really liked. Super cute touches around the place including bench swings at all the sites. Looks like the place could be great for families in the summer.

It is directly adjacent to the highway so there is some noise but it's not too bad. We actually felt it was quiet and relaxing.

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.

Campground Review

We pulled into The Double Nickel Campground off of I-80 at the Waco exit(360) in Nebraska and were pleasantly surprised. We had a pull-thru site with Electric and Water. The site was a level, gravel pad with a picnic table and a large fire ring and a cute wooden double swing.

We learned that the owners Jeff and Amanda had bought the campgrounds in 2014 and moved here from Georgia. They have been working hard to improve it and are going to be making all RV sites into full hookups this winter. They also had started decorating for a haunted Halloween at the campgrounds.

This campground had free putt putt golf, video games, volleyball, yard games, playgrounds, a swimming pool, kids toys and books, crafts, and even an outdoor movie. Lots to do for family fun. There was also a golf course right next to the campgrounds.

The campgrounds offered tent and RV camping with Electric and Water to full hookups. There was free Wifi. The owner brought our firewood to the site and there was trash pick up at the site. There was a fenced in dog run for the pups. The only con was the interstate noise which we got use to. Everyone was very friendly and we made new camper friends and enjoyed fellowship around the campfire swapping stories and listening to the coyotes chattering in the distance. We will definitely return.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. At this campsite my husband and I tested the Midland ER 210 Emergency Weather Radio and XTalker T31 Walkie Talkie Bundle. Some of great features and things I liked about the Emergency Weather Radio are

1. The ultrasonic dog whistle and flashing beacon to help aid search and rescue locate you in case you are lost or hurt.
2. Loved all the different ways to charge this Radio. You can use the solar panel, the crank, the rechargeable batteries, or 6 AA batteries, making it a great tool to have.
3. When we were listening to the radio, a siren went off to alert us that we were in a severe thunderstorm watch and that high winds were expected.

The XTalker T31 Walkie Talkies have

1. Split chargers making them easy to charge
2. A call or page button to call each other
3. Ease of use

September is Emergency Prepareness Month and this bundle will definitely be a great asset to have especially here in Nebraska where the weather can turn bad quickly. Please check them out at https://midlandusa.com

We were having a hard time finding an RV park since it's the off season. This place popped up and we've been so blessed. The host was so kind and helpful to us new timers. The park is a giant loop with many potable water fountains around. The dumping station is at the front of the park. We felt super safe letting our kids roam the park. We will definitely use this park again if in the area!

We spent the weekend at Diller RV park in June 2020. Very nice, clean, plenty of shade camp site. Diller is a very small Village with a small Main Street, which we enjoyed walking to. The have a great locker to pick up items to grill. The park was very nice. It was a great get away from the city noise. Diller is very close to Rock creek station as well.

Right next to the event center, tent or rv camping is allowed. Depending on what's happening that day, it can be quiet or very busy. All sites are gravel and have electrical hookups. Internet is available throughout the area. Fires must be contained in an enclosed fire pit and pets must be kept on leash at all times. You can use the arena for showering during the day which is incredibly helpful.

Nice KOA. There is a nice playground for the children and a pool with snack bar. Management was very friendly and helpful. We had a nice end campsite that gave us extra room with full hookups. The wifi was good and we were right next to a cell tower. They also had some nice cabins!

Two years old, the Taj Mahal of state park campgrounds! Level, concrete pads, full hookups, clean toilet/shower buildings. Friendly staff. Concrete roads throughout!

We like a primitive camp with pit toilets and basic water. This camp was a great stop off of I-80, further out than the closer in crowded RV parks. First come first serve, it was 10% full on the last Thursday in June. Great little stocked fishing lake with sites all fairly close to the long northern shore of the lake. Redwing blackbirds, geese, and lightning bugs tucked in between the corn fields. We camped in #19 which was in a dark spot between the bright peach streetlights on either end of the campground. Much better than we expected to find for just a utility stop. Highly recommended! Memphis sleepy little prosperous town, Ashland bigger with sweet downtown area

This is my first time staying at a KOA, and I think it’s fine for an overnight RV stay, but I definitely wouldn’t make an entire trip of it. The campground is crowded and the sites are very crammed together. I believe all of the sites have full hookups (power/water/sewer) which is nice if you’ve been without for a few days like I had. I can’t comment on the bathrooms, didn’t use them. The playground and other amenities looked extremely old, rickety and borderline hazardous. The noise from I-80 is definitely present and pervasive, but I didn’t hear it from my RV. Like others have mentioned, the entrance to the campground is next to a blind hill, but it’s not impossible to see oncoming traffic.

We pulled in after office hours and the camp host met us at the front entrance and escorted us all the way to our site. Pull through with full hooks ups.

When reviewing this campground it is important that I preface anything with a note about the campground condition.  This entire area has been inundated with flooding off and on since March 2019.  This review is taking these issues into accord and basing the review on the areas that have been repaired in the park since the flooding.

Campground Review:

When entering the park you will notice some areas that still show signs of being impacted by the historic flooding this year.  The road was completely wiped out during the flooding, but due to some intense work the road was replaced to the campground.  

At the park entrance there is a park office to purchase park permits for either day use or for the season. A yearly in-state park permit is $31 and a daily is $6 per day.  You will also notice another building at the entrance that during the active season (April-September) is the concession stand.  They have a decent spread of options to purchase like drinks, firewood, bait, etc., but you are better off price wise bringing your own supplies to save money.

Just past the entrance you will see a row of 10 former Union Pacific Cabooses that in lieu of actual cabins can be rented for a nights stay.  They have restrooms, a deck, beds, etc. , but you do need to bring your own bedding when staying in a caboose.  These can be rented for $75 per night.  One unfortunate part of the caboose rentals is there are no pets allowed when renting.

There are multiple lakes within the campground to use for fishing.  During peak season these lakes are often overly packed-in with people trying to catch something.  Lake number 5 is popular for Trout fishing.  During normal years that aren't heavily impacted by flooding you can also do some river fishing on the Platte River.  Due to the flooding this year though, access to anything by the river is closed due to the area being a mess and some areas undermined by the water that sat for months.

Two Rivers SRA provides tent and RV camping, but again due to the flooding this year a couple of the more popular areas are closed for significant repairs.  One of the busy areas for RV camping and where we stayed was the Lakeside Campground.  With it being off-season it wasn't too busy but there were close to a dozen campers there over the weekend.  RV camping can be done for $25-$35 per night at Two Rivers SRA.  The more expensive "Full Hook-up" is actually only water and power.  There are no sewer hook-ups that I have ever seen for our multiple stays.  Since it is off-season the dump station is closed for your post camping routine.  There is a Love's Travel Stop about 5 miles away where you can dump for $5.  While the primary water is shutoff as well this time of year, there are multiple Iowa hydrants that are still available for filling the holding tanks.

Tent campers can use any of the open spots at any of the campgrounds, but if you are using a spot with power it runs $15 per night.  The normal primitive campground is closed from the flooding, but when open it runs $10 per night.

Two Rivers SRA also offers Horse Camping for those that want to bring their horses out and do some trail riding.  This has been closed all season due to the flooding, but when open there are usually 3-4 groups that bring their horses in for trail riding and camping, so it is pretty popular.

**All off-season camping is $5 off the normal rate with exception of primitive sites.

The campground has multiple vault toilets throughout the campground and a few new full service bathrooms/shower houses, that double as shelters during Tornado season.  These fully concrete facilities have been built in the last couple years and are still in really good shape.

The campground areas that are open have been rehabilitated pretty well since the flooding.  They are fairly clean and maintained, about the only real issues are the presence of more sand from the flooding and some roads that need attention.

Pheasants Forever also has a wildlife preserve within the campground.  The organization maintains the grounds as a habitat and also performs hunts here throughout the year.  When it is not being used for hunting, it is a really nice area to go for a hike and see some wildlife.

Unfortunately due to the flooding a lot of the areas along the banks of the Platte River that are usually used for hiking cannot be accessed.  There is some danger involved with trying to get to some of these areas due to the conditions post-flood.  You can still hike around the rest of the park using the roads, or even take your bikes out for some fun riding.

The area has really been impacted by the historic flooding, but they are really doing everything they can to bring the area back to what it was before the flooding.  Take the time to stop out and if you do, offer a hand at helping to clean-up!

Product Review of HeadSpin Light System:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I am offered the chance to test from time-to-time.  On this camp out I was provided with the chance to test the new HeadSpin Light System.  If you would like to know more about the HeadSpin Light System check out their website: www.headspinoutdoors.com

When I un-boxed this light kit with my boys we were all immediately taken aback by the options this light provided for use.  The light system comes in a well designed case that houses all the components in their own foam lined spaces.  

You receive the light unit itself, a handlebar mount, a head mount, a flashlight mount, and a wall charger mount.  The kit also comes with a hex wrench for mounting the handlebar mount to a bike, a mini-usb charging cord, directions, and HeadSpin sticker.

The first thing we tested out was the brightness of the light while we were in the campground.  We were very impressed with how bright this light is and how well it was able to show us much more of the campground than we expected based on previous headlamps we have used.  The headlamp is easily adjusted for size and my boys were constantly changing the fit between each other.  Adjusting the light intensity isn't too difficult either once you identify which button is used for each task.  The buttons were a little awkward to identify with gloves on during the cold night when we were at the campground.  I would suggest making the buttons easier to identify in some manner, possibly raising them a bit.

While I did not have my mountain bike out with us on this trip, I did identify another way to use the handlebar mount.  This mounted quite well to the bottom of the grip of my trekking pole.  This worked out really well when we were walking around the campground and really added just that much more functionality to the HeadSpin Light System.  I do look forward to getting this mounted on my mountain bike as well and trying it out on some of the local trails.

Now for full disclosure, I have always been into different types of flash lights as it always seems as though I have a job where they are required in some way.  I was really impressed with the flashlight handle for the HeadSpin Light System.  It is too often when you are carrying a flashlight where you notice the grip is either too big or too small.  This grip really fit in the Goldilocks arena for me and I expect to use this quite often.

When charging this light system you have the ability to use the wall plug base or the USB cable.  I received this light earlier enough and I was able to use the wall plug.  The light had no power when I received it and was fully charged in an hour after being plugged into the wall. In my book that is impressive, and I used it all weekend and it is still going on that charge.

I really appreciate the versatility of this light system overall and recommend it to anyone looking for a good interchangeable light setup.  This works for campers, cyclists, DIY addicts, etc.  This is really a great kit and I plan to use this setup for years to come.  Again, to find out more about this fantastic light system check it out on their website at: www.headspinoutdoors.com

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.