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Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Crawford, NE

126 Reviews

Fort Robinson State Park's expansive grounds welcome pets at multiple camping areas, including Soldier Creek, Red Cloud, and Mare Barn campgrounds, where leashed dogs can accompany campers at tent sites, RV spots, and select cabins. Each site provides picnic tables, fire rings, and nearby water access with clean facilities. Pets must remain on leashes no longer than six feet throughout the park, including on the network of hiking trails. Crawford City Park offers four electric and water hookup sites plus dispersed camping areas where pets are permitted, though the proximity to nearby stockyards means occasional animal noise might excite dogs. Pine Ridge Dispersed Camping allows free camping with pets on Forest Service land above Chadron State Park, providing stunning views stretching to the horizon with excellent hiking opportunities.

Chadron State Park's pet-friendly campground provides numerous shaded sites with clean, well-maintained facilities approximately 30 minutes from Crawford. Dogs must remain leashed while exploring the park's extensive trail system that connects to Nebraska National Forest lands. The park's location offers cooler temperatures at higher elevations, providing relief during summer months when hiking with pets. High Plains Homestead permits pets at both tent and RV sites with picnic tables and fire rings available, though visitors should note the strong winds in this remote location. Nearby wildlife viewing opportunities require careful pet management, especially during dawn and dusk hours when deer are most active. Most campgrounds in the region enforce standard pet policies including proper waste disposal, vaccination requirements, and restrictions on leaving pets unattended.

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Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Crawford, Nebraska (28)

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Recent Dog-Friendly Camping Photos near Crawford, NE

7 Photos of 28 Crawford Campgrounds

Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Crawford, NE

126 Reviews of 28 Crawford Campgrounds

  • Billy B.
    Aug. 14, 2016

    Toadstool (Ne) Nebraska Nf — Nebraska National Forests And Grasslands

    Great place for a short stop

    The park is located ~20 miles from Crawford, Ne. Many of those miles are gravel roads. The park is full of a lot of very neat rock formations. There is a ~1 mile long looped hiking trail inside the park that has markers so you can read about the land and how the rock was formed. There is an outhouse style bathroom available and half dozen camping spots with fire rings.

  • Charles C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 10, 2020

    Q's Dairy Sweet

    Open when others campgrounds are closed, and the food is shockingly good

    I rated this high, because of the activities, wilderness, and beauty around Crawford and the food and the availability of the campground when all else is closed, made it worth it.  Also, you can use the Dairy Sweety's rest room, WiFi and the close proximity to the highway, and a convenient store all must count for something.  But as a campsite itself, it has hookups and is affordable, otherwise it is a parking area behind a Cafe.

    Crawford has so much going for it.  We went to camp and catch trout.  Unfortunately, due to COVID and wet weather, even grassland boondocking was forbidden.  A local pointed us to the dairy sweet.  Behind the Dairy sweet she has 4 hookups and room for about 6 campers.  We set up late and just got food there- WOW!

    This is one of those places that aren't anything to look at but put amazing food on your plate!  The beef is locally raised.  The Ruben I had had thick slabs of corned beef they process themselves.  The BBQ I had on my last day could have fed a small village.

    While their visit Fort Rob, but don't miss Sowbelly Canyon, Toadstool SP, and the Museum of the Fir Trader in Neighboring Chadron. AND if you can, enter Crawford from the South, you will be glad you did.

    One of my favorite towns in Nebraska is Harrison.  It is the largest town in Sioux County which is itself larger than the state of Delaware.  Do you want to guess the second largest town in Sioux?  There is no other town in Sioux County!  That is how remote this area is…enjoy.

  • Jeannie E.
    Jul. 5, 2021

    Eagles Rest RV Park

    Nice

    Decent price rv park Full hookups Laundry Showers Sites not to level.... Stayed for a week.... to visit mt. Rushmore and Badlands Really interesting museums in area of chadron Nebraska Museum of the fur trade Rodeo in Crawford Nebraska Was fun exploring

  • P
    Jul. 23, 2022

    Soldier Creek Campground — Fort Robinson State Park

    Very busy campground

    Fort Robinson State Park is an activity packed park in Northwestern Nebraska, with some interesting history. BUT, know that the price listed for camping does not include taxes & fees (~$2/day), nor cost of Park daily entry permit ($12/day). Still a good deal, but be ready when you check in. There are tons of hiking trails in the park, from “easy” up to “”hard”. There are also jeep tours, short and long horseback trail rides, stagecoach rides, chuckwagon meals, breakfast or dinner among the nearby buttes, an indoor swimming pool, and the “Trailside Museum”, each for a fee. The on-site restaurant has a small menu, but there’s definitely something for everyone, and the portions are LARGE! Campsites are well-spaced and generally level. Bathrooms & pay showers are clean and well maintained. Showers use quarters, change machine takes $1 & $5; $1.50 for 4-1/2 minutes. A little bit of road noise (trucks engine braking) from adjacent US Rte 20. Could not find an on-property guest laundry. Would stay here again.

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 2, 2025

    Buffalo Gap National Grasslands

    Adjacent to Limestone Butt Reservoir

    But windy. Cactus around. Lots of birds and no amenities. Judging by the road little used gem. We camped on a little peninsula. Careful there is a 3 foot sink hole beside our van so we tied up the van. Nice in breeze on a 34' Celsius day. Nobody else around. The highway is behind a hill. You drive across the limestone butt dam to access the peninsula. It looks like the most well used spot. There are about 2-3 bars of at&t cellular service. Beware of the ticks. Our dog came back from his walk with at least 20.

  • Travis A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 15, 2024

    Bordeaux Wildlife Management Area

    Great for overnight parking

    Google maps will lead you right to the area. It's next to a busy road. Nebraska 20, Bridges to Buttes Byway. Enough parking for several rigs if parked close. I was the only rig there on a Thursday. It's only a few miles from a Super Walmart and a Safeway, in Chadron.

  • Susan L.
    Sep. 5, 2020

    Nebraska National Forest at Chadron

    Awesome hiking!

    Factoid: When I stayed here I learned that the Nebraska National Forest is manmade! It is the largest hand planted forest in the US. it felt like a green oasis in the “desert" of Western Nebraska!

    I spent 3 days hiking in this Forest and enjoyed every minute on each trail. This area has such differing geography. I’d begin the hike in the Forest, climb up to the ridge and catch views all the way into the vast, flat Buffalo National Grasslands area. 

    My home base was in Chadron State Park where I camped. The park itself has 6 miles of hiking trails which connect with several other trails in the Nebraska National Forest. The video is a section of the Black Hills Overlook Trail in the National Forest. A definite must! There was evidence of old wildfires on the western slopes, but otherwise the lodgepole pine trees were beautiful. Steamboat Butte Trail is another good hike.

    Chadron State Park is located in the Nebraska National Forest off Hwy 385 south of the town of Chadron which has a Walmart for supplies.The park has pretty much everything: a fishing pond, A trading post for basic camp supplies and some food, swimming pool, seasonal horseback trail rides, archery range, tennis court, disc golf, sand volleyball, horseshoe pits, softball field, playground, AC/heated cabins, group camping with a group lodge,  and campsites with 30 amp HU, no water so fill up at the bathrooms and there’s a dump station on site. 

    The site I was in was level, but there was no shade. Shade trees are sparse in the area where I was camped. It was quiet and the stars were great at night, and made for a good home base from which to hike in the Nebraska National Forest.

  • James B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 12, 2023

    Crawford City Park

    Overnight stay

    Stopped on the way back through Nebraska. Sites were $20 for 50amp service with water. There is a dump site located near the sites, which you have to drive into the grass to use. There is a feed lot or hub for cattle across the creek. When we were there, it was loud with the sound of a bunch of cows.
    Had difficulty finding a view of the sky for Starlink due to trees.
    Good Verizon signal so no problem.

Guide to Crawford

Situated in northwest Nebraska's Pine Ridge region, Crawford sits at 3,675 feet elevation where the White River flows between dramatic buttes and canyons. This area experiences temperature swings typical of high plains, with summer daytime highs often reaching 90°F while dropping to 50°F at night. Winter camping requires preparation for temperatures that can drop well below freezing, with occasional snow accumulation affecting accessibility to remote sites.

What to do

Wildlife viewing opportunities: Crawford's pine-covered ridges provide excellent woodpecker watching, especially in Chadron State Park where visitors report frequent sightings. As one camper noted, "Clean restrooms with showers and laundry. Little noise from the highway. Some sites have tree cover. Close to city and within 2 hours of Rushmore and Crazy Horse."

Jeep tours through rugged terrain: Book guided excursions at Fort Robinson State Park, exploring remote canyon roads inaccessible to standard vehicles. A visitor mentioned the park "is an activity packed park in Northwestern Nebraska, with some interesting history" and explains that "there are tons of hiking trails in the park, from 'easy' up to 'hard'. There are also jeep tours, short and long horseback trail rides, stagecoach rides, chuckwagon meals, breakfast or dinner among the nearby buttes."

Historic site exploration: Visit the Trailside Museum within Fort Robinson to learn about the region's military history and the site where Crazy Horse was killed. At Red Cloud Campground, one camper observed the "campground is on site of old Fort Robinson. The old barracks and post buildings are available to reserve and stay in."

What campers like

Affordable dispersed options: Pine Ridge Dispersed Camping provides free sites within Nebraska National Forest with stunning valley views. A reviewer described their experience: "We're in the midst of a week in our 26' travel trailer along this beautiful 1.5 mile-long dirt Forest Service road 714-A, directly above Chadron State Park. We're guessing that most folks who stay in the State Park campground below are unaware that dispersed camping is indeed permitted within 300 feet of the center line of this road."

Pet-friendly accommodations: Crawford City Park welcomes dogs with designated areas throughout the grounds. A visitor mentioned it has "4 electric & water sites, plus dispersed sites. Water and dump available. You can hear the stock yards across the street, and train from the HU sites, but not really from the dispersed area. Laundromat in town center. Great playground for kids."

Night sky visibility: Clear, dark skies provide exceptional stargazing opportunities at more remote campgrounds. However, some locations have challenges as one camper at Crawford City Park noted: "Had difficulty finding a view of the sky for Starlink due to trees. Good Verizon signal so no problem."

What you should know

Noise considerations: Several pet-friendly campgrounds near Crawford experience sound disruptions. A camper at Crawford City Park reported: "Clean campground, 4 sites with electricity and water ($20). Many sites without electricity ($10). The noise is from the 4-BNSF trains per hour coming from/going to the Wyoming coal fields."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Crawford, NE?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Crawford, NE is Crawford City Park with a 3.8-star rating from 6 reviews.

What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Crawford, NE?

TheDyrt.com has all 28 dog-friendly camping locations near Crawford, NE, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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