Are you planning a trip to Halsey with your horse? We've got you covered. Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
Bessey Recreation Complex and campground is located in central Nebraska, adjacent to Middle Loup River, offering visitors opportunities to enjoy the scenery, relax, and recreate. Download the Recreation.gov app from your app store to pay online for first-come, first-serve sites.
Waterfront activities are popular and plentiful at this facility. Adjacent to the campground, Middle Loup River is shallow and steady flowing, providing good conditions for tubing and canoeing. A seven acre pond stocked with largemouth bass, blue gill, trout and catfish offers great fishing for the whole family. There is also an accessible fishing pier.
The Nebraska National Forest, Bessey Ranger District is located in western Nebraska. The campground within the Bessey Recreation Complex is located next to the Charles E. Bessey Nursery, oldest tree nursery in the Forest Service. Wildlife in the area abounds. Prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, mule-deer, whitetailed deer, pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs, turkeys, coyotes, bobwhite quail, eagles, hawks and falcons all find habitat in surrounding ecosystems.
Drive or hike to the Scott Lookout Tower for a fantastic panoramic view of Nebraska's sand hills and prairies.
$15 / night
The Natick Campground is quieter than the Bessey Recreation Complex, and it has 20 corral for riding stock. This 17-unit campground has potable water, picnic tables, fire rings, modern vault toilets, and an outstanding view of the night sky. It is situated on the border of the hand-planted forest and the native grasslands, so it is easy to see both using Natick as your home base. No ATV or side-by-side riding is allowed from this campground. Looking to horseback ride off the roads? Here is a map of the gate locations near Natick (it's a work in progress).
$15 / night
Scout
Clean, campground, everything you need is available. The river access is nice and our dogs enjoyed swimming. The train is annoying, blaring its horn at least hourly, if not more often.
LegendBessey NF Rec Campground : (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 3.5. There are some nice sites, but many are in groups o 2 or 3. I took pics of some of my favorite somewhat secluded sites
Price 2024: $10 for electric sites and $15 for non-electric sites- both prices are w interagency pass
Security: no
Usage during visit: 1/2
Visual Privacy Between Adjacent Sites: most sites no
Site Spacing: depends on the site
Pad surface: gravel
Reservations: Yes. Current night and 3 nights out are first come first serve.
Campground Noise: Some OHV noise and voices during the day. Was quiet at night. Note there are a lot of OHVs in the campground.
Outside Road Noise: none
Through Traffic in campground:
Electric Hookup: some sites
Sewer Hookup: no
Dump Station: ye
Potable Water Available: spigots throughout the cg
Bathroom: yes
Showers: yes
Pull Throughs: some
Cell Service (AT&T): 2 to 3 bars
Setting: near a river with lush tree growth.
Recent Weather: highs are mid 70s to 80s
Solar: some sites.
Insects: not many right now.
Host: yes
Rig Size: large rigs fit in some sites.
Sites: sites near the water beginning with number 33 are not that great. They don’t have a good view. I took pics of some of my favorite trailer sites. Most of them, our 26’ trailer will fit in.
Traveler
The sites are mostly level and well groomed grass with 2 new concrete handicap spots. The 30 amp and 50 amp power was proper voltage and dependable. Access to clear line of site to south for Dish or Directv is difficult due to heavy tree population. Non-Nebraska resident requires $14 pass in addition to the $30 fee with electric. Potable water is available and dump station is easily accessible with a rinse water source. Ingress and egress is good with gravel road surfaces in park. The restrooms and showers are very clean and accessible.
GuideDecided to cut our drive in half by staying here on our way to Smith Falls. It was a Monday night but it was very quiet other than the hum of the mosquitos!
-Side note: the vault bathrooms were a whole lot cleaner than some of our past experiences at other State Parks
TravelerGreat spot with lots of trees and good sized sites. I arrived on a Sunday afternoon and they were only half full & by night only a few more people came. Bugs were pretty bad. Unfortunately a bad storm moved in so we weren’t able to enjoy the evening. The trees kept us protected from the wind and hail. Would come back again!
GuideVery nice little campground. Well manicured. Nice tent camping pads. Spots are well shaded. Has modern bathroom with FREE showers. Has primitive toilets scattered everywhere. Have walking, Jeep, ATV trails all over. Nice little pond to catch a few fish. Overall a very nice spot. A little noisy during the day with all the ATV traffic, but nice and quiet at night!
ScoutTrains ran all night every hour, maybe more, and blasted us each time. In the morning we were surrounded anf deafened by atv activity- we couldn't get out of there fast enough.
TravelerCamp hosts were amazing. Gave us firewood. Clean facilities. Well maintained. Gorgeous trees and trails.
TravelerThis campground is a hidden gem. Nice big sites, your not packed it. Beautiful trees all around and we’ll kept. If you need electric you can reserve a site and get 30 or 50. Some sites have water and does have a sanitary dump site. Enjoying our overnight stay
GuideGreat camping trip with friends
ScoutThis is a nice little campground in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Campsites are spaced apart nicely over three loops and many of the sites offer electric hookups. There are numerous water spigots around the campground and there’s also a dump station. The campground has hot showers, a basketball court and horseshoe pits available. A vending machine is located by the registration kiosks. Make sure to bring whatever you need with you because there isn’t much in Thedford or Halsey.
There are lots of OHV trails in the area or there’s also a 2.5 mile hiking trail that leads to a fire lookout tower that’s open to public access.
Be aware that there is a railway crossing at the turnoff from Route 2 so you will hear trains and train horns.
RangerWe enjoyed our brief stay. The campground is very well maintained, workers constantly trimming, cleaning etc.
Right off the Sandhills Scenic Byway, beautiful drive. Our highlight was floating down the Middle Loup River in inner tubes ( Thedford, 15 miles away).
Don't know if we will be back here again, but if we are I'd stay again.
GuideOn our road trip from MN to AZ this was our first stop. A lot of open sites. Sites where roomy and nicely spaced out.
TravelerLove Victoria Springs! It is a hidden gem in the Nebraska Sandhills. It fills up on the weekends but during the week you can have the entire campground to yourself. Beautiful trees, nice shade, and electrical hook-ups.
RangerThe camp sites were nice but there was so much rodeo activity it made it a bit overwhelming.
TravelerWe stayed one night on a cross country trip. It was clean and well maintained.
ScoutThis location has the primitive feel with great facilities. If you want to stay to yourself you have plenty of space to do so. If your looking for a group event. They have close RV pads.
Highly recommend checking this campground out!
LegendWe wanted to camp Nebraska's national forest for some time and we were not disappointed. The camp was full to the brim. all sites with hookups were taken, but the overflow is an abandoned, overgrown baseball field. It was great, spacious, close to the showers and flush toilets, and only $8 a night!
I think hookups were only $16, so this is a great deal no matter how you slice it.
Neighboring Thedford has Kayaks and Tanks you can rent. Tanking has become a Nebraska Thing. fitting a group of folks and possibly a keg in a horse tank and floating down river! We hiked to the ranger tower and it was a great hike with a spring fed trough half way up. Much to see in the surrounding area including art galleries, quilt shops, and more. Nice camping supply store right in Halsey.
LegendVictoria Springs has 2 different areas for camping. One area is for tent camping ($15 a day) and has a small lake with paddle boats to use. The lake has an algae issue right now. This area has a picnic shelter and playground that is dated. There are 2 cute cabins available for rent which have fire rings and picnic tables. The other area is for RVs and you can have electric $20)or electric and water($30). Each site has a fire ring and picnic shelter and is on grass. There is a basketball hoop that needs help and horseshoe area which is overgrown. A little bit of upkeep and elbow grease and this would be a great getaway.
ScoutNice secluded campground.
GuideWhat a wonderful place with so many trees. If you get the chance to up the fire tower and talk to the park ranger.
LegendHalsey National Forests campground is called Bessey Recreation Campground and has cabins, Rv sites, tent sites, as well as group and family sites. The Rv sites are Electric and gravel and are fairly level. They have picnic tables and fire rings and are spacious. And of course plenty of shade since you are in a forest.
There is a Nursery which grows the trees for the forest, a Look Out Tower which offers a panoramic view of the Sandhills, hunting, fishing, scenic drives, wildlife viewing, hiking and ATV trails, along with other activities.
It is a nice place to stop over and see.
RangerA delightful oasis in the sand hills. Beautifully maintained campground right beside the river.
Spotless facilities, private camp spots, pristine park like setting
ScoutOnly spent 1 night on our way through to the Black hills but loved the campground. Lots of pretty scenery and wildlife. Very peaceful. Nice trails. Big and deep fire pits with gravel pads and patios. Lots of ATV activity because of the great trails. Clean bathrooms/bath house, but only 4 total stalls in the main camping area. Bit of train noise during the day, but didn't really notice it overnight.
GuideRight on the middle loup river, and in the middle of nowhere this place can get busy.
Great hiking through the Sandhills. The scott lookout tower can give you views across the Sandhills for miles upon miles on a clear day. Want stars at night? You can see them all.
Roads to drive on and explore that take you to the south of the first to the Dismal river
the campsotes are all shady lots of open spaces in the csmpground too for picnics and games
don’t forget to check out the tree nursery Pretty cool to see all the trees growing as seedlings
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Halsey, NE?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Halsey, NE is Bessey Recreation Complex Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 15 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Halsey, NE?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 equestrian camping locations near Halsey, NE, with real photos and reviews from campers.
