Best Equestrian Camping near Halsey, NE

We 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.

This 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.

Halsey 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.

Located in the center of Nebraska, Victoria Springs is a 27 site campground and a couple of rental cabins. You can rent paddle boats for the small lake. Merlin counted 10 different bird sounds here in April. The park has a basketball hoop, horseshoes, and a playground across the creek by the lake. Most sites are electric and 6 that are non-electric, and water hydrants are sprinkled throughout the campground. There is a shower house with flush toilets (not open in April) and a vault toilet at the end of the loop. While I like Bessey a few miles away, this is much quieter without trains every 10 minutes. Cell service available with both T-mobile/Mint (strongest) and Verizon/Visible.

Bessey 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.