Best Tent Camping near Harlan County Lake

Harlan County Lake Near Alma, Nebraska Methodist Cove Park is located on the west side of Harlan County Lake by Alma, Nebraska. The 13,000-acre Harlan County Lake is the second largest lake in the state. The lake and surrounding land hold great appeal for sportsmen, birders, naturalists or anyone wanting to just get away.

• • May 1– Sept 30
• • Reservable May 1– Sept 30 (877-444-6777)
• • Non-reservable Nov 1– April 30

• 48 Electric sites

• 50 amp available

• 81 non electric sites

• Dump station

• Picnic area

• Playground

• Full hookups

• Sewer hookup

• Electric

• Water

• Fire ring/grill

• Toilets/showers

• Boat launch

Methodist Cove Park offers variety campsites of individual, group, electric and non-electric sites. There is also one reservable group picnic shelter for day use. One large heated shower house with flush toilets is centrally located within the campground and several vault toilets are located throughout the rest of the park. The main road is hard surfaced, while others are gravel. A fish cleaning station with grinder and running water is located near the entrance. There two full service marinas on the east end of the lake. Located in South Central Nebraska, lands surrounding Harlan County Lake are primarily mixed grass prairie land. The campground is mostly forested, offering ample shade during the warmth of summer. 

This is a beautiful campground.  The site is flat and open.  Trees are scattered among the many campsites.  The sites are small but well maintained.  A bonus was a washer and dryer located in both the men's and women's bath/toilet facility.  That facility was very clean.

The Republican River Valley was once occupied by one of the greatest concentrations of buffalo on the Great Plains and was a favored hunting ground for the Pawnee, Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian tribes. Harlan County Lake is popular for fishing, hiking, hunting and boating. Walleye, wipers, white bass, northern pike and channel catfish are the most sought after fish species. Game animals include pheasant, quail, prairie chicken, white-tailed and mule deer, turkey, waterfowl, rabbit and squirrel. The lake offers a variety of hiking trails of varying length and style, as well as one equestrian trail a short drive away. An off-road vehicle trail is located in nearby Republican City. Harlan County and an additional almost 18,000 acres of land that surround the lake is managed by the COE. There are six parks which provides the area with a plethor of recreation campsites.

 When you turn off the main highway there is a liquor store and just down from that is a bait shop where I would guess you could pick up some supplies. There is a market in Alma, Nebraska. Make sure you purchase your supplies before arriving. 

Notice to all that bring watercraft. All watercraft pose a threat of AIS Aquatic Invasive Species to the waterways in Nebraska and waterways in other states. Watercraft is the primary source of AIS they must be prepared with an accepted means of ensuring no AIS will enter local waterways. CLEAN DRY Non residents must obtain the AIS decal and apply to watercraft. If a boat is launched from a Nebraska boat facility a AIS decal must be obtained.

 Latitude 40° 5' 12.9998" N Longitude 99° 18' 56.0002" W 

From U.S. Highway 80, take Highway 183 south to Alma, Nebraska. Turn left on South Street and travel 2.5 miles. The park entrance is on south side of the road.

Need to Know• Only one camping unit allowed per site• All campers must check in when arriving at park• Maximum of six people allowed per site• An attendant is on duty during the peak season of May through September• Secure coolers and boating equipment each night to prevent thefts• Off-road vehicles are not permitted

• Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.

Contact Information Mailing Address 70788 Corps Road A REPUBLICAN CITY, NE 68971-9742 Phone Number For campground inquiries, please call: 308-799-2105

LNT

Better than when you found it

Stay safe - Happy Travels

Located on Harlan County Lake. We chose campsite #63, just back from the shoreline. It was an extremely large site with plenty of room to play with our dogs without bothering anyone else. Plenty of places to walk or hike along the shoreline. While the temps were in the 90's and humid out in the sun, our site stayed between 78 and 80 due to the cooling breezes coming from the lake. The campground water supply was pristine. There were plenty of nice outhouses spread throughout the park. The main bathhouse is huge and the showers are great. The boat ramp was very nice. The campground hostess was very nice and comes around to introduce herself in case you have any questions.

This is a nice site with electric and tent sites. Each site has fire ring and there are vault toilets around the site. There are tent site that are free. You can camp there off season. Some of the site are on the river. There are also several hiking trails.

Nice native buffalograss for tent camping and you may be the only tent camper in the park haha. If using the “non-specific primitive” sites, you’ll need to drive to access the dumpster, bathrooms/shower, and water. The Lakeview primitive sites had morning sun and were shaded in the afternoon/evening.

There are many RV and tent sites at this campground with water access to the Harlan reservoir. Several loops of sites are available around the lake within this campground. Electric RV sites and some tent sites can be reserved online while there are also a set number of first come first served sites. Dogs and campfires are allowed. There is a fish cleaning station for those who are interested in fishing. There is also a playground in the main loop for kids. Due to the overwhelming amount of rain in the area, some of the sites are unavailable right now, but there are still more than enough for everyone. We were there on a busy holiday weekend and still had plenty of space, shade, and privacy. Dogs are allowed on lease at all times. There are also two group campsites and a covered picnic facility that would be great for reunions.

After much deliberation, and with great regret, I am declaring myself a Nebraska State Parks campground anti. There are three interlocking reasons for this decision:

1. Both the campgrounds I have been to (this one and Rock Creek Station SRA) seem to treat tent sites as an afterthought: each park has a very small number of tenting spaces that are kind of on the margins of the campground. At Fort Kearny, the sites that were available were also either totally slanted or full of trash. It does seem like other parks might not share this problem, but it at least indicates a pattern to be aware of.

2. In addition to the campsite fee, there is a $12 DAILY out-of-state vehicle entrance fee. This means that a $15 campsite is actually a $27 campsite. I will say, in fairness, that the $12 also allowed my car to enter the Fort Kearny historical site next to the campground.

3. The showers are coin-operated. This isn’t a cost problem so much as it is a logistical one: who has quarters anymore? Also, because the showers are timed, you can’t turn the water off and back on again, which ruins my entire haircare routine.

Obviously, these reasons won’t apply to everyone. If you have a camper or RV, your calculus will be totally different. If you’re in-state, and you only have to pay $6 for your vehicle instead of $12, I could see these sites being worth it. And if you don’t have hair that you need to condition, the shower thing might not bother you. But if you are like me, a long-haired out-of-state yokel trying to cross the country with a Honda Accord and a backpacking tent, you might take these considerations into account.

I will say that this campground is beautiful to drive through, with all the little lakes and the cottonwood trees. Also, the camp hosts offer free bikes for guests to use around the campground and presumably on the nearby hike/ bike trail, which is very kind of them and which I wish I had time to take advantage of.

•  150 campsites, both with and without electric hookups. 
• There are also several tent-only sites. 
• Showers
• Toilets
• Laundry (1.50 per load)
• Two playgrounds
•  Volleyball court 
•  Boat ramp 
•  Fish cleaning station with grinder and running water is located near the entrance. Walleye, wipers, white bass, northern pike and channel catfish are the most sought-after fish species. 
• Game animals include pheasant, quail, prairie chicken, white-tailed and mule deer, turkey, waterfowl, rabbit and squirrel. 
• The lake offers a variety of hiking trails of varying length and style, as well as one equestrian trail a short drive away. 
• An off-road vehicle trail is located in nearby Republican City. 
•  Latitude 40° 4' 59.0002" N Longitude 99° 13' 39.7200" W 
• Directions"   Highway 80, take Highway 183 south to Alma, Nebraska. Turn left onto Highway 136. then turn right on Berrigan Road and travel 1.25 miles to the intersection of Road B. Turn right and travel one mile; the park entrance is on south side of the road.
• Off-road vehicles not permitted in the campground 
• Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. 
• Phone number for campground inquiries, please call: 308-799-2105

This is our second visit to this location and I have an update on our stay.  Major thing for us is that we have not encountered the dreaded blood thirty skeeters.  We did have a major storm last night but campground held up rather well.  Hunter Cove is a large, well kept park and all facilities are clean with no flies or at least very few.  The park is blessed with a lot of mature tress giving most sites a nice shade.  There are several water sites and even the sites that are not on the water you will still have a view of the water.  Pad are gravel or grass but hard packed.  Hunter Cove is set in a very rural area.  Roads are what I would consider secondary.  Rather narrow, especially if you meet a vehicle pulling a boat and you are in an RV so be prepared.  

 When you turn off the main highway there is a liquor store and just down from that is a bait shop where I would guess you could pick up some supplies.  There is a market in Alma, Nebraska.  Make sure you purchase your supplies before arriving.

If you have a reservation and the camp host is not on duty you will find your spot and they have place a tag with your name and dates of arrival.  Sites are well marked and well maintained.  There are sections for tent campers and many are water sites.  Enjoy bird watching, fishing, hiking, fishing and other water activities.

Notice to all that bring watercraft.  All watercraft pose a threat of AIS Aquatic Invasive Species to the waterways in Nebraska and waterways in other states.  Watercraft is the primary source of AIS they must be prepared with an accepted means of ensuring no AIS will enter local waterways.  CLEAN  DRY  Non residents must obtain the AIS decal and apply to watercraft.  If a boat is launched from a Nebraska boat facility a AIS decal must be obtained.

We came in late and the campground was almost full. They found a place for us to park a Jeep with a roof top tent. All places are flat and good parking and good grass for tents. Set up well. Showers could have been cleaner but ok. The wind blew hard across the lake.

Really nice people! great view will definitely go again for another week day tent trip

Stayed here for 3 days and 2 nights back in 2011. The park is a bit more built up than what I generally like but this was a fishing trip so I didn't mind. There is a volley ball court and playgrounds. There is an ORV trail which was seeing heavy use while we were there. They have laundry and even fish cleaning stations, which lucky for us we needed to use. They have back in and pull through sites for RV's, some with electric and some without. There are tent only sites too. One important thing to mention is you can't have more than one small camper or more than one tent per site. Some places you can get away with this but not here. We also saw some quail and a pair of female deer here.

I've stayed 3 times at the Fort Kearney SRA for convenience only.  Nebraska Game & Parks has a punitive price model that charges out-of-state visitors $12/day to enter a park with a campground (no Senior discounts either) and then $15/day for a primitive campsite (no water or electric) that is a looong ways for the dirty and rundown restrooms.

Stayed one night in a tent. Was able to find a site tucked in the trees that felt separate from the other campsites and it was perfect! Had a range of sites from primitive (picnic table and fire ring) to full hook up. Huge, busy campground but not overwhelming—there’s enough space to accommodate. Verizon works great.

$5/vehicle. $12.75 / tent. No change. My buddy and I stopped here for a night while crossing the state. One primitive camping spot for two adults in two vehicles. We each had to pay per car and per rent. Oh! And they couldn’t make change. $40 for a primitive spot in an empty state park. I won’t be back.

Nice camp ground with helpful gate attendants, this Nebraska park represents the conundrum of many public campgrounds. Here, there are plentiful showers (yes, 75 cents for three minutes, woopdeedoo) but no water spigots and few usable pit toilets. There are primitive sites, 30 amp (yellow) and 50 amp (red) sites so no generator noise and all sites are near stocked ponds. A mix of overnight and long term visitors. Sandhills cranes can be viewed in the adjacent corn stubble in April. Limited cell service and no WiFi

We stayed in Prairie Dog State Park for one night on our way back home from Colorado and were pleasantly surprised with what a nice park this was. We stayed in a primitive site. The sites were spacious and had a wonderful shelter! The vault toilet, however didnt look like it had been swept in awhile as it had a LOT of bug carcasses. But otherwise a nice place to stay. Something for everyone, tents, RVs, campers. Beautiful views!

Stayed in a tent sight on a hill over looking the lake. Had a fire pit, picnic tables, and small pavilion. Watched a full moon rise over the lake with a slight breeze. Quiet and peaceful. Left the next morning. Would stay again as an overnight on a road trip. I could see it being a cool spot to spend a weekend with a boat. Only downside was the proximity to the road with the occasional vehicle going by quite late at night.

Feel like you're camping like a smurf, almost.  Mushroom camping area are a series of campsites which have a mushroom like shelter over each sites picnic tables (except for one that has a different shaped structure)  Each covered area sits on a concrete pad and has two picnic tables.  Site also has a metal fire ring.  The spots all have plenty of grass around them for your tents.  These sites are listed as primitive so cost only $12.75 for the night.  Their is a vault toilet in the area, but it is only really conveniently located near two of the sites.  These sites are spaced far apart from each other.  No water available in the camping area, but you can get it and other services from some of the other campgrounds in the area.  Most of the sites sit out in the open.  The site I stayed at did have two trees which I was able to use for my hammock.

Old Marina campground is mostly a RV campground, but plenty of grass behind each side for a tent.  This campground is in two areas, if you turn left as indicated by the sign you enter a loop that has numerous sites all pretty much right next to each other.  All these sites are perfectly level.  A small shelter is at the end of the loop.  A playground is in the middle of the loop and restrooms/showers are on the north end of the loop.  If you turn to the right you will come to a large parking area for the boat launch, and another set of campsites, you are just parking in a parking lot with numbered spots containing your hook ups and picnic tables with covers.  All sites in either section have picnic tables and metal fire rings as well as water and electric hook ups.  An RV dump is located on the road just before the turn to Old Marina.  Several dumpsters are in the area.  The loop section has large trees providing shade.  A sign on the restroom indicates that WIFI is available.

snagged a lake front spot on a Wednesday night, drove right in. when we went to check out the next morning the lady said we didn’t have to worry about paying. bathrooms are clean + have pretty hot water. I would camp here again

This campground is busy all summer for the full hookup but normally will have electricity only or primitive openings