The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Harrison. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Nebraska camping has to offer. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Harrison, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$100 / night
There are two distinct areas of the Nebraska National Forest. This area encompasses the west end of the Nebraska National Forest near Chadron and Crawford and is managed by the Pine Ridge Ranger District. The other distinct area within Nebraska National Forest is located near Halsey in central Nebraska. Special places within the Chadron area include Soldier Creek Wilderness and the Pine Ridge National Recreation Area as well as several developed recreation sites for camping, picnicking, or trailheads for access to miles of trails into the wide open spaces of the Nebraska National Forest. Pine Ridge National Recreation Area is a 6,600-acre area is designed to provide a primitive/semi-primitive recreational opportunity in a natural environment and is managed for non-motorized recreation. Approximately 80 miles of marked trails make up the Pine Ridge Trail system. The easy-to-follow trails accommodate hikers, horseback riders, and mountain bikers. Soldier Creek Wilderness Area offers a well-developed trail system of 17 miles in and adjacent to the Wilderness which allows hikers and horseback riders a variety of trial loop choices. Overnight camping in developed sites is on a first-come, first-served basis. Campfires are allowed unless restrictions are posted. Backcountry or primitive camping (no facilities) is allowed anywhere on the National Forest. Practicing Leave No Trace principles ensures that the next person to visit will have the same sense of discovery as those who came before.
$20 / night
$35 / night
We were here April 10, and we were the only campers in our part of the loop. Some roadway noise but nothing bothersome. Just a vault toilet near us, but very clean, and a short walk to the flush facilities. Plus a soda vending machine.
This park is wonderful. Every spot has some shade, and the grounds are well kept. The bathrooms and showers are super clean and well stocked. I’ve never explored this part of Nebraska before, and it exceeded all expectations.
$20 for full hookups is a great deal. No shade though.
We had a great stay, 5 nights in the upper loop (site 68). Not much shade, but the sites are spaced out a little more than the lower section. Lower section is closer to the highway so it's probably noisier- we didn't notice it too much in our area.
Plenty of cool hiking trails. Awesome swimming pool. Groceries, gas, restaurants, & golf nearby. Not too far from Fort Robinson.
Large state park with tons to do. Spacious RV campground. Electric hook ups. Water and dump station. 8 miles south of Chadron, NE. They have a pool ( you pay to have access) paddle boats, fishing pond, horseback trail rides (only $25/person), hiking and biking trails. Bathrooms and showers. Beautifully kept. A great find!
Chadron state park is a beautiful park with everything you need. The campground has full use bathrooms and is well-spaced for fun camping alongside others.
Very small dirty park located 15 ft away from rail road . Commercial Trains goes all night and day with loud horn. High voltage tower is right next to park .Dog poops are everywhere . Site 11&12 are between 2 residential ( broken fence, very threshed scene). $35 per night but for Passport America discount she raised to $44.50 plus 12.25% tax charged . We were questioned about this tricky pricing , she has absolutely rude, nasty, attitude and said I can give you money back just leave . They Don’t know how to talk to guest nor doesn’t care guest relationship. Highly not recommend this place for surroundings, terrible customer service , not honest business ethic.
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.
Unlevel asphalt parking, very few trees, pretty close to your neighbors, and incredibly rough (paved) access roads to the campground. Nothing but dead dry grass around you. Highway noise VERY prevalent right behind the camp site. Reserved online and yet they managed to double book my spot.
Located in the Northwest corner of the Nebraska panhandle this 98 year old state park has it all for a great family get-away of road tripping stop. Chadron State park offers 70 electric and 18 primitive camping sites. The bulk of the primitive sites are walk up so be sure to get there early for the sites that have the best shade trees. There are a few non-reservable electric sites but to be safe I’d book online well in advance or call ahead. You can also book cabins at this park and during my stay the cabins looked to be entirely in use. Enjoy miles of hiking and mountain biking trails that range from level to steep inclines through rouged terrain. Activities such as swimming in the well maintained pool, horse back riding have extra fees which are reasonable. There is a great fishing pond and several playgrounds scattered throughout the park. If you plan on horseback riding, and you should it was the highlight of our trip, tours begin at 9am and leave every hour except noon until 3pm. I recommend the 9am or 10am ride to avoid the heat. You register at the visitor center located at the front of the park for this 45 min guided ride. Other features of this park include an archery range, paddle boats, tennis, horseshoe pits, sand volleyballs and outdoor events (check the Nebraska state parks calendar).
On this multi family campout we had 8 kids with us and 6 adults. We camped in sites 16 and 14 which are electric sites. We chose these sites for the plentiful shade trees and proximity to the water pump and the shower building. The sites are deep and mostly flat. We had a little tent city going with large tents and we all found level, shaded ground.
Observations: the grounds are well kept with regular rounds from camp hosts and park staff to check trash and make sure the guests are happy. If you are hoping for some downed wood for fire you’ll be out of luck at this park. You can bring in local wood and find wood for purchase on site and in nearby Chadron just a 12 minute drive North of the park. You may want to bring your bike to the park. Most of the attractions are a quick although hilly ride from the campsite. I would like to see walking and riding paths separate from the roads at this park. When driving be on the look out for pedestrians and bike riders on the road. This was a quite campground with many short stay visitors during our stay. Quite hours start at 10pm and end at 8am. I have to say were were easily the loudest group a bit in violation of the 10pm quite time as we played games around the campfire but we were not visited by any neighbors or the camp host. If you are a fan of view spectacular night skies this a a great park. You can see brilliant stars, planets and the Milky Way. On hikes you’ll see sandstone buttes and valleys. We also saw many bird species and more woodpeckers than I’ve seen in any other location. You’ll also see white tail and mule deer around the park. The camp host told us that in the fall you can observe big horn sheep in the area. On your hike bring binoculars and enjoy a peak at the black hills of South Dakota.
The visitor center offers camping essentials you may have lost of forgotten, souvenirs, ice, wood and a vending machine. You can also visit the trading post on site and order from a small menu of breakfast and lunch/dinner items.
Nearby Chadron State park you can visit the Nebraska state forest and grasslands, Agate fossil beds, fur trading museum, Box Butte state recreation area/lake, Black Hills of South Dakota, and Fort Robinson state park. All in all this is a must see state park for a short or long stay with family, friends, or a solo trip. 5 stars in my book.
Ranger Review, Wenzel Portico 6 tent:
As a ranger for The Dyrt I have the opportunity from time to time to review camping products. I was fortunate to be able to review the Wenzel Portico 6 tent on this multifamily 3 night, 2 day campout.
The Portico 6 is a 74” heigh dome style tent using 3 lightweight shock corded poles. The footprint is 10’x9’ and advertised as a 6 person tent. I’d cut that in half for occupancy in reality. I’m 6’2” and my sons are 6’ and 5’6”. I’d say with sleeping bags and a couple of back packs we would consume the entire floor space. We tested this tent with 2 cots and two 12 year old boys for 3 nights. The tent was intuitive and easy to set up from the box without looking at directions. Total set up time was roughly 17 minutes from initial unboxing to completion. This is definitely a two person job in order to get the poles upright but not difficult. The Portico has some great highlights including a dry entry awning although a bit short, plastic pole holders at the corners, and a large D shape entry. The door zipper worked very well with no snagging which was a very pleasant thing as tents go. The Portico also has 3 very useful storage pockets on the outside of the tent. The boys used the pockets to hang their wet swim trunks. I can see these pockets being useful for storage of bug spray, sun screen and other like items. It is curious why the storage pockets aren’t located on the inside of the ten however where I can see them being more useful. There is ample head room in the tent and with the rain fly off the tent if very breathable while offering a view of the sky. There is good privacy with the mesh starting a bit higher on the tent which I think is a great feature. You’ll also enjoy the pre-attached guy lines on the rainfly. Speaking of the rainfly, this may be the tent’s best feature. We did see a good amount of rain during this campout with a long lasting low wind thunderstorm. The rainfly held up great and keep the boys dry the hole time.
Before I go in to the concerns it should be noted that this is not a tent designed for outback and rouged camping. This is a tent for the back yard or well established camp sites. If that is where you keep this tent then I think you’ll really enjoy the tent for a long time. Potential concerns come from the light weight fiberglass poles, thin floor, plastic pole holder corners and plastic tent stakes. We layed down a second tarp in the tent and used cot foot prints to help protect the floor. I’d defiantly never use this tent without a good think tarp under the tent to protect from puncture. I’d upgrade the tent stakes if you plan on camping on hard ground or ground with any rocks. These yellow low end stakes will not last long. Much care is also needed when pounding in the stakes to the plastic tent pole holders. One missed swing could potentially break the corners or the stake. The awning did do it’s job keeping some small camp chairs dry but I’d like to see a bit deeper awning. The only complaint the boys had about the tent was that it didn’t move air very well with the rainfly on. The tent didn’t have any condensation in it however. All in all this is a nice backyard camping tent for a maximum of 2 people with cots or 3 people in sleeping backs with a couple of packs. It is light weight and easy to store. Set up with two people and tear down with one will take around 15 minutes both ways. Check out more here: https://wenzelco.com/portico-6/
This was our first time here and we are already planning our next trip. The park is nestled inside the Nebraska National Forest and provides breathtaking views all around. We stayed in a small cabin for this trip, but next trip will be bringing our camper. There are so many activities here including archery, horseback riding, hiking, and fishing just to name a few. The scenic drive or hike to see the large buttes is really something. I highly recommend this state park for anyone!
We stumbled across City Slickers RV Park in Torrington and wanted to make sure it was an option for people coming to the area. It has 27 sites(RV) with full hook ups on a complete gravel area with not much shade. It’s right across the street from St. Joes Children’s Home. It is $20 a day and only excepts check or cash. It would work for the night or if you prefer to be in town.
Located in Fort Laramie on Us Hwy 26 is the Chuckwagon Rv Park. It is a small park with 16 Full hook up sites. Each site has a picnic table but no fire ring( which we are finding normal for this area). It is privately owned and is fine for a quick stop passing through.
Chadron State Park is such a beautiful area. The scenic drives are amazing. The campground is a nice campground. The sites are a little close together and it was challenging to back our 38' camper into our site, but once we were in we had a great time. Everyone was friendly and campground and restrooms and showers were clean. The sites were Electric only. Each site had a fire ring and picnic table. We were able to get cell service most of the time.
The park had tennis courts, a pond for fishing and paddle boats, a swimming pool, horse riding, and hiking trails. We stayed here a night than moved on to Fort Robinson and will definitely come again.
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. .
This is a beautiful area in Northwest Nebraska. The bathrooms are clean and well maintained. There's a couple good hikes and a swimming pool. We were there in September 2017 and pretty much had the place to ourselves! The view is great if you stay in the even # sites 38-48.
The views from here include cliffs, prairie/grassland, rolling hills, waterways and little lakes, and amazing sunrises & sunsets. Close to historic Ft. Robinson and other national forests and grasslands. Campground includes a swimming pool and sand volleyball. The sites were all pretty close together, most not very shady, and no tent-only area. As a campground this was just ok for my personal style, but it was all very clean and well tended so I can’t complain. The park itself is a lovely find.
We stopped here after a long day in the car. This campground is nice and well maintained with beautiful view. The sites were level for tents and the facilities were well maintained and clean. We only stayed one night but the campground was quiet and peaceful.
beautiful for as far as can see
Stayed here for an event in Chadron at the cabins and they served their purpose, but they were fairly outdated. Really pretty campground though and I would like to go back tent camping. Typical nice and clean amentities, some small wildlife sightings, overall a really enjoyable experience.
Chadron State park is located just a few miles south of Chadron, NE. There are many nice picnic areas throughout the park, some big enough to host large groups. They also offer cabins to rent if you plan on staying the night. Drive through the park and you can enter in to Nebraska national forest which has amazing views out to the prairies and farm land below. One of the best places to watch the sunset!
site: stayed in a cabin, would have preferred a tent (outdated, not well maintained, not very clean)
amenities: n/a
attractions: pool. lake. hiking.
I would not go camping (or stay in a cabin) here again.
I think we hit this park at a strange time because it was busy! Somewhat off the beaten path we were surprised by the amount of kids runnings around. The sites were good and bathrooms well used, somewhat clean. Expecting a quiet experience, it was a bit of a let down. Maybe with different expectations it would have been a better experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Harrison, NE?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Harrison, NE is Chadron State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Harrison, NE?
TheDyrt.com has all 4 glamping camping locations near Harrison, NE, with real photos and reviews from campers.
