Looking for the best tent campgrounds near McCook? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Nebraska camping adventure.
Going from north to south, there is the Prairie Dog State Park, the Sebelius Reservoir that is the lake, and the Norton Wildlife Area. (Technically the Sebelius Reservior is considered part of the Norton Wildlife Area.) These three entities are located next to each other, about 3 miles west and 1 mile south of Norton, Kansas.
Guide
We found this nice little city park in McCook, NE which allows camping and has free electric hook-ups, and restrooms. There are only 7 spaces but the park is well maintained. There is no reservations it’s a first come first serve. There is a 3 day limit on your stay. It was a great stopping point for anyone needing a quick stop. There are trees surround the park and a little river running beside the park. The even had LIGHTENING BUGS !!
RangerWe found ourselves the best little shaded spot. We had a very nice afternoon and night here. We had a fire ring and a great tent area.
GuideNicely kept roadside campground with grass and trees. Electric hookups (very nice in Nebraska summer). Lots of dragonflies to eat the mosquitoes. Airport across the street and railroad behind to mix with road noise. A little far to walk back to town for dinner. But local stopped by an said we should go to Fuller’s for breakfast (5 egg omelette).
Traveler
The sites are tiny and made for RVs. There is no exclusive tent or primitive camping area. The reservoir is primarily used by jet skis and a few power boats. You can swim, but the water is murky brown.
GuideStayed 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.
Traveler
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!
GuideThis evening, my husband and I are camped out on the beach at Champion Lake in Enders State Recreation Area, Nebraska.
We chose the campground at the left of the major Reservoir campground, which is the Dam Campground. It has 2 sections to it. You can actually camp on the beach at this one, but it is primitive camping. $10 a night. There is a dump station, and a potable water pump.
Permits are required, but your money envelope (deposit receipt) is your permit, if you are not local. We are staying 2 nights.
Oh yes . The golfing. Well, there is a golf course across the road from the campground. I didn't get to check it out, but you can, if you are interested. I'll update if I can. Internet isn't that great on Verizon here.
GuideCool little park that is free to stay. No showers or this place would have gotten 5 stars (for what it is). You can’t really ask for much more from a free site. It includes electric hookups, but make sure you check to make sure your site works before you get all set up like me 😂
TravelerEverything was well maintained and beautiful. There are free electrical hookups.
GuideNot much for trees, looks like this is a newer SRA. Gravel pads and quite.
Guide
Super clean bathrooms (no sinks but do have hand sanitizer) easy lake/reservoir access. Nice fire pits, well kept sites, swings for kids, pet friendly !
Ranger
As avid outdoor lovers, fishermen and bow hunters this is our favorite place to be! The scenery is beautiful year round, wildlife is abundant and the park is so well kept and clean. The camp hosts, rangers, biologists are wonderful, friendly people! We love that the majority of the electrical sites are walk-up. Note: summertime is definitely busy time so plan ahead of you are staying through the weekend. Week day stays are much calmer and if you go before/after peak busy season, you will only have to share the entire park with a small handful of campers
Guide
But not near the water and no water view
Guide
There’s about 11 or 12 campsites here there’s a dump station, water available and electric it’s free they suggest a donation It is real sheltered with all the big trees 
Guide
Well maintained park with excellent facilities! The cabins offered through the game and parks are very tidy and are stocked with cooking utensils.
Scout
This campground has a drop off for payment. There were about 20 spots for RVs with picnic tables, fire pits, and electricity hookups.
The pads were flat and there were only 3 campers. The lake is HUGE and next time I would like to find a spot down near the water.
LegendDrove by to test connectivity. No T-Mobile, little ATT. Verizon 2.5 down 3.5 up
One water spigot for whole campground. Has facilities but did not use
Ranger
This was a small little lake we found on our trip. Caught a few bass. Drank a few beers and had some laughs. It was a good spot for 1 night camping.
Scout
Not sure how you are suppose to access the electric boxes all had a lock tag on them. I was able to check which boxes were hot and found two boxes hot but was only able to use the 110 plug. Did not find any potable water all faucets were marked as non potable. There is a sign that says to call city hall on Wednesday between 8 and 5 to active electric. Today it is 101 degrees.
ScoutAnd free! Kind of an odd spot to arrive in, but really nice. Just two tiny signs indicating ‘camping’ in between. Trees and a field of mowed grass bordered by what appears to be a dry lake. A water pump on one side but it was shut off so none available. An electric box that was on the honor system to pay, but it was locked and unavailable as well. So we dry camped with our small teardrop. One picnic table, there are street type lights at one end. Only ones there but someone came in at dusk that seemed to be familiar with it and pulled behind a bank of trees with more privacy. There is a sign indicating that there must have been restrooms at one time- probably pit toilets- but they’re are NO bathrooms at this site! The sites themselves are not marked or numbered, so you just pull into a grassy spot between the trees!
RangerThis state park/campground is definitely.. unique. Following GPS directions to this camping area led us into the park and to a locked gate. Drive beyond the gate and there's an open field to the left with one official 'campsite'. Continue to drive past, following the road around for about 1-2 minutes, and you arrive to the "campground" / "Frisbee golf course", where there's 10 spots, I believe, and a donation based toilet.
There was someone set up at the single site in the open field, but the campground was empty. There were hookups that didn't look like they functioned. Since there were blue signs with "camping" written on them, and arrows pointing to the open field, we pulled our van along the back behind some trees, where there was a cute spot with a picnic table, and access to "Lake Bottom Trail" which really looked like a mowed path around a hunting ground. There was also another trail or two in the area, but we did not explore them.
The air was filled with tiny black flies (though harmless) but dozens and dozens got caught in my arm, head, and leg hairs, and it was quite frustrating, but again they were quite small and harmless, but that was my main issue with the location.
Locals drove by a few times, as it seemed farmland and some houses are accessed through the park. The town of Oberlin has very limited food/supplies.
RangerI should have paid more attention to this park. I didn't realize there was a frisbee golf course. Plenty of hiking, biking and horse riding trails. I read later there's pond there to fish in. The place is called a state park but it's actually run by the city of Oberlin, Kansas. We were just driving through and needed a place to stay and found this little gem. We were the only ones in the park. It's free if you aren't using electricity. Otherwise there is an honor box for those using RV electric hook ups. We are van living and didn't need any hook ups. Lots of trees for shade around. There's a shelter house. Wish I took some pics. It was a pretty little spot.
TravelerState park ran by local city of Oberlin. Beautiful, well maintained grounds. The drive in leads one to wonder are we there yet? The answer is well kind of. We were sitting in a field in a spot that provided electrical hookups but if you keep going (don’t pull off into the field as we initially did) you will find more. $10 night fee provided us with 30/50 amp service, there was a water station to fill up. Frisbee golf, playground, lots of open space. We were able to get our electric bikes out and explore. Geocache located near and inside park.
RangerWe had a wonderful 2 night stay here we will be back. Find a spot close to water
Ranger
This is a great little spot for remote camping.
Guide
Gravel, level sites. Short walk to the convenience store to get key to unlock the utilities box and pay for the site (check or cash only). Beautiful lake with walking path just over a mile around.
LegendGreat little campground in small town America. Run by the Lions Club, they’ve done a great job.
No reservations. Just take a vacant spot and head over to the convenience store. Some sites more shaded than others.
WiFi is great, but herewith ATT. 32 down, 3 up T-Mobile 5G 79 down, 15.3 up Visible: 11 down. 17 up
Tent camping near McCook, Nebraska offers a variety of scenic spots for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With well-reviewed campgrounds nearby, you can enjoy both relaxation and adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near McCook, NE?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near McCook, NE is Willow View - Red Willow Reservoir SRA with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near McCook, NE?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 tent camping locations near McCook, NE, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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