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Best Tent Camping near Nemaha, NE

178 Reviews

Tent camping options near Nemaha, Nebraska include several primitive sites and established campgrounds within driving distance. Kirkmans Cove Recreation Area Campground provides tent sites with some basic amenities including drinking water, electric hookups, and toilets. Hoot Owl Bend, located across the Missouri border, offers a more primitive dispersed camping experience where tent campers can enjoy boat-in, walk-in, or drive-in access.

Road conditions and amenities vary significantly across campgrounds in the Nemaha region. Most tent sites are situated on grass or dirt surfaces with minimal development. Brownville Riverside Park allows tent camping but has experienced periodic flooding issues, with a 2024 review noting the site was "flooded out" and likely "unusable for the remainder of this season." Campers should verify current conditions before planning trips. Many sites lack fire rings or picnic tables, particularly at the more primitive locations like Hoot Owl Bend, where a visitor observed "there is no fire pit or amenities at this site."

Tent camping in the region provides access to water-based recreation at several locations. Wirth Brothers Lake features primitive tent sites with drinking water available, making it practical for weekend trips. According to one visitor, the grounds are "well maintained" and offer "camping spots that provide some seclusion from other people." Mozingo Lake County Tent Campground, though farther away in Missouri, receives positive reviews specifically for its tent camping environment. A camper noted they "loved that the tent camping sites were actually surrounded by trees," unlike many tent sites that are "basically just in the middle of a grass field." For those seeking an extremely basic setup, Ross County Park in Iowa provides a no-frills option described by visitors as a "nice out of the way location" with "no services of any kind" but ideal for campers wanting to "get away from people."

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Best Tent Sites Near Nemaha, Nebraska (12)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Nemaha, NE

7 Photos of 12 Nemaha Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Nemaha, NE

178 Reviews of 12 Nemaha Campgrounds

  • Michelle V.
    Aug. 19, 2020

    Hackberry Hollow Campground — Indian Cave State Park

    Great for car camping

    Just car tent camped here with my fiancé and dog over the weekend. We had many camp sites to choose from because it’s back to school time in NE (timing, timing, timing)! Basic tent sights are first come, $15 a night. The park offered firewood ($6) and ice for sale. Lots of hiking trails with different levels of difficulty and elevation. Most drive up camp sites have outhouses nearby. We sometimes drove up to the group tent sites where they have clean bathrooms, running water and showers (need quarters for shower). We had a great time and enjoyed being surrounded by all the lovely trees. Staff were friendly and the park was clean. Only bummer is the steps to the “cave” is still closed.

  • Sarah H.
    Sep. 19, 2016

    Big Lake State Park Campground

    Clean and Friendly off I-29

    My husband and I tent camped one night at this park. We arrived around 8 pm and even though the office was getting ready to close, the woman behind the counter was very kind and helpful. She helped us with finding our spot and with getting firewood. Our basic tent site was lakeside and had a fire pit and picnic table. The site was so well maintained it was hard to find small sticks for kindling.

    The grounds have private bathrooms with toilets and showers. There are two nice playgrounds and a swimming pool. Most campers were enjoying fishing in the small lake. Kayaks were available to rent for a small fee. Kids enjoyed riding bikes around the flat roads.

    This is a great spot off I-29 to set up camp and have a rest. It's also a good spot to take young kids fishing.

  • Tarrah C.
    Apr. 5, 2023

    Waubonsie State Park Campground

    Nice Trails

    This is a great weekend spot not much to do around the park. The campsites are nice but close with not much space in between. There are 2 campgrounds, the one north of the highway is a horse campground but required. There are nice trails in this area. The campground on the south is more of a tent site. There are vault toliets, no showers. A lot of great trails o this side. All campsites include a picnic table and fire ring.

  • Shannon G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 30, 2018

    Sabetha Lake

    Nice fishing lake-beautiful view

    Sebetha lake is located a few minutes from the town of Sebetha and is a nice area for camping. The camp sites are Electric and Water on gravel. For Rvers There is a group of campsites when you first come in which are not shaded very well, but there are some scattered sites around the lake that are nicely shaded. We were in site 14 with our door facing the lake. What a beautiful view! We had a fire ring, a raised grill, picnic table, and trash barrel. The grounds are well maintained. For primitive camping there are sites scattered around lake which woul make good single or group sites. There is a cement bathroom by the permit station which has vault toilets and was not something I would feel comfortable using. It looks as if they would be the Emergency shelter. It would take a really big emergency for me to go in them. Outside the bathrooms were 2 nice picnic tables under a shelter.

    The lake offers boating, canoeing, jet skiing, nice nature trails, bird-wildlife viewing, scenic drive,and beautiful lake views. There was hardly any traffic going by our area so it was mostly quiet with an exceptional train in the distance. All and all a nice experience.

  • Charles C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 1, 2018

    Duck Creek Recreation Area

    New Campground by Secluded Lake

    This park is a beautiful lake. We saw white pelicans and blue herons on this visit but it is not uncommon to see hawks, owls, and eagles in the area. This is a new park dedicated this year by the Nemaha NRD: sort of a multi-county natural resource agency found exclusively in Nebraska.

    The picnic tables, vault toilets, paved walking trails, playground equipment are all new and well laid out. Gravel slabs with electrical hookup are only $12 a night but that is deceiving because you need to purchase a $5 day pass or $15 annual pass to come to the park. Yet even the some of the primitive sites have slabs for a pop-up and did not appear to cost anything beyond your vehicle pass.

    The lake is too small for any boat with more than a trolling motor (there is a boat ramp) and should be outstanding for a kayak or canoe. Fishing should be great here. Paved trail and wide gravel slabs with raised fire pits should make this a great rustic getaway for handicapped campers. There is even a paved path to the end of a jetty of fishing in the lake.

    This park is close to the Steamboat Trace Hiking/Biking Trail which is a 26-mile trail following the bluffs and coming within spitting distance of the Missouri River. Peru Nebraska is close, home of one of the oldest colleges this side of the Mississippi. Peru is also close for limited supplies such as Ice and band-aids. Auburn and Nebraska City are both about 10 miles away, Neb City has a Walmart.

    I think this park is best for a quiet weekend getaway. I recommend you contact the NRD for an annual pass and take advantage of the other parks they operate. You could hike or Bike the Trace and tent camp for free!

  • Shannon G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 30, 2018

    Wirth Brothers Lake

    Primitive camping off highway 50

    Worth Brothers Rec Area is located west off Highway 50 on 733 road on gravel. It is a primitive camping area - no hook ups. It has a few fire rings, and raised grills. There are picnic table and a covered group picnic shelter. There is drinking water, bathrooms, playground, archery, and a swimming beach. $5 a day or $15 for annual permit.

  • Charles C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 10, 2018

    Auburn Recreation Complex

    FREE TENT CAMPING- on the edge of town @ the Auburn RV Park

    RV and tent campers only $15 a night with hookup. TENT CAMPING IS FREE! 10-night maximum. Dumping station. Water and electrical. The restrooms are quite a ways away. No showers available.

    The town has some decent shopping, such as the Catholic thrift store which is so well set up it could be mistaken for a decent antique store, and a local clothing store with unique items.

    The disc golf course in town is challenging and well laid out.

  • Fred S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 6, 2024

    Waubonsie State Park Campground

    Really good hiking trails

    Stayed one night on Sept 4. Camped at site 35 in the non-equestrian campground; non-electric fee $15. Parked van on the grass at this site. Like nearly all of the sites in this campground, this site was close to the campground road. Overall, I felt that the campsites were all bunched together - offering no privacy and spacing between sites. The shower house was closed during our visit. Water was also turned off at the wayer pumps in the campground. There was one single vault toilet available for all of the campers; it was reasonably clean. Wayne, the campground host, was nice & helpful. There is a self-serve firewood station in the campground; cost is either $5 or $10, depending on the amount of wood you purchase. The campsites have a picnic table & metal fire ring. I wasn't too pleased with this campground, but I was very happy with the nearby hiking trails within the park. It's a pretty state park with hills & lush forest. The day use areas looked great. I recommend those traveling along I-29 to stop at this park - not necessarily for the camping, but for the hiking. Had some T-Mobile 4G service.

  • Danni A.
    Oct. 7, 2024

    Brownville Riverside Park

    Needs quite a bit of improvement

    We stayed here so that we would be within walking distance of Brownville. It took a while to figure out how to make a reservation (you call the River Inn Resort). When I made the reservation, I was told there is no electricity, which is fine since we have solar. However, we were not told there are no tables, or fire rings... there pretty much isn't anything other than land. The land that is there is pretty rough as well. There were very large burs of some sort throughout the grassy areas, which made it difficult for our dog to go anywhere during our trip. There were also an unbelievable amount of gnats, but that is probably due to the proximity to the river. The people at the River Inn Resort, where you check in, were friendly and helpful. However, we would not stay here again.

Guide to Nemaha

Tent camping near Nemaha, Nebraska offers a variety of options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With several campgrounds nearby, you can find the perfect spot to pitch your tent and enjoy the great outdoors.

Some prices for tent camping range from $5 to $15

  • At Wirth Brothers Lake, you can enjoy primitive camping with a daily fee of $5 or an annual permit for $15, making it an affordable choice for budget-conscious campers.
  • Kirkmans Cove Recreation Area Campground offers a well-reviewed experience with amenities like drinking water and electric hookups, perfect for those who want a bit more comfort.
  • For a unique experience, consider Brownville Riverside Park, where camping is free, although it lacks some basic amenities.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Nemaha, NE?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Nemaha, NE is Hoot Owl Bend with a 3-star rating from 4 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Nemaha, NE?

TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Nemaha, NE, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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