Best Cabin Camping near Ponca, NE

The small cabins near the water was perfect for our small group! The bathrooms were close to our cabin and were very clean. There’s plenty of space, a nice lake, and some little beaches nearby.

The NE State Park hosts the Weigand and Burbach campground and cabins and can be booked through reserveamerica.com. The campground gets most of its crowd in the summer months, however the cabins can be booked year around. The campground and cabins are very close to the water. The dock and the store and another campground area are near the entrance to the park. The park facilities are neat and the staff is very helpful. Lots of fishing opportunities on the other side of the dam. We have stayed here multiple times and this place is very scenic, both in the summer and winter. You have deers grazing right by after sundown. Bird lovers have plenty of song birds nesting in the cottonwood trees.

Easy access. Pretty. Great fishing and boating, and sailing. Clean. Campsites are not sitting on top of each other. Cabins available to rent.

This park has many campgrounds located throughout the park, cabins, boat docks, beaches, showers and large campsites. Well groomed green space, playgrounds and bike trails.

This is a large state park in the northwest corner of Iowa, surprisingly wooded considering how close to Sioux City it is located. Touted as a year-round park, there is a large network of trails, some of which can be used as equestrian. HOWEVER, the trails are not labeled and there is no (or very fleeting) cell service so that even after looking at the map (located on a board in the park, not a paper one), I wandered aimlessly around the park getting lost. One of the trailheads requires that you tramp directly through Site 12 to access! I explored this trail for approximately a quarter of a mile, but it became very overgrown and because I was not sure where I was going, I ended up turning around.

The campground is divided into three sections

• Sites 1-11 are located on either side of the access road are a bit too close together for our preference and despite the park being so wooded, have no foliage or other visible separation between the sites. These sites all have electric hookups

• Sites 12-14 are at the top of the hill and have the easiest access to the restrooms; they also have electric hookups. In my opinion, Site 14 would be the most desirable. Given that there are only three sites here, there was a surprising number of cars driving past these sites.

• Sites 15-30 are primitive tent sites and located near Cabin#3 (a CCC cabin). 

The bathrooms were clean and (don’t laugh at me), the toilets had lids! Given the current virus situation, this was a nice and welcome surprise! 

There was no camp host and we only saw one ranger during our stay. There is a nice playground, but it is not located anywhere near the campground (it is located closer to two of the cabins). If you are camping with children, please note this. There are three cabins, one that was built by the CCC and a lodge which also looked to be a CCC product, although it did not appear to be open when we were there.

Deer Ridge campground is 1 of 3 campgrounds within Hillview Rec area. It is the most popular one of the 3, it has flat sites with access to shower house and running water and 30 amp hookups. There is plenty of hiking trails, a pond for fishing or swimming, an Elk herd, 2 picnic shelters, an outdoor learning center, horseshoe pit, sand volleyball court, 2 playgrounds, and plenty of grills and picnic spots and in the winter a tubing hill. They also have 2 cabins as well. As of 2019 they also added a 9 hole disc golf course as well.

Lots of campsites with lake views, swimming beaches and bike trails as well as water equipment rental in the area.

Clay County Park underwent some staffing and management changes at the beginning of last year. The whole area was thoroughly cleaned, trees trimmed, trails groomed, restrooms spiffed, etc.  Guest feedback on these changes was overwhelmingly positive and we expect further growth this season. 

We've begun working closely with SD Game, Fish and Parks and they are a great partner. This season, we will be adopting their reservation platform for guests to register. We expect to continue making incremental improvements and are looking forward to the 2023 camping season.

For additional information, please visit our Facebook Page (Clay County Park). We will be open for campers beginning Saturday April 15, 2023. Reservations can be made online at campsd.com or through the call center at 1-800-710-2267 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Follow the link and select "Make a reservation" tab. Reservations are accepted up to 90 days in advance of your arrival at the park.   **Camping reservations must be made before setting up on a campsite. 

Clay County Park features 40 electric campsites, 8 tent sites, 1 cabin, a multi-use trail, picnic shelters, and a boat ramp. We look forward to seeing you at the park soon! Thank you.

Park staff and volunteers did a great end of season cleanup and are now fine-tuning details for Summer 2023.

lovely, large, spacious and shaded! absolutely love this campground and plan to make this our new favorite getaway. Very large, clear and clean lake with many beaches and shady spots for relaxing and playing with kids and dogs

I had an amazing time at Newton Hills Campground in South Dakota with my family and young children. The spacious and clean facilities provided the perfect backdrop for our outdoor getaway, offering a blend of adventure and relaxation away from the city. The kids had a blast exploring the natural surroundings and participating in the family-friendly activities. This campground is a true gem for those seeking a wholesome outdoor experience.

Great place to camp!!! South Dakota has it right with making reservations! Nebraska is HORRIBLE!!! We quit the Nebraska State parks years ago! Putting in coins to take a shower?! Really?! South Dakota doesn’t do that!!! South Dakota State Parks ROCK!!!!!

We are staying at a basic tent camping site. There is available to us a pit toilet. Water is still shut down for the season.

Luckily, they do offer off-season rates. A Nebraska park permit is required for your vehicle.

Picnic table and fire ring are also here for us.

We are the only ones here in the entire park (mid-March 2025). Grounds are clean. Our site (site 5) is very large, and located on a small Bluff above the Missouri river.

Walking paths, frisbee golf, playgrounds, fishing, and boating are all available.

I have 4 bars of 5G cell service at my camp site. A WIFI hot spot is available at the camp office as well.

Not what you would expect for a KOA with a “Holiday” ranking. Pot holes in the roads. Picnic tables sagging and peeling paint. Poor WiFi. Just looked neglected. Gave 4 stars instead of 3 because maybe COVID was impacting staffing. Sites were level. Bathrooms were clean although very few campers were using them. Not a bad campground, just overpriced.

This KOA just north of the Iowa border is first class. ! Friendly staff and perfect for kiddos. The pool and adventure area are right up your alley if traveling with kids.

The park itself is well maintained, showers and bathrooms were clean. Camp sites are very close together. We also had pizza that they make there and delivered to us. Downside, we stayed there because it was close enough to my most of my family. After paying $5 pp every time I had someone visit and $45 later, they left me not wanting to return.

This KOA is well-maintained, a little older but the grounds are nice and it is well organized and maintained. The dog park is not so well-maintained but was adequate and the pool was clean, and there is easy access to the freeway Both north and south

Has a new pool, very nice staff, well maintained.