Best Tent Camping near Scribner, NE

This is a nice small campground that is well taken care of. We stayed at site number 8 which may be one of the more unlevel spots. The passenger side of our 5th wheel was about 7" lower than driver side and rear of fifth wheel was about 3" lower than front before we levelled out. 

Pros:

-Well maintained walking trails that are perfect for dogs

-Most sites have 30 and 50 amp hookups

-Fire rings and picnic tables at most sites

-$18 a night for electric hookups

-Quiet

Cons:

-Some sites are very unlevel  

-No water or dump station

We spent Memorial weekend here in 2022. We had to park in a designated parking spot and walk in to set our tent. The site was shady and came with a picnic table, fire ring and We were right on the shores of the lake. It was a beautiful and very relaxing to hear the waves, although the wind coming across the lake was mighty fierce and destroyed the canopy that we had over the picnic table. And the beating of the tent all night long was a little hard to get some decent sleep. But the area was nice and close to the restrooms and spacious campsites

Lake Wanahoo is a fairly new lake in Saunders county Nebraska. The lake is part of the local NRD and was originally managed by the state parks department. You used to be able to use your state park permit to gain entry, but now you need to either buy a day pass or a yearly pass from the NRD.

There are plenty of places to camp here including gravel pads and grass pads for RV’s. While most people seem to prefer the gravel pads closer to the lake, we actually prefer grass pads because they are 2-3 larger, so you have more room to setup.

The tent camping area is huge and there always seems to be plenty of availability. We were the only tent in the entire area. The tiered tent area allows you to have a great view of the lake from wherever you setup. All RV and tent spots have picnic tables and fire rings. Unfortunately when the lake and campground were built they planted saplings, so during the hot months there is no shade to be found.

The is still plenty to do at the lake from getting the fishing boat out, using their three wide boat ramp or fishing from the shore using bank or using a jetty. There is a gravel trail that goes all the way around the lake, which provides about a three mile loop. The trail also leads down into the town of Wahoo. There are two large play areas for kids. One is in the campground and one is across the lake in the day use area.

No matter where you go you are not far from a restroom. There are nice clean vault toilets available all around the lake. There is also a large bathroom/shower house in the campground. The shower house does have a change machine on the outside of the build to get change for the showers. These are kept very clean and tidy.

When pulling your RV out here the water fill is in an awkward spot in a parking lot of the campground. To get to the dump station you have to leave the campground, get on the highway and drive to the opposite side of the lake to the day use area. These were just installed a couple years ago. They are nice and level, but just add a bit of driving to get to them.

All-in-all this is a nice place and in a few more years of tree growth, it could be even better!

The area is mostly a hangout for fishers and locals. There's a loading dock and small piers, and a couple of lawns with some campfire rings and places to set up a tent. Fishers and boaters were loud, and we were there on a Tuesday. Dozens of kids came to hang out on a bridge above the water, jumping off the bridge occasionally, and making quite a commotion. No alcohol is allowed but they clearly had coolers full of beer. You are also not allowed to swim. I was surprised park services didn't shoo them away. 

However, if you follow the trail to the right over the bridge and around the lake, there is a wonderful path through the preserve. It is especially nice to walk around sunset. There are some sites, only a minute or two walk, on the water along this path. If you continue down the path for about 10 minutes, to the right, under a canopy of trees, was a neat secluded "campsite". There were probably more of these hidden gems down this way, along the quieter side of the lake. It's a decent walk from the car, so we stayed at one of the closer spots along the water. All of the sites had LOTS of trash. So sad to witness all the locals throwing their bottles everywhere, very careless people in this area.

Boats stayed out on the water well after dark. All in all it was not peaceful, but at night the fireflies were amazing, and it was truly the most diverse symphony of bird calls I have ever woken up to.