Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Sparks, NE

Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Sparks, NE

103 Reviews of 28 Sparks Campgrounds

• 

  Sarah H.

  Guide

  Jul. 29, 2016

  West Campground — Smith Falls State Park

  Rural Nebraska River Camping

  I have camped in this campground multiple times in different configurations including tent camping in a lager group of friends, with a small group of friends in a pop-up camper, and tent camping with small children and pets in tow. Camping here is primitive, so expect to get dirty and be ready for mosquitoes.That said, every time I have visited, I have had a blast. The area is beautiful Nebraska sand hills and prairie. You can even hear coyotes at night. The main attraction of course is tubing/canoeing the river. Local outfitters work with you to ride the shallow Niobrara river to the campground, and then will pick you up further down the river the next day. There are other campgrounds in the area, but I prefer to stay here because of the waterfall. The campground can be busy, but that has never disrupted our stay. Bathrooms and pay showers are basic, but clean. There is a general store at the main entrance and staff are helpful.

  Read More
• 

  Rick J.

  Guide

  May. 10, 2017

  East Campground — Smith Falls State Park

  Family fun

  This is a small park right on the Niobrara River. We had a great time playing in the falls and wading close to shore in the river. We were there during the week so it was not very busy with campers but before lunch time there was a wave of tubers that took over the falls area for a brief time before moving on. This area is amazing for stargazing because it is incredibly dark at night but bring a lot of bug spray, the mosquitoes could carry away small pets.

• 

  Shelly S.

  Legend

  Oct. 18, 2018

  Wacky West Travel Park

  Base camp

  Wacky West Travel Park had very nice and helpful owners. Make sure you have the phone number because their office hours are limited so that they can keep up the park. It’s small and a little crowded but serves the purpose of a base camp or overnight location.

  I attended a “Sisters on the Fly” event in Valentine, NE and this is were we all met and camped. The owners squeezed us all in and gave us a discount for our stay. One nice thing is you are in the middle of town right off the main drag so you can walk anywhere in town pretty easily.

  The restroom and shower are keyed which you receive when you check in. Down side to that I forgot to drop my key in the mail slot when I left and had to go back to do so.

  There is electric/water hook up at each site, not much in the way of shade , limitedfire rings and picnic tables. You could tell several of the sites were more towards permanent dwellings and some of the sites sat right on the entry road so you step out your camper door into the road. These sites were stacked so two of our group didn’t even try to unhook their campers.

  If you’ve never experienced sand burrs Nebraska has them and they are horrible on dogs feet. The owner of the campground made extra efforts to keep the burrs out of the immediate camping area but my dogs still picked up several. There is a cattle yard directly behind the campground so I’m not sure how it smells when it’s hot, we were there in cold weather so it was not an issue.

  Valentine has events going on and the Niobrara River is a main attraction, several of the group did a kayak float and explored the waterfalls along the river. We also walked to dinner within 1/4 mile at an excellent restaurant, Peppermill Steakhouse, worth a visit.

  The three stars is due to the location, cramped accommodations and no recreation in the immediate area. However the owners were very accommodating and the facilities were well maintained. I would stay there again. Also I lost the pictures of the campground and Valentine but included the nearby recreation areas.

  Read More
• 

  Shannon G.

  Legend

  Jun. 29, 2021

  Berry Bridge Campground

  Right next to Niobrara

  Berry Bridge Campground is a privately owned campground right next to the Niobrara outside of Valentine Nebraska. It offers tent sites, picnic tables,fire rings, shower house, vault toilets and bunk houses with air. It has a convenient store offering firewood,ice, and snacks. It also has tubes and kayaks to use. This campground is very lively as buses were bring people to launch their tubes or kayaks from under the bridge

• 

  Edward K.

  Guide

  Jul. 24, 2021

  East Campground — Smith Falls State Park

  The Highest Waterfall in NE

  Stopped off at this park for a pass through and really enjoyed it. They have trails and boardwalks leading to the fall, and also a nice information and shop room. There are camp sites with no hookups, and easy access to the river for a little tubing. Hidden treasure out in Northwest Nebraska.

• 

  Price T.

  Guide

  Apr. 9, 2021

  East Campground — Smith Falls State Park

  Site 1 is the Best

  Was extremely lucky to get site #1. Shaded section with a nice little beach to walk into the river. River flows quickly but the sounds right next to the site will lull you to sleep. Has table and fire ring. Showers on grounds but does cost to use the shower. Just bring your quarters. Near by outfitters will let you rent a canoe and let you take your dog as well. Takes a few hours for the whole canoe trip but the views are breath taking and you can paddle right back to the campsite. Would highly recommend but do CALL EARLY TO RESERVE!!

• 

  Jacob C.

  Traveler

  May. 8, 2017

  Cedar Bay Campground — Merritt Reservoir

  Very nice campground with nice beaches

  We visited in May of 2017, and we stayed at Cedar Bay campground site AA. The area offers great views and close to unity to regional sites auch as Snake Falls, Niobrara, Valentine and more. The site sits right on the edge of the southern edge of the reservoir and is close to two boat ramps. There are. Number of beaches which offer good wading and places to cool off. Kayak access is everywhere and there is a lot of shade at each site. Our site was pretty close to showers and had electricity. Some things to look out for are cliffs which are about 10-20 ft high that lead to a drop towards the reservoir. If you are a paddler, the boats coming and going to both ramps give off some wakes which are not a big deal if the wind is not blowing. This is a great site in the Nebraska Sandhills which offers clear water and good fishing.

  Read More
• C

  Camden O.

  Guide

  Sep. 29, 2018

  West Campground — Smith Falls State Park

  Wonderful Park along Niobrara

  Perfect hiking areas. Primitive camping. Wonderful and well built trail up to the tallest waterfall in Nebraska

• 

  jason B.

  Guide

  Oct. 10, 2025

  Keller Park State Rec Area

  Fantastic Nebraska SRA

  If you prefer to camp at a Nebraska park that isn’t a reservoir near the city this is the place for you. Naturally scenic, which can be a hard find here in Nebraska. The park has many small fishing ponds and plenty of primitive and tent sites for people who aren’t rv’rs. The cellular signal is real weak, who really cares with this much scenery who needs to be bothered. My visit was in laste September I has the park to myself (almost).