42 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Spencer, Nebraska and the surrounding area provide multiple campground options along the Missouri River and Lake Francis Case. Located near the Nebraska-South Dakota border, the region includes established campgrounds like Spencer Park Fairgrounds in town and North Point Recreation Area approximately 30 miles northeast in Lake Andes, South Dakota. Camping accommodations range from basic tent sites to full-service RV hookups, with some locations offering camping cabins. Most developed campgrounds provide electrical hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings, while more primitive sites are available at areas like South Shore Lakeside Use Area.
Seasonal considerations impact camping availability throughout the region, particularly during winter months when some facilities close or reduce services. Campgrounds like Randall Creek Recreation Area typically close from November through March due to eagle nesting. Water systems in many campgrounds shut down from October through April, though several locations remain open year-round with reduced amenities. Campsites generally range from $22-30 per night for electric sites, with camping cabins available for around $55 per night. Reservations are recommended, especially for weekend stays during summer months. A visitor remarked about South Shore Lakeside Use Area: "Relative to North Point Rec Area, this campground and day use beach were significantly less crowded. All sites seemed to have some shade, picnic table, and fire pit."
The Missouri River and Lake Francis Case provide exceptional water recreation opportunities at most campgrounds in the area. Fishing, boating, and swimming are popular activities, with several locations offering boat ramps, fish cleaning stations, and swimming beaches. Wildlife viewing represents a significant attraction, particularly bald eagle watching during winter months at locations like Randall Creek. Many campgrounds feature hiking trails, playgrounds, and picnic areas. Several campers noted the quiet atmosphere and scenic water views as highlights. A reviewer of North Point Recreation Area commented: "Beautiful and peaceful setting on the Missouri River. If you pick a site on the water you can enjoy a beautiful sunset over the Missouri River and the rolling hills of the southern shore." Vault toilets are available at most locations, with shower facilities at larger developed campgrounds.
"Butte City Park in Butte, Nebraska, has about three or four RV sites available."
"Some noise from the highway which is right by the park but it wasn’t bad. There’s a playground for the kids. We had our two dogs with us and didn’t see any signs about no pets."
"Beach, walking paths, fishing and golf nearby. Quiet and well manicured."
"Kinda cool to say you SUP'd from South Dakota to Nebraska with a beer on the board. Bathrooms were clean and had showers. Garbage and recycling on premises. AT&T signal was strong."
"This is a very comfortable location with power, water and a nearby dump station. It's an easy walk to any place in town. Also a go jumping off point for all of Boyd County..."
"Nice spots, beautiful lake and beach, not crowded at all. Only negative point is it’s close to the street. But since there is not a lot of traffic it was pretty quiet."
"Don’t we all dream of that perfect camp with no one else around? Give this place more credit. I do see a reserve for the 4th Of July weekend and that is to be expected."
"A wooded campground, about .25 mile walk/drive to the river. Clean bathrooms and vault toilets. Nice shoreline to stroll along with dogs. Saw mountain lion tracks along shore..."
"Pease Creek Recreation Area is off the Missouri River out in the middle of nowhere but if you are a water/fishing person it is worth the drive for a quiet, laid back vacation."
from $22 / night
Check Availability"Pit toilet Fee: Daily $8.00
Annual $36.00
Campsite $26.00 electrical
$22.00 non electrical
Tailrace is located along the beautiful shoreline of Lake Francis Case and"
from $25 / night
Check Availability"Nebraska State Parks have walk up and reservable spaces. We usually risk it and easily found a walk up on a Monday afternoon after the weekend crowd left."
"We ended up having nearly the whole place to ourselves! Spots 43/44 were absolutely perfect! On the end which is always nice. Also far enough from the road so it wasn’t too noisy."
from $30 - $35 / night
Check Availability
TravelerLoved the views. Simply awesome! Paved roads. Showers were ok. Stayed on site 72E. Was a pull off/pull thru. Basically parked on the side of the road but it has an unbelievable view of the Missouri River. Watched the sun go down over the bridge!
GuideThis is one of my favorite spots in north central Nebraska! Its a great place to come and enjoy fishing for trout in Verdigre Creek or catch a northern pike in the main lake. There are dispersed camping spots around the lake, and many have fire rings, grills, or picnic tables. There are also numerous vault toilets scattered around area. No cellphone service, water, or electricity. Camping is free for up to 14 days.
If you have a bigger camper, the south side of the lake near the creek inlet will be your best bet, but come early as spots fill up quickly on the weekend. There are no designated camping spots exactly, so often it seems campers are set up close together. Privacy isn't really the best! The south side also features a nice sandy beach-like area if you want to relax in the cool spring-fed water.
LegendOrchard City Park is a cute, shaded city park that makes for a decent, budget-friendly stopover, though it has some limitations for larger rigs.
At $10 a day (as of May 2026), it includes electric hookups at the sites and an available dump station. The water situation is a bit tricky - there is only one shared water spigot for the entire park, located in the middle near the playground. It is pretty far from the actual campsites, so you would probably need at least a 100-foot hose if you wanted to fill when parked at the campsites.
Two of the sites are on paved pads and are quite level. There appears to be two more sites on grass. The park itself is on the smaller side and would be difficult for big rigs to navigate. There is a picnic shelter in the park, and individual picnic tables near the campsites. There is one charcoal grill available for use. They also have restrooms with a shower on-site; they are definitely very old, but they seemed usable.
The biggest downside is the noise level. Because the park sits right on the highway, there is a lot of traffic noise during the day; there are a lot of trucks on this route. It probably gets a little quieter at night, but it is very noticeable during the day.
I didn't see much of anything in this town as far as restaurants or other commercial establishments.
I had an ok Verizon 4G signal here that got 30Mbps down but only 1.5Mbps up.
LegendSpencer Park Fairgrounds in Spencer, Nebraska is a basically a square grass lot with campsites along one side. It's quiet and peaceful here. Each site has electric and water hookups. There is a dump station about a block away. The rate is $20/night and there is a drop box by the bathrooms.
You'll enter through the fairgrounds parking lot which is gravel and fairly bumpy. They don't have individual picnic tables or fire rings at the campsites, but I did notice a stack of fire rings sitting nearby, so it looks like they might put them out by the sites occasionally. For amenities, there's a public pool right there on the fairgrounds and a brand-new playground.
The bathrooms have concrete walls and concrete floors, and everything seemed very clean. It’s a single-occupancy setup with one shower, so only one person can use the bathroom or shower at a time.
I had a great Verizon 5G signal here with 350Mpbs down and 50Mbps up.
GuideWell maintained campground. The staff are very friendly. The sites are well spaced. There is a dump station with drinking water. All sites have electricity. $30/night plus $15 park entrance fee. There are restrooms with showers.
LegendMill Race Campground is located right on the edge of town. The sites are either gravel or grass and are fairly level. This campground does not take reservations. You fill out a paper slip when you arrive and drop it in a box along with your payment. There are a lot of trees that provide some shade. The park has two storm shelters for inclement weather. The sites have electric, but no water and there is no dump station. There are a few water spigots at the campground but they are not easily accessible. I would not count on being able to get water here. They are doing construction at the park (looks like a new picnic shelter), so perhaps this will change.
The road into the campground is gravel. Access to the nearby golf course is had through the park, so there is quite a bit of traffic. The road is a very fine, sandy gravel that gets dusty when cars drive through. The area is posted 15 mph but I see a lot of people going faster than that. It seems like every time I go for a walk I am getting chased by clouds of dust. I probably won't stay here again just for that reason.
There is a bathroom building, but it is pretty basic but clean. It has one shower and one bathroom stall. There is a nice, paved walking trail that divides the golf course and the campground. It is about a half mile long and is very scenic. There are benches along the path, and it goes through grasses and trees with a lot of birds and squirrels. The path smells like pine and blooming flowers.
This trail does not go all the way into town, so you have to walk or bike on the highway if you are not driving. It is about a 20 to 30 minute walk to get to downtown. Although the campground is located right on the highway, there is not much traffic on it and I didn't really notice any road noise.
I had great cellular signals here. I had a Verizon 5G signal with 350 Mbps down and 30 Mbps up. I also had a strong 5G signal on T-Mobile with 200 Mbps down and 30 Mbps up.
LegendButte City Park in Butte, Nebraska, has about three or four RV sites available. There are gravel parking areas for two campers with 30 amp electrical hookups and space for maybe two other rigs without electricity. I found the sites to be very level. You could probably fit up to a 30 foot rig here (total - including the tow vehicle or toad). There is no shade for the campsites. There is one water spigot available to share for all the sites. There might be a place to empty your tanks; I found a PVC pipe sticking up out of the ground with a screw-cap on it, but there was no sign indicating it was for dumping.
The park has several playground areas and two picnic shelters, one small and one large. There are basketball courts on-site as well. There is a brand new restroom building, though it is currently under construction inside and not yet complete. The park is located right next to a highway, but it is not super busy and I did not notice any bothersome noise.
The nightly rate is $10 or $60 for the week. There is a payment drop box located in the downtown area. This is about a 10 minute walk or a couple minute drive from the park.
I had a good Verizon 5G signal here with 350 Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload. I also had a 5G signal from T-Mobile with 150 Mbps download and 25 Mbps upload.
LegendThe Ewing City Park campground features about 10 gravel sites that are mostly level. Each site offers full hookups including power, water, and sewer for$13 a night. What a bargain!
The sites are fairly close together, spaced about 10 feet apart. There was nobody else here during my stay, so there was plenty of room and privacy. Houses and farm buildings surround the campground on two sides, which gives it a cozy feel. The campsites do not have any shade. I could see semi trucks and hear some highway noise from my position in campground. There are no fire rings, and only one site had a picnic table.
There are no restrooms located directly at the campground. However, there are restrooms at the city park/baseball field, which is about a 5 minute walk. They were older but functional. That city park also has a small playground, tennis courts, and a basketball court. There is a cell phone tower across the street, but evidently it is neither Verizon nor T-mobile. But I had a good Verizon 4G signal with 100 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up. My T-Mobile signal here was poor, at about 1 Mbps up and down.
The downtown area is within walking distance and had a few businesses. There is a scenic, historical mural in town.
GuideA lovely State Park. The regular campground was a bit too close to the highway for my tastes, so I chose the equine campsite further in and atop of the hills. It was very quiet (it was April). Sites were level. All had picnic table, fire rings, and 30/50 amps. The grounds were clean as well as the vault toilets. There were toilets scattered everywhere, as well as water sources.
The Missouri River region near Spencer, Nebraska offers year-round camping options with distinct seasonal advantages. Winter temperatures typically range from 5°F to 25°F, while summer temperatures average between 65°F and 85°F. Wildlife viewing opportunities change with the seasons, with bald eagle viewing particularly notable during winter months.
Wildlife viewing: Watch for eagles during winter at Randall Creek Recreation Area where roosting areas have been designated a National Natural Landmark. "Birders will enjoy this area because of the opportunity to observe the majestic Bald Eagle. The eagles roost area in the park is a designated National Natural Landmark. Many bald eagles winter below the dam and catch their fish in the lake," notes reviewer N I.
Fishing: Access multiple species at South Scalp Creek Recreation Area with convenient tent camping near fishing spots. "Needed a camping spot for some hunting I was doing in the area. This worked great. Had good spots for pitching a tent and had fire rings for a camp fire. Vault toilets were located in the camping area as well," reports Scott B.
Horseback riding: Explore trails at Pease Creek Recreation Area which features dedicated horse camping sites. "You will find a fire ring picnic table horse corral vault toilets water spigots. Generator may be used from 8 am to 9 pm. Dogs must be on a ten foot leash," explains reviewer N I. The recreation area includes 600 acres for hiking, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities.
Smaller crowds: South Shore offers quieter alternatives to more popular recreation areas. "Relative to North Point Rec Area, this campground and day use beach were significantly less crowded. All sites seemed to have some shade, picnic table, and fire pit," shares Katie L.
Night sky viewing: Experience minimal light pollution at South Shore Lakeside Use Area for stargazing opportunities. "Away from other campers... I've been here twice now, once in mid to late fall and also late June and have been the only camper. That's good! If you like that sort of thing," explains Seldom Seen R.
Camping cabin access: Affordable cabins at North Point Recreation Area provide camping alternatives. "Cabins are super cute and fit the price. $55/night gives you AC, electricity, and a bed (2 twins, 1 full). Great view from the cabin deck. Verizon works good. Close to the swimming beach and vault toilet," notes Katie L.
Seasonal closures: Check status before visiting as some sites close completely during winter. At Randall Creek, the "Park closed Nov 15 - 3rd Friday in March due to eagles nesting," according to reviewer N I.
Limited shower facilities: Many sites have vault toilets only with full facilities available at larger campgrounds. At Modern Campground — Niobrara State Park, "Showers and bathrooms were quite clean aside from bugs. Water had that icky egg smell lol," reports Morgan V.
Reservation requirements: Some campgrounds require advance booking while others operate on a first-come basis. At North Point Recreation Area, "Reservations: 800-710-2267 or travil.campsd.com. Open year round but Oct 1– April 30 water sourced amenities may be shut down," explains N I.
Playground access: Choose campgrounds with recreation amenities for children. North Point Recreation Area offers "Camp site was near beach, fishing dock and playground for the kids!" according to Rebekah M.
Bug preparation: Stock up on insect repellent especially during summer months. At South Shore Lakeside Use Area, one camper advises, "Nice spots, beautiful lake and beach, not crowded at all. Only negative point is it's close to the street. But since there is not a lot of traffic it was pretty quiet. Bring your insect spray and enjoy."
Town proximity: Spencer Park Fairgrounds provides easy access to town amenities. "This is a very comfortable location with power, water and a nearby dump station. It's an easy walk to any place in town. Also a go jumping off point for all of Boyd County," writes Les G.
Narrow road access: Some campgrounds have limited access for larger rigs. At Pease Creek Recreation Area, "The road in is a very narrow country road meaning the camp and road are better suited for smaller rigs," warns N I.
Site length variations: Check specific site dimensions before booking, especially for larger RVs. "Make sure you check on your size before making your plans," cautions a reviewer about Randall Creek Recreation Area.
Electric hookup locations: Several campgrounds offer electric sites with varying amperage options. At Lynch City RV Park, "There are 9, possibly 10, back in camping spots. $25.00 a night, which I thought very reasonable for all they offer. Bathrooms with showers. Water and sewer at all sites. 50 - 30 - 15 amp service at all sites," reports Bibs O.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Spencer, NE?
According to TheDyrt.com, Spencer, NE offers a wide range of camping options, with 42 campgrounds and RV parks near Spencer, NE and 1 free dispersed camping spot.
Which is the most popular campground near Spencer, NE?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Spencer, NE is Butte City Park with a 4.7-star rating from 3 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Spencer, NE?
According to TheDyrt.com, there is 1 free dispersed camping spot near Spencer, NE.
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