Best Tent Camping near Spencer, NE

Recent Tent Reviews near Spencer, Nebraska

85 Reviews of 6 Spencer Campgrounds

• C

  Carly P.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 25, 2018

  Niobrara State Park Campground

  Beautiful area to explore

  This campground features cabins and tent camping. Designed for families, there is a playground and lots of open space for the kids to run around. Pets are welcome. There is a small pond stocked for fishing right in the middle of the tent camping area. Take a short hike to see where the Niobrara river dumps into the Missouri and take in some of the best views in Nebraska. In the winter months, hunters often use the cabins as home base and hunt in the surrounding woods.

• 

  Ashley L.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 3, 2021

  Niobrara State Park Campground

  Great Spot!

  All around beautiful place. We had a great camping experience this summer. The grounds were clean, beautiful scenery, pet friendly and fun hiking trails! There's a lot of really cool cabins to choose from and the tent camping areas are in great locations scattered around the park. Definitely for the 3 hour drive up there.

• 

  West River J.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 9, 2018

  Niobrara State Park Campground

  Scenic Seclusion

  Beautiful views of the Missouri and Niobrara atop hervily wooded hills. Tent sites are either along the paved 1 way road or farther back in the trees of the hills via a short trail. Vault toilets are plentiful as well as water spigots. Has several nice trails and points of interest. Was very clean theoughout and well cared for. Also offers cabins and an RV campground.

• S

  Shari M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 3, 2021

  Niobrara State Park Campground

  Tree shade and spacious back in.

  Nice camping for extended stay of 14 days. Different length back in sites with picnic table and fire ring with grill. Camp host available. Handicap pad sites. I would have given a five star except for the cost!

  We think $30/day for just electric is expensive but we’d been boon docking so we sprung for the expense for 3 nights. Showers are extra😳. Laundry available.

  Little town of Niobrara, just a few miles away has limited shopping but a nice little grocery store, hardware store, museum, and fuel.

  Confluence of the Missouri and Niobrara Rivers.

  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 stayed in the RV campground but took a bike ride around the rest of the park. We stopped at the park office and chatted with assistant superintendent Nate. Very nice guy with lots of good info.. He told us about a nice loop we could continue our bike ride and we went around the picnic and tent area. Some incredible exclusive sites and great views of the Niobrara.

• 

  Katie L.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 26, 2024

  Platte Creek Recreation Area Campground — Platte Creek Recreation Area

  Pretty Park

  Nice campground along the river with tent and full hookup sites.

• S

  Scott B.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 5, 2020

  South Scalp Creek Recreation Area

  Had what I was looking for

  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.

• 

  Derek D.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 17, 2017

  Niobrara State Park Campground

  Niobrara state park

  This park has great views, plenty of site choices, and clean bathrooms. Park overlooks the confluence of the Niobrara river and the Missouri River. There was an old train bridge turned into a hiking trail, very cool being so close to the river. Tented in an Adirondack shelter which was great cover from wind and rain.

• 

  Charles C.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 1, 2025

  Grove Lake State Wildlife Area

  Free Camping, Lovely views

  Grove lake is a lovely free camping area with flat dirt areas that would accommodate a camper or tent. No hookups but hydrants, Vault toilets, fire pits, and picnic tables exist.

  Nice camping trails exist, mostly for access to the trout stream that feeds the lake.

  This is a lovely place to hike, fish, kayak, paint, or just get in touch with your maker.

• W

  William P.

  Scout

  

  May. 19, 2020

  Paulson RV Park

  RV, tent, and mobile homes

  They had long term parking for campers not hooked up to anything and long term parking for full hookups. No dumping station because most the sites all have sewer. Were able to hook to water through the winter as well. No one else around could hook us up to water. Super cheap too. $200 per month for long term plus electric you are responsible for and $15 per day for short term. Cheaper if you are just going to park or pop a tent.

• B

  Breanne L.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 28, 2016

  Niobrara State Park Campground

  Hiking the Niobrara

  This park has so much to offer, it is located where the Niobrara and the Missouri River meet. Many amazing views beautiful clean water and miles of hiking trails. I unfortunately was not able to hike for too long due to the hot day I chose to venture off in the woods, but luckily enough was able to cool off in their breathtaking river and than in their pool. For camping this place is by far one of the best campgrounds I have been to. The cabins are fully furnished back porch tv dishes all you need are good friends and family and your food to fill the fridge... I will be there constantly while I'm in Nebraska, hope to see you there. Happy camping

• 

  Morgan Y.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 6, 2020

  North Point Recreation Area

  Camping on the River

  This was a very pleasant surprise. I normally do not go to campsites (that is put in for context) but was passing through on a business trip and needed a place with electric hookups. After a Harvest Host disaster I found this. Like I said, very pleasantly surprised. While there were a lot of campers who seemed to be setting up elaborate sites with everything you would need to live there for a year (laundry lines, flag poles, pens for their dog), I was able to get a spot that backed right up to the beautiful river and had plenty of space on all sides. The campsite was surprisingly quiet for how large it was. The sunset paddle boarding on the river was a real treat. 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.

  Leave no trace.

• 

  Rick J.

  Guide

  

  May. 10, 2017

  Niobrara State Park Campground

  Beautiful views

  We are usually tent campers but stayed in a cabin this trip which worked out well because as the sun went down the mosquitos came out and they were ferocious. The cabin was very nice and we were allowed to bring our dogs. We were there the first day the pool opened for the year so the water was very cold but we had so much fun. We did some hiking and a lot of bike riding. Being there during the week so early in the season we missed all of the activities that they have on weekends but enjoyed having the park to ourselves. This park is out of the way so probably doesn't get as much traffic as some other parks. We will definitely go back some day.

• 

  Shelly S.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 16, 2018

  Tyndall City Park

  Color me surprised;)

  More then once as a Dyrt Ranger I have searched in vain for a campsite listed on a map. I was completely surprised when I found the Tyndall City Park AND it had places to camp!

  When you first drive to the park it looks like your typical city park, nice fishing pond for the kids , cemented walking path, ballfields, disc golf, etc. But then down at the very end next to the ballfields are electric hookups and parking for RVs! Mind you this is no luxury campground, it’s the basics. On further exploration of the immediate area I came to the conclusion that this site is probably mostly used by visiting participants in 4H. There is a 4H complex across the street from the hookups.

  The park is located off the local neighborhood and quiet. There is no shade at the RV sites. No picnic tables or fire rings on the cement lot where the electric boxes are located. This is definitely an event oriented “campground” or overnight/visiting relatives pit stop. There is an honor box and small latrine near the sites. No privacy if it’s busy but we were totally alone and saw few people when we visited.

  The dogs enjoyed the walk around the fishing pond and it was a very relaxed atmosphere, at least to me. I did not attempt to start a fire, no one to ask if I could and no fire rings. There was a grass area by the camp sites with picnic tables and shade, you could easily put a tent/hammock in that area but I don’t know if it’s permitted.

  Overall a useful area, in town, near shopping and fuel but not a vacation destination in my opinion.

• 

  Bibs O.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 3, 2024

  Wildwood Acres Park

  Jake brakers spoil the stay.

  I would have given this nice little campground a 3-star rating, but I felt the 8 foot pads were a little bit too small. To be fair, they have placed a handful of larger pads throughout, but it would be insanely cramped for larger units to maneuver and even turn their rigs around. $15.00 per night for campers. $10.00 a night for tents. Cabins ran $35.00 a night. They did have a men's and women's toilet building (flush or hole?) the building was locked, and we couldn't use it. They have 30 amp electric, 1 location to obtain water (communal water spigot), 1 picnic table per site, and garbage buckets provided for nearly all sites. Oak trees provide shade from the sun. One has to look up, though. we saw several locations where larger dead and broken branches were just hanging on by a thread. They have 2 cabins that are available. The entire campground is an easy stones throw from the city swimming pool. There are 2 large picnic pavillions, and electricity is provided. Walking trails are available (we did not walk on them this trip). There is a lazy little creek that meanders around the outskirts of the campgrounds. Playground equipment in 3 locations for the kids. Large fields for others playing around. We didn't need a dump site, and I'm sorry, I didn't think to look to see if they had one. They may have one, and I think I would have noticed it if they had, but take this with a grain of salt. Town is just down the road a half mile or so, and most needs can be met there. Finally, I have to mention the highway ¼ mile away. Heavy semi traffic. Campgrounds are located at the bottom of a hill. Those semi's blast those Jake brakes. Over and over again. 2 days of that, and we left early and drove to a new campground. Enough was enough.

• 

  Les G.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 22, 2024

  Spencer Park Fairgrounds

  Great location

  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...

• a

  adelia

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 25, 2022

  Butte City Park

  Looking to boondocks?

  It’s a city park, a play ground. Portapotties on site. Found it on Dyrt so we are hoping it’s okay to boondocks here. There are no signs saying you can’t park overnight, but also no signs saying you can camp. Guess we will try it.

• K

  Kelsey K.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 1, 2021

  Butte City Park

  Passing Through

  Good little spot in a small town. Electrical hook ups but no water. There was a spigot for water but it wasn’t turned in. A couple of porta potties there but we didn’t use them. Room for only one camper with hookups but room for another camper or 2 to park. 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.

• 

  Bibs O.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 23, 2024

  Lynch City RV Park

  Nice overnight, stop.

  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. Picnic tables and fire pits with grates at all sites. Picnic area with cement floors and cover. Dogs across the way are noisy, but we hope they get used to things and quite down. Money for stay needs to be brought downtown to a bar, or you can call a number, and so.eone will come out and pick it up. Grass is very long at the sites, which seems to encourage the bugs and mosquitoes .

• 

  Katie L.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 26, 2024

  South Shore Lakeside Use Area

  Quiet campground

  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.

• J

  Josh H.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 17, 2022

  South Shore Lakeside Use Area

  Great campground for an overnight !

  Really nice stop on our road trip and will stay again for sure.

• M

  Magdalena

  Guide

  

  Jul. 13, 2023

  South Shore Lakeside Use Area

  Underestimated

  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 😉

• S

  Seldom Seen R.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 27, 2022

  South Shore Lakeside Use Area

  Away from other campers

  This is an underrated campground. It’s got one pit toilet, clean, no hookups so no RVs, except me, a great view from any site, and, most of all not crowded, in fact 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. 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. I say, don’t camp here, only because I want it to myself. Have fun!

• N

  N I.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 14, 2021

  South Shore Lakeside Use Area

  Primitive Delight

  When you turn off the highway you will encounter the South Shore Swimming Beach. Lined with mature trees to offer a nicely shaded picnic area with a large parking area. There are some primitive campsites at the swimming beach with fire rings, picnic tables, covered picnic table, gravel beach, pit toilet, water, and trash

  Fees:  $8.00 Per vehicle Day use   $36.00 Annual Pass

  Campsite  $11.67 per night

  South Shore Primitive Camping

  FCFS   Pit toilet   Fire ring   Trash   Small covered pavilion with a picnic table   Drinking water

  To reach the second section of South Shore pull back onto the secondary road and turn right. Less than 1/10 of a mile you will see the well maintained sites. The road is in good shape and the campground is exceptional for a primitive site. A few sites are on the water and the remaining just on the other side of the camp road. There are no bad sites, just not many of them. This campsite runs along the Missouri River and Lake Francis Case.

  Lake Francis Case has a shoreline of 540 miles and a depth of 140 feet. The area is rural and shopping can be difficult. I suggest buying local when possible but stock up before you arrive.

  Fishing from shore. Fishing: walleye northern pike sauger sunfish perch common carp black bullhead channel catfish smallmouth bass

  Enjoy watching the bald Eagles during the winter months

  LNT

  Better than when you found it

  Stay safe Happy travels

• N

  N I.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 1, 2021

  Randall Creek Recreation Area

  Bald Eagle Delight

  Boating. Fishing. Volleyball. Disc golf. Boat Ramp. Drinking water. Dump station. Fish cleaning station Shore fishing. Fishing piers. Flush toilets/showers. Picnic tables Playground. 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 it is the perfect location for outdoor activities

  .• PROS Outdoor activities

  • CONS Outdoor activities 

  If you love the outdoors this is the place for you. The construction on the dam began in 1946 and started generating electricity in 1954. 

  Most of the sites are smaller sites and great but there are some sites for larger rigs. Mature trees dot the landscape,  Make sure you check on your size before making your plans. If you have a boat bring it or anything that you can put in the water, kayak, SUP, canoe, or any other type boat. The roads into the park and in the park are in very good shape and the landscape is well maintained. 

  For me a very big draw would be the bald eagles in the fall and winter. 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. They usually perch within 50 feet of the riverbank in the tall cottonwood trees. Check them out in the morning when they normally feed. Walkers and cross country skiers are allowed in the bald eagle area but you must not disturb the roosting bald eagles. Motorized traffic is not allowed in the roosting area as it may disturb them. If you are planning to visit the campground during the roosting season check to make sure they have not closed the campsites due to the possibility of the eagles being disturbed.

   Location is 1 mile west of Pickstown off Hwy 281 below Randal Dam.

   605-487-7046 

  GPS 43.05102.      -98.55514 

  LNT 

  Better than when you found it 

  Stay safe Happy travels

• N

  N I.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 14, 2021

  Randall Creek Recreation Area

  Where Bald Eagles Soar

  Daily Fee:  $8.00 per vehicle or annual fee $36.00

  Campsites  $23.00 electrical

  Camping cabins  $55.00

  Reservations  1-800-710-2267

  randallcreek@state.sd.us

  Park closed Nov 15 - 3rd Friday in March due to eagles nesting

  Boating   Fishing   Volleyball   Disc golf   Boat Ramp   Drinking water   Dump station   Fish cleaning station   Shore fishing   Fishing piers   Flush toilets/showers   Picnic tables Playground   Pit toilet

  Tailrace is located along the beautiful shoreline of Lake Francis Case and it is the perfect location for outdoor activities.

  • PROS Outdoor activities• CONS Outdoor activities 

  If you love the outdoors this is the place for you. 

  The construction on the dam began in 1946 and started generating electricity in 1954. Most of the sites are smaller sites and great but there are some sites for larger rigs. Make sure you check on your size before making your plans. If you have a boat bring it or anything that you can put in the water, kayak, SUP, canoe, or any other type boat. The roads into the park and in the park are in very good shape and the landscape is well maintained. 

  For me a very big draw would be the bald eagles in the fall and winter. 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. They usually perch within 50 feet of the riverbank in the tall cottonwood trees. Check them out in the morning while feeding. Walkers and cross country skiers are allowed in the bald eagle area but you must not disturb the roosting bald eagles. Motorized traffic is not allowed in the roosting area as it may disturb them. If you are planning to visit the campground during the roosting season check with the campground to make sure they have not closed the campsites due to the possibility of the eagles being disturbed.

  Location is 1 mile west of Pickstown off Hwy 281 below Randal Dam. 605-487-7046 GPS 43.05102-98.55514

   LNT 

  Better than when you found it 

  Stay safe Happy travels

• 

  Angela W.

  Guide

  

  May. 4, 2021

  North Point Recreation Area

  Great place to stay!

  This is a beautiful campground to visit. Nice size lots, and lovely scenery. We enjoy fishing, walking the trails, and seeing the wildlife.

• 

  Katie L.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 26, 2024

  North Point Recreation Area

  Cabin B

  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.