Best RV Parks & Resorts near Waterloo, 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

Once we exited off I 80 per campground(CG) instructions, we traveled following our RV GPS, WAZE, and Google Maps on the back roads to the state recreation area(SRA) and specifically the South Shore CG. We saw the South Shore sign that was somewhat hidden by trees and also a sign for the dump station and potable water. We pulled into the dump station for potable water and to dump what we had from our overnight stay as we were going into back-in site 80 with only electric(50/30/20 AMP). There was a small unmanned check-in gate where we got our Nebraska State Park Pass, but no one was around to stamp our pass so we followed the signage to site 80, which was a fairly easy back-in. We were amazed at the lake view as this site sits up on a hill about 100 yards from the water. Our name was on the post as we had online reservations(there are some first-come-first-serve sites here). We could have put out our satellite, but we got a multitude of OTA channels out of Lincoln, NE. We also got 3 bars on Verizon and 2 bars on T-Mobile. The South Shore CG has a mix of FHUs, 50 AMP, and 30 AMP-only RV sites. Note that when the utilities state Electric Plus, there is no water at the site, just 50 AMP electric plus a 30/20 AMP as well. There are also tent areas within the SRA campgrounds. The sites in general are spaced so you are not right on top of your neighbor. However, the sites that run on both sides of site 80 have no one behind with lots of space down to the lake. This was a very nice CG that we would not hesitate to visit again.

Our family and another family shared a primitive tent site near the back of the park. We were first and foremost impressed with the freedom we had in choosing our site. Tent camping here is non-reservable, but once you enter the park, you may choose from any spots containing a fire pit outside of RV loops. Tent sites range from lake-front, to playground side, to more private sites on the outer rim of the park. We chose a large, private site at the back of the park. This site was well maintained and had enough space to easily accommodate two families of four. We even had a picnic shelter all to ourselves. Our site was lined by woods and farmland and had a good view of a small pond. The night was full of exciting animal noises from both the nearby farm and pond. Vault toilets were a short walk away with clean shower facilities just a few loops away. The kids enjoyed riding bikes up and down gravel roads, looking for frogs, and playing on the playground. Canoe and paddle boat rental is extremely reasonable. Hiking trails near the park entrance are rugged. The staff was incredibly kind and easy-going, yet attentive. Just a short drive from neighboring towns, this is a good starter campground for families with younger kids. We hope to return in winter to check out the camping cabins.

Conestoga SRA is an increasingly popular campground following major renovations that were completed in 2018. Improvements to the picnic tables, restrooms, added shelter area and most importantly a complete overhaul of the lake have made this a much improved campground. Conestoga is entirely walk up with no reservations. You can easily self register at the park entrance and a second location closer to the lake centrally located between two of the three camping areas. A pack in primitive campground was also added to the lake and is accessible via a gravel hiking path. Fishing for mature fish will not be possible until 2021 according to Nebraska game and parks. I did see plentiful immature fish while kayaking the lake in June of 2019. The lake was complete dredged out and the parks commission added several silt pond around the lake to capture silt run off. This should keep this lake much cleaner than it was in the past. The park is boat and kayak friendly these days with the addition of two brand new boat ramps. By my count there were three new fishing docks going up although only one was completed during my stay. This is not relatively quite campground but it is popular. Kids can ride their bikes all around the paved and gravel rounds throughout the camp. The sites in the row on the side of site 50 are huge. We enjoyed spreading our stuff out with multiple tents and played games in the large open space. Shade is limited over a good 1/3 of the powered sites. The primitive site closer to the lake is well shaded with mature trees. There was a camp host who made sure we knew where the storm shelter was on the night of our stay. We nearly needed to use it as we experienced a severe thunder storm. There are 25 camp pads offering 20-30–50 amp hook ups and another 8 non electric pad sites. There is a dump station and several vaulted, well maintained toilet houses. Water is also available. If you plan on boating there is a 5mph speed limit so this is more of a canoe or kayaking lake or just for fishing. I highly recommend this SRA close to Lincoln Nebraska