Best Dispersed Camping in Nebraska

We're in the midst of a week in our 26' travel trailer along this beautiful 1.5 mile-long dirt Forest Service road 714-A, directly above Chadron State Park. We're guessing that most folks who stay in the State Park campground below are unaware that dispersed camping is indeed permitted within 300 feet of the center line of this road, for even though the popular State Park campground remains closed for another day due to a delayed COVID-19 opening, and is booked solid thereafter, there's absolutely no one else camping up here!

You actually have to drive through the State Park to access FR-714-A, and the park does not lock their gate overnight so access remains unrestricted. The road is in excellent shape and negotiable by any trailer or motorhome, but is only a single lane wide. We're 700 feet of elevation above the plains below, with stunning views stretching off to the horizon. Much of this area has burned in the past, but the area where we're camping is lush and grassy with some stately pines around. This isn't the Nebraska that you know!

Cell service on Verizon is a solid 3+ bars - 54ms ping, 13.6 Mbps down, 3.5 Mbps up. The Verizon tower is visible about 5 miles to the south of our campsite.

There are numerous hiking trails that depart from either end of FR-714-A, including some in the State Park. Fresh water, an RV dump and a camp store are all located within the park, along with an archery range, sledding hill, fishing pond, playgrounds, picnic areas and more.

One star is deducted only because:

• There are only a couple of sites that would work with a vehicle, for there's a well-hidden drainage ditch dug on each side of the road; and
• There's a bit of daytime traffic due to people accessing the hiking trailhead at the end of the road. Vehicles are forced to camp right along the road, as any side spurs visible on satellite imagery have been marked "No motor vehicles" by the Forest Service. For tent campers, though, it's a short walk right to the rim of Pine Ridge for even more spectacular views.

The phone number provided is for the Nebraska National Forest Pine Hill Ranger District in Chadron, in whose jurisdiction this road resides.

Free. No facilities. Flat, established, wide dirt road. Multiple pull offs for camping, mostly flat. Cross a bridge to get there - dual axel limit 10 Tons. Trailer limit 23 Tons. Next to I-80 so some highway drone. Max of 3 days in 6 day period.

Great overnight spot! Such a nice surprise to come across this camping spot. Thank you!

(Photo is our vehicle parked for the night)

Stopped here to sleep for the night on a cross-country road trip. It’s a gravel road right off I-80; farmland surrounded the camping spot and it was pretty private. No facilities so be prepared to pack out what you pack in.

Free dispersed site. Coordinates: 41.82207,-100.31366. Camped here on Sept 6, 2024. Along Forest Road 203, on a short little used unnamed track which dead ends at a barb wire fence and gate. Campervan fit okay with some leveling was needed. Sandy, grassy base. No cell service. The drive down on the unpaved east side of FR 203 Bessey Circle Rd was okay; narrow is places, but no obstacles. There is a path next to the site which goes nowhere, but okay for a stroll. FR203 had some traffic on it due to hunting season. This was the only dispersed site that I found directly off of the east leg of Circle Road, FR203.  There was nothing remarkable about this site; just okay for an overnight stay. There are other dispersed campsites along FR201 further south. This forest road is being reconstructed toward Whitetail Campground; high clearance 4x4 is recommended as one travels closer to this campground.

My husband and I had a freaky experience here and I wouldn’t want it to happen to anyone else. Around 4:30 AM a car pulled in quietly and parked right next to our van (even though there were other camping spots available). The only reason we woke up was because our dog started barking and freaking out. A guy was outside smoking and putting some things in a bag. We started up the RV and dipped as fast as we could. It’s a shame because it was a nice, convenient, peaceful spot otherwise. Be careful!

Very easy to find, free and simple. Pull up, park, sleep, enjoy lake in the morning!

Google maps will lead you right to the area. It's next to a busy road. Nebraska 20, Bridges to Buttes Byway. Enough parking for several rigs if parked close. I was the only rig there on a Thursday. It's only a few miles from a Super Walmart and a Safeway, in Chadron.

Basic primitive campsites along a gravel road, no fires, can stay up to 3 nights max, and is about 200 yard from the interstate. So I wouldn't recommend this spot if the highway noise bothers you.

A fat possum waddled up to me when I was setting up my tent in the dark since I pulled up to this spot late at night. He didn't bother me when I was sleeping but gave me a good scare. Saw him walking around again a bit later so it presumably lives there.

This is a general parking area for folks that want to fish, or use the beautiful, paved and lit hiking trail. However, it is close to I-80, so traffic noise is bad at night.

Small area perfect for a quick night. There were a few people here when I got here but it’s easy to make room when you know most people are just trying to get a quick rest.

This site is for the true outdoorsman or cowboy, not for the glamping crowd.

Woke up with tent covered in pill bugs and some ticks... It is also right next to the highway so it is kind of noisy. Kind of dirty with some trash, broken glass, and ammo because it's a hunting and

Got here at night, turned into Chloe's circle, it was a short gravel road. There were two spots to park and a cul-de-sac at the end of the road. One of the spots was slanted and the other spot was flat, neither were good for large campers. You could park in the cul-de-sac but it is a smaller circle. The slanted spot was occupied, there was a truck hanging out in the cul-de-sac, so I car camped in the last open spot. There's a decent amount of road noise from the interstate.

When I woke up in the morning it was pouring rain, so i did not explore, but I did not see any toilets, picnic tables, or fire rings in the parking area, there was a boat launching spot and a small trail to lead to the lake. There is a gas station up the road.

Stayed for a night passing through on the way to Colorado. There were a few spots. I took the first one across the pond. I was the only one on a Tuesday night. Super close to a gas station. Can hear and see cars from highway which didn’t bother me. Some trash in the woods and a few carcasses.

This is NOT for rigs over 15’ long. Turn around potential is tight. Lots of beer cans around. Got down there and turned around and went back to 80. Just a little too creepy.

We didn’t get to see the camp area as it was closed for hunting season.

We stopped here just to sleep when traveling across the country. It was easy to find and a relatively quiet spot. You could hear some road noise but I didn’t find it to bad. Nice views in the full moon! There is a pretty strong farm smell so just be prepared for that!

Like others have said, it’s right next to the interstate so you hear traffic and truckers all night. I spent 2 nights here in February in a tent. It wasn’t nice but it was a place to sleep while in town for a class.

Good for pulling off into while on a road trip. There's a road sign that marks it (not in the exact spot shown on map here). No facilities but less than 10 miles from the next rest stop. No one here on a busy travel Saturday when the rest stops were busy.

We were worried about this place due to reviews but at the end we’re glad we went as we needed only an overnight stay. It’s easy to find the road that leads to the area but not so much to find the spot to feel comfortable to park with a trailer (albeit very small). As mentioned, spots that seemed suitable have signs stating “not for motorized vehicles”. However those are placed when there is another road leading to views. We used the following spot 42.70534° N, 103.03435° W. It was ok -not much privacy as cars are passing by to the end of the path to watch sunset, walk the dogs or exercise. However the views from this area are simply phenomenal!

This is a small area with a pond just off the interstate. A little sketchy but not quite as sketchy as some of the other wildlife management areas on this stretch of I-80 (and I stopped at 3 before this one and decided to keep moving until I got here). A bit trashed, but not horrible. Constant sound of the interstate. Some light local use of the road and of the pond for fishing. I wouldn't make this a destination, but for a one night needed rest stop it's ok.

About 3 turns off the highway via dirt road. Very pretty, clean toilets, potable water, has picnic tables and grills. Definitely staying again on my way back east