So you think Nebraska is just endless corn and flat interstate? Think again. Whether you’re crossing the country or seeking hidden gems, Nebraska deserves a spot on your bucket list.
If you’re like me, you’ve experienced Nebraska one of two ways: from 35,000 feet or blasting down Interstate 80 on your way to somewhere else. The view from a plane reveals a checkerboard of farmland and crop circles. The view from I-80? Let’s just say your fancy truck’s lane assist could probably handle it (not that you should try).
Thanks to our readers, I discovered there’s far more to this state than meets the eye. Nine experienced truck campers reveal a state packed with must-visit destinations. Whether you’re chasing Wild West history, marveling at the world’s largest rail yard, or exploring fossil formations, Nebraska rewards truck campers who dare to venture off the interstate.
Still have doubts? Well, buckle up and get ready to pencil in Nebraska as a must-visit destination.
Robert Nickels
2016 Silverado 2500HD
2016 Northstar Laredo
Above: Gaston Road in Nebraska National Forest at Halsey, Nebraska
One place not to be missed is Toadstool Geological Park and Campground north of Crawford in the extreme northwest corner of Nebraska. It’s in the Oglala National Grassland, and dispersed camping is plentiful (see MVUM). The campground is a short walk to the badlands area, which features “toadstool” formations created by erosion as well as fossils and tracks of ancient creatures.
The US Forest Service campground is about 15 miles north of Crawford via gravel road. There’s a small fee of $15 per night to stay at one of the 12 sites. Each site offers sheltered picnic tables, fire rings, upright grills, and two accessible vault toilets. There is no water or electricity—a boondocker’s delight!
A three-mile hike along the Bison Trail connects Toadstool Geological Park to the Hudson-Meng Education and Research Center, which contains the remains of over 600 bison (check website for hours). Visitors can tour the bonebed enclosure and discover one of the most important paleo-archeological natural history sites in North America. On a clear night, take a step outside your camper for epic stargazing. The wide horizon and isolation make it one of the best dark sky spots in the country.
The Nebraska National Forest – Bessey Ranger District near Halsey began in 1902 as an experiment to raise trees and became the largest human-planted forest in the United States. The Bessey Recreation Complex is located next to the tree nursery and offers camping, fishing, motorized and non-motorized trails, and nearby river access. RV camping, OHV riding, and hunting are primary uses.
Most of the roads are little more than tracks through the sandhills, so four-wheel drive is absolutely required, and only experienced off-roaders should venture beyond the paved roads. I learned that the hard way the year the Bovee fire devastated parts of the forest and closed the Bessey campgrounds. Gaston Road, which becomes part of the Circle Road, shows what happens when asphalt is applied over soft sand and not maintained, with areas of loose sand and severe washouts.
Boondocking there was a memorable experience shared only with curious Angus cattle. The forest is very popular for ATVs and off-roaders, but there’s lots of room for dispersed camping as well as in the USFS campgrounds.
I’ve camped at the Bessey campground several times, and it’s always been great. The Middle Loup River runs through it for fishing, and the rangers are always helpful. Sadly, the iconic Scott Lookout Tower was destroyed in the fire, but plans for reconstruction are underway.
The entire Pine Ridge area in northwest Nebraska offers incredible scenery, and the historic Fort Robinson State Park is a step back in time to a restored cavalry fort from the late 1800s with many points of interest and activities. The national forest areas offer countless dispersed camping spots.
Just driving through the Nebraska Sandhills on Highway 2 is a must. The grass-stabilized dunes that cover about 1/4 of the state’s area surprisingly include a million acres of freshwater lakes and wetlands that help to recharge the Ogallala Aquifer, the main source of water for the entire Great Plains region.
Above: Sandhills Journey Website
There are several ways to get to the places I mentioned, but the best is Highway 2. The late Charles Kuralt called Nebraska’s Highway 2 “one of America’s 10 most beautiful highways,” exclaiming, “This road will take you to one of the last unexplored frontiers where vast treasures can be discovered.”
You pass through tiny towns and counties with populations less than a typical city apartment building, so it’s good to see the state promoting this hidden gem: Sandhillsjourney.com
The bottom line is, if you’re one who still thinks Nebraska is flat, you’ve definitely been doing it wrong!
Lauren and Paul Sinz
2008 Dodge Ram Dually
2008 Lance 1181
Above: Bailey Yard, North Platte, Nebraska
Bailey Yard is the world’s largest train classification yard. This is where trains from all over the country come to move cars to different trains to be delivered anywhere in the US. The operation is over eight miles long and two miles wide. According to Wikipedia, it is large enough to hold 2,155 football fields (including the end zones).
Harvest Hosts has stays in the parking lot of the observation tower called Golden Spike Tower that rises eight stories above the yard with docents (retired rail workers) to explain the operations while watching.
Not far from Bailey Yard is the Buffalo Bill Ranch, home of America’s first rodeo. During the 10-day Nebraskaland Days event, we went to one of the greatest rodeos we have ever been to. It was complete with fried pickles, bucking broncos, and little kids with cowboy boots and hats bigger than Nebraska on their heads cheering for their dads on the field. It was a taste of the Wild West.
Denise Woods
2003 Dodge 2500
2021 Lance 650
Above: Chadron State Park
Chadron State Park is a beautiful place to camp. It is $30 for a campsite and $14 entry fee for anyone out of state. We hiked around the campground to see views of buttes, mountains, and prairie. We found the northwest area of Nebraska beautiful. Trees were showing off colors of yellow. This was a stopover for the night from a trip to the Black Hills, and we loved the peace and views of the area. There are lots of activities in this state park like horseback riding, fishing, and even a swimming pool in season. On my hike, I watched rabbits scurrying around and the horses in the field beside the campground.
Terry O’Connor
2019 Chevy Silverado 3500
2008 Arctic Fox 1150
We stayed at Platte River State Park, located off Highway 80 halfway between Lincoln and Omaha. It has 48 large full-hookup camping sites. Popular draws are the park’s picturesque waterfall, spray park, and scenic hiking and biking trails. Two observation towers offer spectacular views of the Platte River Basin. We also watched some fast river boats having fun on the river. Our granddaughter went with us on the trip, and she loved the fishing catch and release in the ponds. It was a great trip.
Edward Thompson
2023 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD
2023 Wolf Creek 890
Above: Bailey Rail Yard, North Platte, Nebraska
Nebraska is not to be missed by train lovers because it is home to the largest rail yard in the world. The amazing Bailey Rail Yard and Golden Spike Tower in North Platte offer an eighth-floor viewing area roughly 95 feet high that gives visitors a bird’s-eye view of dozens of active trains.
Hastings Museum in Hastings, Nebraska is well worth the stop. Exhibits include a naval ammunition depot, prehistoric and native history, and wildlife dioramas as well as a planetarium. It also has a great exhibit about where Kool-Aid was born. Ohh yeah!
We stayed at the I-80 Lakeside Campground. It was $35 for full hookups during the on-season. It’s conveniently located for visiting the Golden Spike Tower and has a lakeside setting.
Stan Carman
2023 Ford F-350
2021 Northern Lite 10-2EX
Above: Homestead National Historical Park outside Beatrice, Nebraska
On our way home from Evergreen, Colorado, we crossed Nebraska to visit the Homestead National Historical Park’s small museum focused on the Homestead Act and the thousands of families that became landowners through the program. Then we stopped at Rock Creek Station, a historical park that was once a stage and Pony Express station and the site of “Wild Bill” Hickok’s first famous gunfight. Deep wagon ruts from pioneers traveling the Oregon and California trails remain plainly visible at this picturesque park.
Overnighting in Beatrice, Nebraska’s city-owned campgrounds (Riverside and Chautauqua) with full hookups and hot showers for $20 a night made for a good spot to dump, fill, and fully charge for the next leg home.
We enjoyed the drive across the state too, with many miles on Highways 34 and 4 rolling through farm country. There are lots of corn and soybeans and lovely rolling countryside off the interstate.
Kurt Shafer
1998 Chevrolet K2500
2023 Hallmark Guanella/K2
Above: Johnson Lake NE State Park campground
Johnson Lake NE State Recreation Area is great for water sports, and depending on the water level, fishing (striped bass, perch, etc.). This small but charming SRA provides three access points to the 2,068-acre lake. Nearby, Philips Lake offers great fishing for walleye, largemouth bass, catfish, bluegill, and crappie. The stargazing is great! It’s convenient access from I-80, too.
Johnson Lake State Park campgrounds are $25 per day for shore power only. The showers and bathrooms are nice. The swimming beach for the family was a plus; however, some summers the lake gets drained low for irrigation of local agriculture.
Kathy Claycomb
2007 Dodge RAM 2500HD
2019 Northstar Laredo SC
Here is a photo from Toadstool Geologic Park near Harrison, Nebraska. There’s a Forest Service campground that has 12 sites, no water, but great birdwatching and hiking. For geology nerds, it showcases the power of wind and water. If it rains, the road in can be near impassable, even with high-clearance four-wheel drive.
Also near Harrison, there’s Agate Fossil Beds National Monument that has two hiking trails featuring historic Agate dig sites and fossils embedded in the hillside. The visitor center showcases Miocene mammal fossils and an authentic collection of Lakota cultural items, given to the ranch owner by Red Cloud for preservation.
Not to be forgotten is Ashfall Fossil Beds State Museum near Royal, Nebraska. It’s an active university research site, preserving fossils in place where the animals died around a watering hole after a volcanic eruption. There’s a small $8 museum admission fee plus park entrance fee. It’s definitely worthwhile. Plan for several hours.
Angela White
2018 Ram 3500
2004 Alpenlite 1100
One thing I love about being on the road is getting recommendations from others. We are definitely not city people, and avoid taking our truck camper into cities at all costs. This summer when we were at Hallmark RV in Fort Lupton, Colorado, Matt and Molly Ward suggested that we visit Omaha, Nebraska.
“You will not believe the Heartland of America Park. You’ve got to go!” Being that we were driving I-80 from Colorado to Iowa, we said, “Let’s make a point to stop in Omaha!”
In my research, I found that in Council Bluffs, Iowa, right across the river from Omaha, there is Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park. There was extremely easy parallel parking (just pull up to the side of the curb type parking) where we could safely leave the rig and Cosmo, and walk across a pedestrian bridge to Omaha. That looked way easier than finding a parking spot in the city (more on that later).
So, since we work on TCM during the week and drive on the weekends, we planned our Omaha visit for a Saturday. Matt and Molly suggested that we go to the Heartland of America Park around dark as the park has a lot of lights and a lot to enjoy at night. So, after driving that day, I found a Thai restaurant on Yelp right about a quarter mile from our parking spot. It was perfect and worked out really well.
Just before dusk, we walked into Nebraska across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. Right in the middle of the bridge was a Nebraska/Iowa border marking on the ground. We had some fun with that, and then, we walked into a park on the other side of the bridge.
Pretty much right after we walked across the bridge, we saw the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters and Visitor Center. It was Saturday night, so it was closed, but as we were walking past, I spotted a Class C in the parking lot. At that moment, I made a mental note that there was RV parking in downtown Omaha. Next time, we’ll try parking there. It’s now pinned on my Google Map.
As we walked down the path toward the Heartland of America Park, we saw a really cool building on the right called the Kiewit Luminarium. Another place closed because it was Saturday night, but I made another mental note that we should come back when it was open because it looked awesome.
In front of the Luminarium there were volleyball courts with people playing, and a huge park called Discovery Playground for kids. It had lots of swings and structures for them to climb on. My third graders would have loved it (yes, I used to be a teacher ages ago).
As it was getting darker and the sun was setting, I was getting really excited about the Heartland of America Park. If the park in front of the Kiewit Luminarium was this amazing, I couldn’t imagine what the park Matt and Molly recommended was like.
It was Saturday night, so there were lots of people walking the path by the water. We looked across and spotted Cosmo in the camper. Not really, but we were wondering what he was doing while we were in an entirely different state. Watching the birds in Iowa most likely.
As we approached the Heartland of America Park, we heard rap music that was getting louder and louder. Something was going on in the park. We got closer, and there was a big sign and barrier preventing us from going into the park. Oh no! The Heartland of America Park was closed because of a rap concert. I was very disappointed that we weren’t going to see all of the nighttime lights and fun!
On our return walk to Cosmo and our camper, we did see the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge all lit up in blue and red and some cool sculptures in the Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park all lit up. From our short time here, we did find that Omaha has a lot to offer. Sometimes an experience like this one makes me think of the places we might have missed because we were so stuck in our “not going to cities” mindset. We’ll be back, Omaha! Thank you, Matt and Molly, for the recommendation.
