When people think about living in Nebraska, camping in the woods, spending the weekend beside a lake and waking up surrounded by trees may not be the first things that come to mind.
But they should be.
One of the best things about living in the Omaha area is how easy it is to get outside. We have rivers, lakes, wooded trails, state parks and campgrounds close enough that you don’t need to plan an elaborate vacation just to get away for a weekend.
You can pack the car after work and be sitting around a campfire that evening.
And even after living in this area for years, there are still places to discover.
So whether you’re looking for a full campground with plenty for the kids to do, a quiet place to pitch a tent, a cabin in the woods or something that falls comfortably into the “I’d like nature, but I’d also like a bed” category, here are some of the best places to go camping near Omaha.
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Eugene T. Mahoney State Park
If you’re looking for camping near Omaha but aren’t sure how committed you are to the actual camping part, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park is a great place to start.
One of the things I love about Mahoney is that you can choose exactly how much you want to rough it.
You can stay at the lodge, where the rooms are a step up from your typical hotel room. Some have a loft bedroom and a balcony overlooking the Platte River, so you can spend the entire day outside enjoying the park and still come back to a real bed at night.
If you want to up your game, you can rent an entire cabin and have your own little home base in the park. And if you’re ready for the full camping experience, Mahoney also has camping for both RVs and tents.
That makes it especially nice for families or groups where everyone has a slightly different definition of “camping.”
There’s Plenty to Do Once You Get There
Mahoney is much more than a place to set up camp.
During the summer, the aquatic center is a huge draw for families, with water slides, a wave pool and a large play area for younger kids. There are also paddle boats, hiking and biking trails, fishing, an observation tower and plenty of room to simply get outside and explore.
And when you’ve had enough nature for a while, Mahoney has even more to do indoors. The activity center offers additional recreation, including a climbing wall, making this an especially good choice when you’re camping with kids who aren’t necessarily interested in spending three straight days quietly appreciating the trees.
That’s one of the things that makes Mahoney such a great introduction to camping near Omaha. You get the campground, trees, trails and evenings outside, but you also have enough activities nearby to turn it into a complete weekend getaway.
One important tip: make your reservations well in advance, especially if you’re planning to visit over a holiday weekend. Mahoney is popular, and cabins, lodge rooms and campsites can fill up.
Best of all, you don’t have to travel very far to feel like you’ve actually gotten away. Mahoney is near Ashland, between Omaha and Lincoln, making it an easy escape from the Omaha metro.
Platte River State Park
If you picture Nebraska as miles and miles of flat farmland, Platte River State Park may surprise you.
Located near Louisville, about halfway between Omaha and Lincoln, the park is filled with wooded hills, winding trails and scenic overlooks. It’s one of my favorite examples of just how much outdoor life we have within an easy drive of Omaha.
And there are plenty of ways to stay overnight.
You can camp, rent a cabin or try one of the park’s glamping cabins. You can even stayed in a teepee, which gives the kids the fun of sleeping somewhere completely different while still keeping us close to modern bathrooms and the other amenities at the park.
Camping With Plenty to Explore
Platte River State Park is particularly good if your family doesn’t want to spend the entire camping trip sitting around the campsite.
You can hike through the woods to the waterfall at Stone Creek, explore the park’s mountain biking trails, kayak, fish or spend some time on the water. Younger kids can check out Crawdad Creek, the spray park and the natural playground.
And if you’re camping with kids, sometimes the simplest activities end up being the ones they remember. Grab a fishing pole, head down to the water and see what happens.
Platte River State Park has also been part of a larger effort to expand outdoor recreation along the Platte River corridor, with newer additions including glamping cabins, mountain bike trails and access for canoeing, kayaking and floating.
That combination makes it a great choice for camping near Omaha when you want the traditional woods-and-campfire experience without running out of things to do after breakfast.
And perhaps the best part is that it really does feel like you’ve gone somewhere. You’re surrounded by trees and rolling terrain, but you’re still close enough to Omaha that you can make an entire weekend out of it without spending half of that weekend getting there.
Louisville State Recreation Area
If you’d like your camping near Omaha to come with plenty of time on the water, Louisville State Recreation Area is another great option—and it’s close enough to the metro that you don’t have to spend hours in the car to get there.
Located along the Platte River near Louisville, the recreation area has camping for both tents and RVs, along with several sandpit lakes that give you plenty to do once you’ve set up camp.
In the summer, one of the biggest attractions is the large floating obstacle course on the water. There’s also a beach, fishing and other water activities, plus access for canoeing, kayaking and floating.
And then there’s the Platte River itself.
One of my favorite things about this part of Nebraska is how quickly the landscape can change. Get away from the city and suddenly you’re looking across the wide, sandy Platte surrounded by trees and open sky.
One Thing to Know Before You Camp Here
Here’s something you probably won’t find featured prominently in the vacation photos: the trains.
Railroad tracks run near the recreation area, and when we camped at Louisville, trains came through during the night. A lot.
As in, they woke us up roughly once an hour.
If you’re a heavy sleeper, perhaps you’ll consider that part of the ambiance. If you’re a light sleeper, bring earplugs. Seriously.
I still think Louisville is worth visiting, especially if you’re looking for an easy camping getaway with lots of water activities close to Omaha. But this is exactly the kind of thing I’d rather know before crawling into a tent for the night.
Camp Wakonda
You don’t have to travel far from Omaha to feel like you’ve disappeared into the woods.
Camp Wakonda sits right next to Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue and has some fantastic hiking trails—but don’t let the pretty scenery fool you. Some of those trails are not for the faint of heart. Be prepared for hills and a real hike rather than a leisurely stroll around a paved loop.
Visitors can hike the trails for a requested donation, although the camping areas themselves are often reserved by local Scout groups.
Scouting Is a Great Way to Get Your Family Camping
Camp Wakonda also brings up another option for families who would love to spend more time outdoors but don’t really know where to begin: Scouting America.
There are several active Cub Scout packs around the Omaha area, and joining one can be a great way to introduce your family to camping without having to figure everything out from scratch.
Instead of buying a pile of equipment and then standing in your backyard wondering exactly what you’re supposed to do with it, you’re surrounded by families and leaders who already have experience. Kids get opportunities to camp, hike, fish, learn outdoor skills and spend time away from screens—and parents get to learn right alongside them.
Scouting is also how many local families get opportunities to camp at places like Wakonda and some of the other Scout camps we’ll talk about next.
You can use Scouting America’s Be A Scout tool to find Cub Scout packs and other Scouting programs near you.
Camp Cedars
If Camp Wakonda is a good introduction to Scout camping close to home, Camp Cedars takes the outdoor adventure up a notch.
Camp Cedars is a Cub Scout camp where kids can spend the weekend doing the kinds of things you hope they’ll remember long after they’ve forgotten whatever they were watching on YouTube last Tuesday.
There’s a swimming pool, a lake for fishing and kayaking, hiking, and plenty of opportunities to learn outdoor skills and try activities they may never have done before.
And Scout camping isn’t just about tents and campfires. Depending on the program and event, kids can get the chance to try activities like BB guns and other traditional Scout skills in a supervised environment.
That’s one of the reasons Scouting can be such a great way for families to get into camping. You aren’t simply taking your kids somewhere to sleep outside. They have things to explore, skills to learn and adventures to try—and they’re doing it alongside other kids.
For families looking for camping near Omaha but feeling a little overwhelmed by everything involved in getting started, joining an active Cub Scout pack can open the door to experiences like this without having to figure it all out on your own.
And Camp Cedars is awesome. Kids get dirty, they get outside, they try new things, and they come home with stories.
That’s pretty much exactly what camping is supposed to do.
Little Sioux Scout Ranch
We’re talking a lot about Scouting in a guide about camping near Omaha, and there’s a reason for that.
This isn’t a guide to Scouting. But if you’re a family that wants to spend more time camping and outdoors, Scouting is one of the easiest ways to get started. And we’re fortunate to have some beautiful Scout camps and outdoor facilities within easy reach of Omaha.
Little Sioux Scout Ranch, located across the river in Iowa’s Loess Hills, is another one worth knowing about.
And if you’re looking for a leisurely little walk through the woods, be warned: there are some serious hills here.
The wooded hiking trails climb through the property and give kids plenty of opportunity to explore. It’s another one of those places that may surprise people who assume everything surrounding Omaha is flat.
Plenty to Do Once You Get There
Like Camp Cedars, Little Sioux gives kids a chance to do a lot more than simply sleep in a tent.
Depending on the Scout program or event, activities can include things like archery, hiking and other outdoor skills and adventures. It’s exactly the kind of environment where kids get to try something new, get dirty and discover they’re capable of doing things they haven’t done before.
And that’s why Scout camps keep making their way into this list. You certainly don’t need to join Scouts to go camping around Omaha. But if you’re looking at all this and thinking, I’d love for my family to do more of this, but I have absolutely no idea where to start, an active local pack can make that first step a whole lot easier.
You get the camping experience, kids get access to activities and beautiful outdoor spaces like this, and you don’t have to become an expert camper before your first trip.
Want to Camp Without Actually Camping?
Maybe you love sitting around a fire. You love the woods. You want to hear the owls at night and wake up surrounded by trees.
You just don’t particularly want to sleep on the ground.
Fair enough.
There are several options for glamping near Omaha that give you the outdoor experience without requiring you to give up quite so many of the comforts of home.
I haven’t personally tried these yet, but after putting this list together, that may need to change.
Kimberly Creek Retreat
Located near Ashland, Kimberly Creek Retreat sits on more than 20 wooded acres with hills, cliffs, Pawnee Creek, hiking trails, picnic areas and fire pits.
Instead of pitching your own tent, you can stay in one of their glamping accommodations and then head outside to explore the property, hike the trails or sit around the fire and listen for the coyotes and owls that live in the surrounding woods.
It’s also only minutes from Mahoney State Park, along with other area attractions, so you could easily make an entire weekend out of it.
And let’s be clear: if your version of camping near Omaha involves spending the evening around a fire and then walking approximately 15 feet to an actual bed, I am not here to judge.
I’m here to take notes.
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Creek Retreat.
Two Rivers State Recreation Area
If a luxury glamping dome isn’t quite your style, how about spending the night in a Union Pacific caboose?
Two Rivers State Recreation Area, located west of Omaha, has traditional camping along with one of the more unusual lodging options you’ll find anywhere in the area: 10 refurbished Union Pacific cabooses that have been turned into cabins and sleep up to six people.
So you can spend the day fishing, kayaking, swimming or hiking, hang around the campground in the evening—and then go to sleep in an actual caboose.
That’s going on the list.
Photo courtesy of Nebraska Game and Park Commission.
Alt text: Refurbished Union Pacific caboose cabin at Two Rivers State Recreation Area, a unique option for camping near Omaha.
Two Rivers also has a playground, picnic areas and equestrian trails, along with opportunities for canoeing and kayaking. If you prefer traditional camping near Omaha, you can absolutely bring the tent or RV and camp here normally.
But when somebody gives me the choice between saying “We spent the weekend at a campground” and “We slept in a caboose,” I’m taking the caboose.
Falconwood Park
Falconwood Park in Bellevue is one of those places that’s hard to put into a single category.
It’s a campground. It’s a concert venue. It’s hosted drive-in movies, weddings and special events. In the summer, adults can even go back to camp—without having to pretend they’re there to supervise the kids.
And apparently they’re not stopping when summer ends.
This fall, Falconwood is hosting Camp HullaBOOloo, a 21-and-over weekend camp October 16–18. You can stay in one of the glamping cabins, pitch a tent or bring an RV, with meals and camp activities included. They’re describing this one as more pumpkin-patch fun than haunted-house terrifying, so you don’t have to spend the night wondering whether the noise outside your tent is part of the entertainment.
Photo courtesy of Falconwood Park.
This Isn’t Just a Camping Destination
That’s really what makes Falconwood interesting. You don’t necessarily need to be planning a camping trip to have a reason to go there.
The property hosts events throughout the year, from live music and movies to seasonal experiences. When winter arrives, it transforms again for Falconwood Frosty Nights Christmas Village & Lights.
If you’re already planning ahead for the holidays, you can find Falconwood and plenty of other displays in our guide to the best Christmas lights around Omaha.
It’s another good reminder that some of the best outdoor spaces around Omaha aren’t places you visit once and check off the list. They give you reasons to come back in completely different seasons.
Camping Is Just the Beginning
One of the things I love about living in the Omaha area is how easy it is to get outside.
You don’t have to plan a weeklong vacation or drive across the country to find a place worth exploring. You can spend the weekend camping in the woods, fishing beside a lake, hiking through the hills or sitting around a fire—and still be close enough to home that you don’t lose an entire day getting there.
And camping near Omaha is really only the beginning.
We have an incredible network of biking and hiking trails, lakes for kayaking and paddleboarding, and plenty of places to get out on the river. We even have the very Nebraska tradition of floating downstream in a livestock tank.
Yes, tanking. We’ll get to that one.
Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing more of my favorite ways to get outside around Omaha, including some of the best places to bike and hike in the area.
And if spending a weekend near the water just makes you wish you could live there all the time, check out my guide to lake living around Omaha for a look at some of the communities where the lake can be part of everyday life.
Whether you’ve lived here for years or you’re just discovering Nebraska, don’t underestimate how much there is to explore.
