Notable Campground

Nebraska National Forest's Campgrounds - An Experience for the Senses

Imagine sitting behind a half dozen broad-backed oxen on a wagon's hard wooden seat high above a sea of golden grass, tall enough to rub the underside of your wagon and rippling in a gentle breeze. The summer sun shines down warming the earth, when suddenly a meadowlark fills the quiet with its song. Such an image isn't hard to conjure up on the road to the Whitetail Campground in Nebraska National Forest.

Yes, there is a National Forest in Nebraska. No one expects this land of rolling hills crowned by rippling waves of belly-high grass to even have trees but it has some of the most fascinating forest lands in the nationwide Forest Service system. The Nebraska National Forest is composed of four widely separated units in the central and western parts of the state. From the high plains of the Missouri Plateau in the west, dotted by ponderosa pines and spiral buttes, to the remarkable sandhills of the central part of the state, Nebraska National Forest offers many places to explore. It is this latter section that contains a very interesting forest.

Late in the 19th century, Dr. Charles Bessey, a University of Nebraska botanist, demonstrated trees could be grown on the towering sandhills of central Nebraska. (It would take the 1930s Dust Bowl to bring the grass seed that today holds the once shifting sands together.) Dr. Bessey's experiment led to the establishment of the Nebraska Sandhills by President Theodore Roosevelt and the Bessey Nursery. Later, the 22,000 acres of hand-planted forest, plus thousands of acres grass, were renamed the Nebraska National Forest.

Near the Bessey Nursery is a pleasant little campground called, appropriately enough, Bessey Recreation Area. Composed of several loops nestled among towering sandhills and jack pines, this campground features sites with hook-ups and a swimming pool. But if you are looking for an experience closer to that of the early pioneers, pass the entrance to Bessey Campground, continue beyond nursery's fields of knee-high ponderosa pine seedlings and onto the expanse of prairie.

The view over the prairie is limitless and appears empty. Don't be deceived. The prairie is filled with life. The many grasses and hand-planted forest of the Nebraska National Forest provide excellent habitat for a wide variety of birds, much to the delight of birdwatchers.

The roadway leads on and on with nothing to block the view. Just grass, rolling hills, windmills and cattle. Soon, a ribbon of brown dotted by clumps of green appears along with Whitetail Campground.

The Whitetail campground isn't located in the hand-planted portion of the forest but next to what is possibly the most accurately named waterway in the country, the Dismal River. Broad and shallow, the Dismal River flows past the campground like a stream of cooling cocoa. The flat brown color contrasts with the lush green leaves of the bordering cottonwood and the pale gold of the knee high native grass. Whitetail Campground was designed as a horse camp, with corrals, a windmill and stock water tank. But for those who are looking for rustic solitude and are willing to carry-in their water, this is the place.

Whitetail's campsites are located among native cottonwoods providing cool shade. The sound of the wind tickling the grass and cottonwood fills the air, a sound both distinctive and soothing. The scent of hot dirt and sweet grass rides on that wind like an exclusive perfume. Above, a Swainson's hawk glides effortlessly across the cloudless sky.

A big part of Nabraska National Forest's magic is that the senses do become involved. After the sun sets and the sky's watercolor pastels fade into the black velvet of night, a zillion stars pop out. Seemingly close enough to touch, they twinkle like a movie star's sequined dress at the Academy Awards. With nightfall a quiet settles over the land. The lingering aroma of grilled hamburgers and spicy chilli hangs in the air. Glowing embers pop the last bits of sap in the firepit and a camper softly moans as pleasantly sore muscle relax. Another good day ends and soon an even better day will begin in the Nebraska National Forest.

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Click on campground name for detailed description of Bessey Recreation Area or Whitetail Campground