nebraska national forest

I've camped here one other time and that was back in 2005 at the "Natick Campground" which is a ways back in the forest and is actually a horse campground but I stayed at the main this time (June 2014). I reserved a spot which awaited me clean although the pad was more or less sand which was fine. The main areas especially near the visitor center were well kept and there were quite a few RV campers off on the other campground that night. I proceeded to lay my head down after dusk and realized I wasn't going to sleep that night.A main Burlington Northern line passes right beyond the river and near Highway 2, and it seemed every 20 minutes all night a long coal train would blow its horn at the Forest Entrance and fly past. I'm not usually down on these sites but this was horrific! I'd say the track was about 300 yards beyond the campsite and it was consistently loud all night, and I mean "this would be a good way to torture someone" loud. I felt sorry for a family tent camping down the road when one of the kids screamed in anguish about 3 or 4 in the morning as another train went by.I left pretty early and noticed two poor souls who had camped right on the river even closer to the railroad tracks. These two are available online and I would not tell my worst enemy to pick them!All that said, the sites were relatively clean although I saw a few others that had not been attended to for a while. The campground itself was nice but just beware of the railroad track right next to it! I didn't explore the rest of the forest, this was a stopover site on my way to South Dakota. It isn't the Forest Service's fault that the experience was horrible, but that was just my experience as I knew it.

I was baffled that a forest existed in the middle of the sandhills of Nebraska. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the forest is man-made and is a tree nursery to this day. It is a large expanse of land and has water attractions - although we didn't participate in any or tour any of them. We took the time to drive to the primitive campgrounds on the west end of the park. It was an incredible drive on a narrow gravel road. We never passed another vehicle (Friday evening). The campgrounds included picnic tables, shaded areas, porta potties, horse stalls and non-potable water. We bought the day pass at the voluntary pay station ($3). We noticed it was $8 to camp overnight. If you like remote locations, this is your place!

It is about six stories to the top and the view is magnificent. You can see for miles and there is nothing in sight but trees, shrubs and grasslands! Never before can I recall the sense of being alone on the prairie! It is an experience not to be missed.

The largest man-made forest in the U.S. Dept. of Forestry inventory, Bessey Unit of the Nebraska National Forest is a great location complete with an array of tent camping, electrical hook-ups, and a few deluxe pull-through RV spaces for any camping taste. Our primitive tent site was complete with graded tent area, fire ring, and picnic table. The campgrounds and facilities are well-maintained and the staff is professional and friendly. They allow ATV use with proper spark arresters installed, have a nice small lake, and a wonderful hike to the top of the summit and the lookout tower, a great venue to watch the sunrise or sunset! On scenic Nebraska Hwy. 2 through the Sandhills, Bessey is a great spot to enjoy the outdoors somewhat off of the beaten path.