Camping

Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR) offers primitive, Leave-No-Trace camping available at Bow Creek, Goat Island, Green Island, and James River Island Recreation Areas.

Camping Permit

No camping fees are required but all overnight campers must fill out the FREE permit for your safety.

Click here to fill out the permit

 

MNRR/National Park Service Camping Areas

Site Name	Access	# of Designated Campsites	Dispersed Camping	Fire Rings	More Site Information
Bow Creek Recreation Area	Site accessible by vehicle, must hike to campsites	3	Permitted only in the Bluffs Unit (downriver of Bow Creek) from Memorial Day to Labor Day	Yes, available at each site	https://www.nps.gov/mnrr/planyourvisit/bow-creek-recreation-area.htm
Goat Island Recreation Area	Island only accessible by boat, must hike to campsites	2	Permitted from Memorial Day to Labor Day	None	https://www.nps.gov/mnrr/learn/management/goatisland.htm
Green Island Recreation Area	Island only accessible by boat, must hike to campsites	5	Permitted year-round	Yes, available at most sites	https://www.nps.gov/mnrr/planyourvisit/greenisland.htm
James River Island Recreation Area	Island only accessible by boat	0	Permitted from Memorial Day to Labor Day	None	https://www.nps.gov/mnrr/planyourvisit/jamesriverisland.htm

*All designated campsites are first come, first serve. There are no reservations.

 

Images showing environmentally sensitive areas at Goat Island, Bow Creek Recreational Area,  and Green Island.

NPS

Environmentally Sensitive Areas

There are three areas for visitors to camp at in the park and all three have environmentally sensitive areas that are highlighted on the maps to the left. These areas should be avoided, if possible, for ecosystem protection.

MAP DISCLAIMER

The National Park Service shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. These data and related graphics (i.e., GIF or JPG format files) are not legal documents and are not intended to be used as such. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The data are not better than the original sources from which they were derived. It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data appropriately and consistent within the limitations of geospatial data in general and these data in particular. The related graphics are intended to aid the data user in acquiring relevant data; it is not appropriate to use the related graphics as data. The National Park Service gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. It is strongly recommended that these data are directly acquired from an NPS server and not indirectly through other sources which may have changed the data in some way. Although these data have been processed successfully on computer systems at the National Park Service, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the utility of the data on other systems for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. This disclaimer applies both to individual use of the data and aggregate use with other data.

 

Campground/ Park Name	District	Location	Management	Campsite Types	Phone	Website
North Point Recreation Area	Near 39-Mile/Lake Francis Case	Lake Andes, SD	SD GFP	RV, Cabins, ADA-Accessible	605-773-8239	https://gfp.sd.gov/parks/detail/north-point-recreation-area/
Randall Creek Recreation Area	39-Mile	Pickstown, SD	SD GFP	RV, Cabins, ADA-Accessible	605-773-8239	https://gfp.sd.gov/parks/detail/randall-creek-recreation-area/
Sunshine Bottoms River Access*	39-Mile	Boyd County, NE	Wildlife Management Area (NE GPC)	Primitive	402-370-3374 (Northeast District Office)	N/A
Verdel River Access*	39-Mile	Knox County, NE	Wildlife Management Area (NE GPC)	Primitive	402-370-3374 (Northeast District Office)	N/A
Niobrara State Park	39-Mile	Niobrara, NE	NE GPC	RV, Tent-only, Cabins, ADA-Accessible	402-857-3373	https://outdoornebraska.gov/location/niobrara/
Running Water River Access*	39-Mile	Running Water, SD	SD GFP	Primitive		N/A
Springfield Recreation Area	Near 39-Mile/Lewis and Clark Lake	Springfield, SD	SD GFP	RV, Tent-only, Cabins	605-668-2985	https://gfp.sd.gov/parks/detail/springfield-recreation-area/
Lewis and Clark State Recreation Area (NE)	Near 59-Mile/Lewis and Clark Lake	Crofton, NE	NE GPC	RV, Tent-only, Cabins	402-388-4169	https://outdoornebraska.gov/location/lewis-and-clark/
Lewis and Clark Recreation Area (SD)	Near 59-Mile/Lewis and Clark Lake	Yankton, SD	SD GFP	RV, Tent-only/Nonelectric, Equestrian, Cabins, ADA-Accessible	605-668-2985	https://gfp.sd.gov/parks/detail/lewis-and-clark-recreation-area/
Pierson Ranch Recreation Area	Near 59-Mile/Lake Yankton	Yankton, SD	SD GFP	RV, Cabins, ADA-Accessible	605-668-2985	https://gfp.sd.gov/parks/detail/pierson-ranch-recreation-area/
Chief White Crane Recreation Area	Near 59-Mile/Lake Yankton	Yankton, SD	SD GFP	RV, Cabins, ADA-Accessible	605-668-2985	https://gfp.sd.gov/parks/detail/chief-white-crane-recreation-area/
Cottonwood Campground	Near 59-Mile/Lake Yankton	Yankton, SD	USACE	RV, ADA-Accessible	402-667-2546	https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233467
Nebraska Tailwaters	59-Mile	Crofton, NE	USACE	RV, Tent-only, Group Camping, ADA-Accessible	402-667-2546	https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233561
St. Helena River Access*	59-Mile	Cedar County, NE	Cedar Co, NE	Primitive
Brooky Bottom River Access*	59-Mile	Cedar County, NE	Cedar Co, NE	Primitive
Clay County Park	59-Mile	Vermillion, SD	SD GFP	RV, Tent-only, Cabin, ADA-Accessible	605.659.0050	https://reservations.gooutdoorssouthdakota.com/FacilityDetails.aspx?facID=82
Mulberry Bend River Access	59-Mile	Newcastle, NE	Wildlife Management Area (NE GPC)	Primitive
Ponca State Park	59-Mile	Ponca, NE	NE GPC	RV, Tent-only, Cabin. ADA-Accessible	402-755-2284	https://outdoornebraska.gov/location/ponca/

*River Access Note: Game Production Areas are managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Wildlife Division for the enhancement of wildlife habitat and for public hunting, trapping and fishing. However, they are open to many other activities, including hiking, bird watching, nature study and primitive camping. Camping is free and permitted for a maximum of 14 consecutive days during any 30-day period. Quiet hours are in effect from 10pm to 6am. Place all trash in receptacles or “Pack It Out”. For more information visit OutdoorNebraska.org.