Agency-listedNGPCFree
East Willow Island WMA
Drive-up · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE · 40.86323, -100.03558
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →Nebraska Game & Parks lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
Nebraska Wildlife Management Area (NGPC) — 37 acres, Dawson County. Free primitive camping is allowed — no park permit and no fee — for up to 14 days in any 30, unless the area posts otherwise. Facilities are minimal (parking, sometimes a boat ramp); bring water; fires only in provided rings/grills. Confirm on-site; the mapped point is an area centroid and may sit off the access point on long river-corridor WMAs.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at East Willow Island WMA
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,505 ft.
Fire & smoke — around East Willow Island WMANIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from East Willow Island WMA · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater2 mi
- @Mail3 mi
- MMechanic3 mi
- FFuel3 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- LLaundry8 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- EVEV fast charger8 mi
- DDump16 mi
- ShShower31 mi
- OOutfitter42 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 3 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — East Willow Island WMA
Access
Drive-up
Land
Nebraska Game & Parks
Elevation
2,505 ft
State
NE
Coordinates
40.86323, -100.03558
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around East Willow Island WMA · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featurePlatte River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townWillow Island · ~2.6 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~2.5 mi
- FuelCasey's General Store · ~2.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~16.5 mi
- GroceriesSonny's Super Foods · ~2.8 mi
- PharmacyShopko · ~7.8 mi
- Hospital / clinicCozad Community Hospital · ~2.8 mi
- HardwareDo it Best · ~7.9 mi
EV charging — from East Willow Island WMA · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.0 mi straight-line NW — Gothenburg, NE - Tesla Supercharger (at a restaurant) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 7 within 50 · 26 within 100 · 54 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS16.8 mi — Lexington, NE - Tesla Supercharger, Lexington
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO17.4 mi — Walmart 637 (Lexington, NE), Lexington
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)16.6 mi — LEXCHARGE01 LEXCHARGE02, Lexington, NE · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 102280 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around East Willow Island WMA · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaCozad Rest Area Eastbound · ~7.1 mi SE
- Highway rest areaCozad Rest Area Westbound · ~7.9 mi SE
- Highway rest areaBrady Rest Area Westbound · ~24.8 mi NW
- Highway rest areaBrady Rest Area Eastbound · ~24.8 mi NW
Open East Willow Island WMA elsewhere
Other camps near East Willow Island WMA
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- West Cozad WMA~1.4 mi
- Willow Island WMA~1.8 mi
- Cozad WMA~3.4 mi
- East Gothenburg WMA~4.1 mi
How we know this — East Willow Island WMA
Source
Nebraska Game & Parks (wildlife management areas)
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
NGPC NPGCProperties FeatureServer (AreaType='WMA', Status='Active'), WGS84 centroid + acreage. Camping is category-wide (no per-site flag). Broad-scope ingest 2026-07-19 14:49:09.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about East Willow Island WMA
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — East Willow Island WMA
Finding water out here →Fire rules & restrictions →Off-grid communication →First-night troubleshooting →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →