Agency-listedNGPCFree
Helmuth Public Access Area (PF)
Drive-up · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE · 40.94020, -96.70644
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) — 120 acres, Lancaster 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 Helmuth Public Access Area (PF)
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,180 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Helmuth Public Access Area (PF)NIFC · 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 Helmuth Public Access Area (PF) · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- MMechanic4 mi
- EVEV fast charger4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- +Urgent care5 mi
- RxPharmacy6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- WWater6 mi
- LLaundry7 mi
- AAir-up9 mi
- DDump9 mi
- OOutfitter18 mi
- ShShower28 mi
- PPropane49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out.
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 — Helmuth Public Access Area (PF)
Access
Drive-up
Land
Nebraska Game & Parks
Elevation
1,180 ft
State
NE
Coordinates
40.94020, -96.70644
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Helmuth Public Access Area (PF) · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLittle Salt Creek (river) · nearby
- Nearest townArbor · ~3.5 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~6.3 mi
- FuelPhillips 66 · ~4.6 mi
- Propane / LPGMagellan Ammonia Pipeline · ~12.5 mi
- Dump station~10.2 mi
- GroceriesFast Mart · ~4.3 mi
- PharmacyHy-Vee Pharmacy · ~5.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicNebraska Urgent Care · ~8.1 mi
- HardwareHarbor Freight Tools · ~6.7 mi
EV charging — from Helmuth Public Access Area (PF) · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger4.2 mi straight-line S — Anderson Ford of Lincoln · FCN · CCS · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach15 within 25 mi · 54 within 50 · 81 within 100 · 129 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)5.7 mi — Lincoln, NE - Tesla Supercharger, Lincoln
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO4.5 mi — RUSS'S MARKET SUPER SAVER L3, Lincoln
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)4.5 mi — RUSS'S MARKET SUPER SAVER L2, Lincoln, 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 451982 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Helmuth Public Access Area (PF) · Nebraska Game & Parks · NE — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaBlue River Rest Area Eastbound · ~20.3 mi SW
- Highway rest areaPlatte River Rest Area Eastbound · ~20.7 mi E
- Highway rest areaGoehner Rest Area Westbound · ~25.6 mi W
Open Helmuth Public Access Area (PF) elsewhere
Other camps near Helmuth Public Access Area (PF)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Little Salt Creek WMA~0.8 mi
- Little Salt Creek West WMA~2.4 mi
- Saline Meadows Public Access Area (PF)~7.1 mi
- Jack Sinn Memorial WMA~8.8 mi
How we know this — Helmuth Public Access Area (PF)
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 Helmuth Public Access Area (PF)
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 — Helmuth Public Access Area (PF)
Finding water out here →Fire rules & restrictions →Dispersed camping tips →Picking a spot →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 →