★ Field-verified · Dave's ownUSFS · dispersedFree
Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NE · 42.73463, -102.94607
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 →Dave's been here. A spot from Dave's own travels on U.S. Forest Service land — free to camp. Conditions still change, so confirm access, stay limits and fire rules before you go.
Primitive but free, and you're right out in nature - wonderful. There's a valley below this spot where the thunderstorms roam; when they do, you can sit up top and look down on the lightning shows. Free dispersed camping high in the Pine Ridge of the Nebraska National Forest.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,118 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Pine Ridge — Nebraska National ForestNIFC · 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 Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest · Nebraska National Forest · NE
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- DDump4 mi
- ShShower4 mi
- FFuel7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- RxPharmacy7 mi
- @Mail7 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- HHardware7 mi
- LLaundry7 mi
- EVEV fast charger7 mi
- WWater8 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 7 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 — Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
4,118 ft
State
NE
Coordinates
42.73463, -102.94607
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest · Nebraska National Forest · NE (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBordeaux · ~7.1 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~7.7 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~3.6 mi · permit required · Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- GroceriesSafeway · ~7.2 mi
- PharmacyPetersen Drug · ~7.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicPine Ridge Hospital · ~28.6 mi
EV charging — from Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest · Nebraska National Forest · NE — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger7.4 mi straight-line NW — NPPD EV STATION CHDRN BGBTS DCS, Chadron, NE · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 2 within 50 · 16 within 100 · 40 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)76.5 mi — Lusk, WY - Tesla Supercharger, Lusk
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.0 mi — CCH 825 CCH 2, Chadron, 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 311796 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest · Nebraska National Forest · NE — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletCliffs · ~1.4 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRed Cloud · ~4.0 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRoberts Tract · ~11.1 mi W · USFS
- RestroomBox Butte Recreation Management Area -Precast Restroom Building · ~19.9 mi S · BoR
Open Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest elsewhere
Other camps near Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Red Cloud Campground~4.0 mi · fee
- Chadron SP~4.1 mi · fee
- Bordeaux WMA~5.1 mi
- Chadron Creek Ranch WMA~5.4 mi
The unit that manages Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest are set by Nebraska National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest
Source
Dave's own travels
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
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
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know about Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest
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 — Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest
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 →