★ Field-verified · Dave's ownUSFS · dispersedFree
Pine Ridge — Nebraska National Forest
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NE · 42.73463, -102.94607
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
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,118 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · 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
Services & drive-time data covers the public-lands states we've mapped so far — not this camp's region yet. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
4,118 ft
State
NE
Coordinates
42.73463, -102.94607
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBordeaux · ~7.1 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~7.7 mi
- Fuelnone within 30 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationDump station · ~3.6 mi
- GroceriesSafeway · ~7.2 mi
- PharmacyPetersen Drug · ~7.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicPine Ridge Hospital · ~28.6 mi
Nearby restrooms — 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 this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Red Cloud Campground~4.0 mi
- Bordeaux WMA~5.1 mi
- Chadron Creek Ranch WMA~5.4 mi
- Metcalf WMA~15.3 mi
The unit that manages this camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions are set by the unit, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this
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.
Field check
Verified on the ground. Dave has stood on this one. Conditions still change — confirm before you commit.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres 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
Before you go
Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →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 →