04 reviewsSelect a month, then check for open campsites
Price
Varies
Booking
Reservable
Sites
Varies
Season
Seasonal — typically...
Cell
Has Service
Pets
No Pets
Select a month, then check for open campsites
Price
Varies
Booking
Reservable
Sites
Varies
Season
Seasonal — typically...
Cell
Has Service
Pets
No Pets
We'll monitor this campground and alert you the moment sites become available.
Free to start · paid plans add 2-min scans
256,000+ sites monitored · Email, SMS, or in-app notifications
Learn more about alerts →Elk Lake Group Campground
47.1923, -95.2269
Groups planning a reunion or organized outing who want a quiet, off-grid base for Itasca's trails, lakes, and Wilderness Drive. Fall is the sweet spot: foliage peaks mid-September through mid-October, bugs thin out, and crowds drop sharply after Labor Day.
No showers, no electrical hookups, and water comes from a single hand pump, groups needing comfort amenities will have to drive to park facilities for everything. T-Mobile users get no signal, and even Verizon and AT&T are spotty under the pines. Pets aren't allowed.
Context for the broader area surrounding Elk Lake Group Campground, sourced from the federal Recreation.gov rec-area record.
Lake Minatare is a feature of the <A HREF="https://www.usbr.gov/projects/index.php?id=363">North Platte Project</a>. Managed as a State recreation area by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lake Minatare, with a surface area of 2,158 acres and about 12 miles of shoreline is a part of the North Platte National Wildlife Refuge. Available species include channel catfish, crappie, small mouth bass, white bass, walleye (15 inch minimum), wipers, and yellow perch. Walleye, channel catfish, and gizzard shad are stocked in the reservoir annually. Motorized boats are permitted. The area is open to the public from Jan. 15 to Sept. 30. A number of Civilian Conservation Corps structures dating to the 1930's exist at Lake Minatare. Included among them is a stone picnic shelter designed to look like a lighthouse. Minatare Dam, constructed between 1912-1915, is a historic structure determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
North from Scottsbluff, Nebraska off State Hwy. 71.
Compare with similar sites, watch availability, and build a packing list — Camp Sage handles all of it.
The camp typically opens May through mid-November. Summer brings warm days for swimming and paddling, plus mosquitoes and the park's heaviest crowds. Cool evenings are good for campfires and stargazing. Early fall delivers cooler temperatures (usually 45–65°F days, 30–40°F nights), fewer bugs, and vivid foliage. Mid-September through mid-October is peak color. Crowd levels drop after Labor Day, giving groups a quieter experience than July.
Open through mid‑November; cool evenings, fall foliage and good hiking conditions.
Reservation tips, booking windows, and free cancellation alerts.
Rustic group camp amenities on-site include vault toilets, a hand-pump for cold drinking water, picnic tables, fire rings with grates, and a small screened shelter. The site has no electrical service.
Researching this campground? Ask anything — other campers and our team will weigh in. No visit required.
Short heads-ups about the road in, gear quirks, timing, and more. You don't have to have been here to share what you know.
Be the first to review this campground
Every adventure creates another. Share what you learned so the next camper feels a little more prepared heading out.
