Half a Mile of Private Elkhorn River, Fifteen Minutes from Omaha
$599,000
Waterloo sits in Sarpy County, along the Elkhorn River in eastern Nebraska — 21.72 secluded acres of riverfront homestead land just fifteen minutes from Omaha.
This is a rare combination of seclusion and income. Natural buffers separate a renovated owner's cottage, tucked well back from the road with guest hookups for visitors, from a county-approved commercial campground at the front of the property — five permitted RV sites, already generating revenue. The two halves feel worlds apart, but they share the same roughly half-mile stretch of private Elkhorn River frontage, an engineered private boat ramp, and jetties approved by the Army Corps of Engineers. It's built for hunting, fishing, and boating right off your own bank, with the option to let a working campground help carry the place. 2 bd / 1 ba cottage, 525 sq ft, built 1947, on 21.72 acres.
Listed at $599,000. Listing courtesy of Jarod Brabec, Hayden Outdoors Real Estate.
Homestead Potential
Water & Infrastructure
Water is the centerpiece of this property: roughly half a mile of private frontage on the Elkhorn River, with an engineered boat ramp and Army Corps of Engineers-approved jetties already in place. That's serious, permitted river infrastructure most riverfront buyers spend years and real money trying to secure. Beyond the recreation, a river this size supports genuine wildlife habitat and fishing. The cottage itself will be on a private well and septic typical of rural Sarpy County; confirm both, but the river access here is the rare part.
Crop & Income Potential
At 21.72 acres, this isn't a row-crop farm — it's a self-sufficient river retreat with a built-in income stream. The approved commercial campground (five permitted RV sites) is the property's productive heart, generating revenue the way a garden or a herd might on a different kind of homestead. Beyond that footprint, there's room for a garden, some fruit trees, or simply preserving the natural buffers that keep the owner's cottage feeling private. It's productive land in a modern, diversified sense — recreation, seclusion, and income all drawn from the same 21 acres.
Sustainability
The income the campground already generates is a genuine form of self-sufficiency — it can help offset the carrying costs of the whole property, a rare feature on recreational land this size. The natural buffers separating the two halves were clearly planned with privacy in mind, and the renovated cottage means the systems are current rather than original to 1947. Guest hookups add flexibility for visitors or extended stays. Between the river, the campground income, and the seclusion, this property is set up to support itself while still being a genuine private retreat.
The Boundaries
A property with an active commercial use deserves careful homework, and the seller has made that easier: extensive due-diligence files — surveys, permits, pro formas, and rent rolls for the campground — are available to qualified buyers through the listing agent. Review those closely, confirm the Sarpy County special-use permit stays with the property and understand its terms, and get a current survey to mark the 21.72-acre lines and the river frontage precisely. Confirm the well and septic, and ask about flood-zone status given the riverfront location. None of this is a caution flag so much as the specific homework a mixed-use riverfront property like this one calls for.
Beyond the Property Line
Local Flavor & Small-Town Character
Waterloo is a small, growing community in Sarpy County, hugging the Elkhorn River just west of the Omaha metro. It's a genuine sweet spot — close enough to Omaha for a fifteen-minute commute to restaurants, an airport, and big-city amenities, while the Elkhorn valley itself stays green, wooded, and quiet. The area has become known for its river recreation and a steady stream of weekend visitors, which is part of why a well-run campground here has real staying power.
Agricultural Resources & Neighbor Networks
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension keeps an office serving Sarpy County, with soil testing, small-acreage, and Master Gardener guidance useful for anyone developing the non-campground portion of the land. For the business side, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and local tourism offices support outdoor-recreation ventures like RV campgrounds, and Sarpy County's planning office is the right first call on permit questions. Omaha's proximity also means equipment, contractors, and services are never far.
Outdoor Recreation & Natural Surroundings
The Elkhorn River is the whole draw — boating, fishing, and hunting right from your own engineered ramp and half-mile of frontage. The broader Omaha metro adds an extensive regional trail network along the Elkhorn and Platte Rivers for cycling and hiking, and nearby Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods offer more trails and wildlife viewing. With Omaha's restaurants, sports, and culture only fifteen minutes away, this is a rare property that pairs true river seclusion with big-city convenience whenever you want it.
Listed on Zillow
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