Open Question: Where can I camp away from it all?

Hi, I live in Omaha Nebraska. A few old friends and I were looking forward to going camping. We want a real camping experience, not one of those canvas suburbia campgrounds, but one where we can be nearly alone (I don't mind a few friendly neighbors). Basically, I am looking for a site with no real established campgrounds. My friends have experienced this out of state (very far out of state) and we wanted to do it again. I, however am fairly new to camping and have somehow been put in charge of finding a campsite. There are a few good areas in Iowa that are Nature Refuges, but I can't find whether or not it would be illegal to camp there. So if you have any ideas about the general laws, good places to camp in my area (you know, without the overcrowded sites), or even just how to find out where to camp like this, all answers are appreciated.
I would be willing to travel 45-60 min from Omaha (at the most).

Source:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110528144406AAFfdVt

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