Shop Oklahoma

1. Beavers Bend State Park/Hochatown State Park: Any time of year is great here because of the trout fishing. Eagles fly up and down the river in winter, if you're brave enough to cold-weather camp. The pine trees and the beautiful lake are wonderful.

 

2. Ouachita National Forest and Cedar Lake Campground: Beautiful surroundings, off-roading, hiking, and equestrian opportunities. Bears! Bigfoot? Primitive camping is permitted further back in the woods for the adventurous souls.

 

3. Robbers Cave State Park: The lakes are small enough for easy fishing, and the view from the cliffs on the equestrian and hiking trail is spectacular! You can also rock climb, trout fish, or rent a paddleboat. There's even a pool for the kids.

 

4. Blue River: An Oklahoma treasure. Trout fishing in season, and beautiful cascading water all the time.

 

5. Tenkiller State Park: The lake is beautiful with a great opportunity to scuba dive.

 

6. Lake Murray State Park: See Tenkiller for the same reasons. ATV area year-round.

 

7. McGee Creek State Park: One of Oklahoma's best fishing lakes and an opportunity to enjoy almost 9,000 acres of wilderness hiking and camping.

 

8. MarVal Family Resort in Gore: Camp beside the Lower Illinois River, fish for trout or stripers, and all the amenities are close by.

 

9. Anywhere along the Illinois River north of Tenkiller.

 

10. Great Plains State Park: Camp alongside the lake, explore the Wichita Mountains, and visit the wonderful museums of Lawton. Tell lost gold-mine stories around the campfire.

 

11. Wichita Mountains: This is where the elk and the buffalo roam. Go rock climbing on Mount Scott, explore the artist colony at Medicine Park, or get a longhorn beef burger big as a dinner plate at the Meers Store.

 

12. Boiling Springs State Park: A real oasis on the prairie. Awake in one of the last remaining stands of uncut native hardwoods in northwest Oklahoma. Deer graze right outside your tent. In summertime, the kids will enjoy the pool or fishing in the lake.

 

13. Black Mesa State Park: The stunning scenery, antelope, and abundant bird life make a nature lover's dream. Put your feet in the dinosaur footprints, climb Oklahoma's highest point, visit the Merc, and see some amazingly large petrified logs. The area is where mountain bird habitat and prairie bird habitat overlap, meaning that you will see a lot of different kinds of birds native to both areas. I personally got a peek at a yellow-breasted blackbird there and was thrilled.

 

14. Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area along the Glover River: Primitive camping on the banks of the last wild river in Oklahoma. You may not see another person during your whole trip. Permits available from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Best left to experienced campers who like roughing it.

 

15. Pine Creek Lake near Valiant: US Army Corps Lake with camping areas. Off-the-beaten path with great scenery, fishing, and trails.

 

16. Osage Hills State Park in Pawhuska: Out-of-the-way park with a small lake that has great fishing. In April, the gobbles of wild turkeys resonate through the campgrounds. Proximity to the Tallgrass Prairie, Woolaroc, and Bartlesville makes it a great base from which to explore the area. In summer, the kids will love the swimming pool. One of the original Oklahoma State Parks with some interesting CCC rockwork. Great trail system for hikers.

 

17. Arcadia Lake in Edmond: Not sure if camping is your thing? A quick and easy way to find out. If the campfire gets boring, catch a movie in Edmond. This is a better place to find out you really can't set up a tent, rather than 150 miles from home with darkness closing in.

 

18. Keystone State Park near Mannford: Wonderful Tulsa camping getaway. You are far away from the city but close enough to see the city lights. Kid Fishing Pond for those 12 and under. Lots of easily seen eagles below the dam in the winter. The pelican and gull feeding frenzy below the dam is also quite a sight.

 

19. Quartz Mountain Nature Park: Especially for those who like hiking and climbing. The area has some of the best climbing in the Southwest. Don't miss Baldy Point. Plentiful wildlife to watch.

 

20. Greenleaf State Park: Great family camping. Nature programs, Kid Fishing Pond, a pool, a game room, paddleboating, marina and  restaurant, and outstanding trails. Not roughing it but the kids will love it, and if the kids are happy, the parents are too.

 

21. Talking Trees Campground in Hodgen: Not your usual camping experience. You can fish, you can ride horses, you can hike, but you can also get a massage and use the hydrotherapy unit. All this in the beautiful forest of southeast Oklahoma.

 

22. Boggy Depot State Park in Atoka: This lovely park is slightly more than 600 acres, but it does have hiking trails, a playground for the kids, a historic cemetery, and a great little fishing lake. Boggy Depot was once a stop on the Butterfield Stage Line. It isn’t as crowded as some of the larger Oklahoma State Parks, so it is perfect for those who like to get away from it all.

 

23. Cumberland Pool in the Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge at Lake Texoma: No luxuries, only primitive camping here, but the opportunity to see tons of wildlife.

 

24. Bernice State Park at Grand Lake: This state park has lakeside camping and a new nature center where visitors can learn about the local flora and fauna.

 

25. Hogan’s Off-Road Park in Langley: Specialized camping near Grand Lake for off-road enthusiasts. RV sites and primitive tent camping for those who want to ride the Grand River Dam Authority’s off-road trails. You don’t have to enjoy off-roading to camp here, but it might help you understand why the place gets so noisy so early in the morning.

 

26. Little Sahara State Park in Waynoka: Spectacular sand dunes, but be aware that, like Hogan’s, if you’re not riding the dunes you’ll wonder why no one else enjoys peace and quiet the way you do.

 

27. Horse Heaven Ranch in Tahlihina: Another specialized camping area for off-roaders, if your off-road vehicle eats hay and answers to a name like Trigger. This privately owned park features miles of beautiful equestrian trails through the piney woods.

 

28. Winding Stair Campground in Talihina: Same kind of scenery but with bike trails through the Ouachita National Forest. Managed by the US Forest Service.

 

29. Alabaster Caverns State Park near Freedom: It’s worth the drive just to tour the largest gypsum cave open to the public.

 

30. Roman Nose State Park near Watonga: Great trails-hiking, biking, and equestrian, and a chance to sleep in a teepee. ‘Nuff said.

 

31. Fort Cobb State Park: Great lake, great golf course, and a chance to sleep in a yurt. Think of it as a Mongolian teepee.

32. Robert S. Kerr Lake in Sallisaw: Kerr Lake has great campgrounds on a marvelous fishing lake. It is also close to the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge and the historic town of Sallisaw.

 

33. Red Rock Canyon State Park in Hinton: Once a stop on the California Road, Red Rock Canyon’s walls are now popular with climbers and rappelers.

 

34. Porum Landing at Lake Eufaula: Nice camping areas, clear waters, and lunker bass in the stumps under the bridge. Discover Oklahoma’s Shel Wagner’s family loves this camping spot.

 

35. Lake Eufaula State Park at Checotah: Cool camping under the trees lakeside, a nature center that will amaze the kids, spectacular dogwoods bloom here in the spring. Visit Carrie Underwood’s hometown and get the official T-shirt.

 

36. Lake Carl Blackwell near Stillwater: This lake, owned by Oklahoma State University, offers a playground, horseshoes, equestrian and hiking trails, and an enclosed fishing dock.

 

37. Crowder Lake University Park in Weatherford: Southwestern State University now manages this former state park. You can rent a canoe, hike the trails, do the ropes course, rappel, or climb. The small lake is known for its great bass fishing.

 

38. Bell Cow Lake in Chandler: Bring your pony and ride the equestrian trails or pedal around on your bike.

 

39. Natural Falls State Park at West Siloam Springs: Just a stone's throw from the Arkansas border but worlds away from anything when you are standing on the valley floor. This nature park features a beautiful waterfall, and the valley is carpeted in rare ferns and mosses. Parts of the movie, Where The Red Fern Grows, were filmed here.

40. Coyote Hills Ranch in Cheyenne: Another place where you can go horseback riding, and you don’t need to bring your own horse--they rent them here. Enjoy the beautiful nature trails and wildlife watching. If you get tired of the sleeping bag, you can always get a room at the twenty-room hotel. Visit the nearby Black Kettle National Grasslands and the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site.

 

41. Great Salt Plains Lake near Jet: Two great places to camp, Great Salt Plains State Park and Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge. The Salt Plains are an important stop for migrating birds with more than 300 species recorded year-round. White pelicans look like floating carpets on the lake in fall and spring. Eagles are plentiful in the winter. You might actually get to see a whooping crane if you are lucky. Digging for selinite crystals is big fun for the kids.

 

42. Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton: A lake, mountains, miniature golf, hiking and biking trails, and a water slide. What more could you want?

 

43. Dripping Springs State Park and Okmulgee State Park in Okmulgee: Two great state parks on two great lakes right next to each other. Showers, boat ramps, hiking trails, and nature trails, all included.

 

44. Hugo Lake: The US Army Corps of Engineers camping area even has nine stalls for equestrian campers. Primitive camping is also available at Hugo Lake State Park.

 

45. Foss Lake: A jewel in western Oklahoma. Campsites are available at Foss State Park. The lake is one of the best wildlife watching areas in the western park of the state. I stood on a hill on the north side of the lake and watched at least fifty deer graze and play on a wheat field in the wildlife refuge. Huge flocks of geese visit the lake in the winter.

 

46. Fort Gibson at Lake Wagoner: A gorgeous lake in the hills of northeastern Oklahoma. Two state parks on the lake offer different camping experiences. Sequoyah Bay State Park and Sequoyah State Park/Western Hills Guest Ranch are right across from each other. Sequoyah State Park’s nature center and golf course offer something for everyone. Sequoyah Bay’s campsites are quiet and perfect for relaxing weekends.

 

47. Lake Thunderbird State Park in Norman: Close to Oklahoma City but far away from the hustle and bustle. The park’s Crow’s Secret Nature Center offers wonderful programs for both adults and children, and the biking trails were laid out by real bike riders.

 

48. Billy Creek Campground at the Ouachita National Forest in Heavener: A beautiful spot in the woods. Although facilities are spartan, the hiking is fabulous, the bicycle and equestrian trails are interesting to challenging, and there are places to ride your dirt bike. By the way, there is an Internet story about a couple who think they may have heard Bigfoot making strange noises in the area….just so you know.

 

49. Beaver Dunes State Park in Beaver: Another place to go off-road. The dunes here are different from the dunes at Little Sahara but can be very exciting and less crowded. The western Oklahoma terrain is beautiful in its own way and Panhandle hospitality can’t be beat.

 

50. Anywhere, Oklahoma: If you are new to camping or if you have new equipment, it’s best to check it out before you make a long drive. I was fishing at a small lake once and watched a couple try to set up a tent they had just purchased. A couple of hours and many accusations later, they finally had the tent up but I’m not sure they salvaged the trip. A little camping trip to the back yard can certainly help avoid some major problems later.