You don’t have to go very far up the east coast or across the country for great camping. Oklahoma has some of the most incredible spots in America.
If you’re looking for an adventure this summer and you want to find the best camping in Oklahoma, here are 15 places to camp in Oklahoma that will blow your mind.
1. Lake Murray State Park
Lake Murray is one of the largest lakes in North America with more than 200 miles of shoreline and over 8 million acres of water surface area. The park offers 321 RV sites across 9 RV campgrounds and 165 tent sites! Some sites have hookups while others are tent-only, but all offer picnic tables, fire rings, and restrooms.
2. Beavers Bend State Park
In the state’s southeast corner you’ll find this gem of a park. While it’s located in one of the most popular parts of Oklahoma, you’ll find no shortage of seclusion here. The on-site marina on Broken Bow Lake offers boat, canoe, and kayak rentals as well as fishing supplies.
There are a lot of activities you can do here such as hiking, biking, boating, kayaking, fishing, water skiing, river float trips, horseback riding, and much more. There are over 100 miles of trails for hiking and biking. The park has over 400 campsites including RV sites with water and electric hook-ups and tent sites that include pedestal grills and picnic tables.
3. Ouachita National Forest
The Ouachita National Forest covers more than 1.8 million acres, it’s one of the largest national forests in the south-central United States. Activities include camping, picnicking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, boating (but no motorized boats), fishing, and mountain biking.
There are several camping areas with sites ranging from rustic tent pads to full-service RV hookups. Go here to find out about the areas you can camp at whether you’re tent camping or in an RV.
4. Alabaster Caverns State Park
The only “Caverns” in Oklahoma, the park boasts the largest natural gypsum cave in the world (over 90 million tons of gypsum). The caverns are open year-round and guided tours are available.
You can camp at the Mesa Campground where there are a few sites available for tents and RVs with full hookups. This is only a small campground with only sites available but there are both reservable sites as well first-come, first-serve sites so this place is perfect for a couple of nights while you explore the caves.
The park also offers hiking trails, picnic areas with grills, restrooms with hot water pay-showers, a dump station, a gift shop, and a kids’ playground with a climbing wall.
Some useful resources when camping in Oklahoma
5. Greenleaf State Park
This park is on the shores of Greenleaf Lake is one of the most family-friendly parks in Oklahoma. There are many hiking trails of varying difficulty levels for adults and kids. There’s also a safe swimming beach and a nice splash pad.
The park also offers fishing, kayaking, swimming, biking, playgrounds as well as basketball courts and volleyball courts.
It’s a beautiful park for camping too. It offers over 100 RV campsites, featuring concrete pads and some with full hookups. There are also 100 tent sites available. The restrooms are very clean, there are hot showers, as well as a dump station. Campers have access to picnic tables, grills, fire rings, and trash cans.
The river at Chickasaw National Recreation Park
6. Chickasaw National Recreation Area
This park is not only fun for camping, but it’s also historic as the park evolved out of an agreement between the Chickasaws and Choctaw Nations, as well as the federal government, to maintain the natural mineral springs found in Travertine and Rock Creek.
There are two lakes to explore, the largest being the 12,300-acre Lake of The Arbuckles. There are more than 30 miles of trails for hiking. The park also offers picnicking areas along with boat ramps to Lake of the Arbuckles. Basically, there’s enough here to entertain you for days on end without having to leave the park!
The park offers campsites for tents and RVs with some with full hookups. The 3 campgrounds at Lake of The Arbuckles have a mix of sites, some with hookups, while the other campgrounds in the area don’t have hookups and can only accommodate tents or small RVs.
7. Boiling Springs State Park
Boiling Springs State Park is a perfect getaway for those who love hiking and biking. The park itself is named after the natural springs found here, which “boil” up from beneath the ground.
The park offers some well-spaced-out RV and tent campsites that you can reserve online. Some of the RV sites have 30 and or 50-amp electric service and water hookups.
There are modern restrooms that include showers as well as a dump station for RVs. . The campground offers a variety of facilities including restrooms with showers, picnic tables, grills, a swimming pool, and a bathhouse.
Entrance to the cave at Robbers Cave State Park
8. Robbers Cave State Park
Looking for a camping experience with an interesting backstory? Robbers Cave State Park has it. The park is best known for being the location of a hideout for Belle Starr and Jesse James. This park is especially beautiful during the fall festival.
The Robbers Cave Park has something for everyone with picnic tables, boat ramps, a swimming beach, a swimming pool with bathhouse, playgrounds, miniature golf, golf cart rentals, paddleboat rentals,a grocery store, and a nature center. There are three lakes at the park where you can catch trout, sunfish, perch, bass, and catfish.
Campground facilities at Robbers Cave State Park include RV sites with full hookups, some RV sites with water and electric hookups, and there are also primitive camping areas along secluded trails. There are also some equestrian campsites available.
The facilities are nice with clean bathrooms and showers and a dump station.
Beautiful Sunset over Fort Gibson Lake
9. Sequoyah State Park
This park is on the shores of Fort Gibson Lake with over 1,500 acres of water surface area. If you love spending time on the water, you’ll love this park as it features a full-service marina with boat and fishing supplies for sale and boat rentals.
There are 16 miles of well-marked hiking trails, equestrian trails, and biking trails. You can play tennis and volleyball on-site, and there’s also a 9-hole golf course nearby along with a driving range.
There are over 250 campsites available across 3 campgrounds. All sites have electricity with pedestal grills for your cooking needs, picnic tables, and fire rings. Pets are allowed in the campground but not on swimming beaches or playgrounds.
10. Black Mesa State Park
You’ll find some of the darkest skies in Oklahoma at this park, thanks to its location on top of Oklahoma’s highest mountain (4,973 feet). This makes it a perfect spot for looking at the stars so don’t forget to pack your camera!
There are over 100 miles of trails that offer up-close views of wildlife such as black bears, bobcats, mountain lions, deer, bighorn sheep, antelopes as well as a variety of rare plants.
The park offers 25 RV sites with water and electricity as well as some primitive tent sites with fire rings and grills. The restrooms are clean and the showers have hot water.
11. Keystone State Park
Located on the shores of Keystone Lake, there’s plenty of wade fishing here. You’ll also find a boat ramp if you’re looking to explore the lake by boat. This is also a great place for swimming, hiking, and bird watching. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll find a play area for kids and a nature center on-site.
There are 3 campgrounds in this park including tent and RV sites with full hookups with level concrete pads. The restrooms have hot showers and are really clean. There are picnic areas with outdoor grills throughout the park.
12. Tenkiller State Park
This is an amazing park located on Lake Tenkiller, one of our favorite lakes in Oklahoma. This park offers more than 500 acres of freshwater shoreline along Tenkiller lake and has a marina and a boat ramp for easy access to the water. The crystal blue water makes it one of the best places in the state for scuba diving.
There are several tent campsites along with 4 RV campgrounds with electricity and water hookups. There are restrooms and hot showers, a picnic area, grills along with a swimming pool and swimming beach.
13 . Cherokee Landing State Park
Another great park located on the shores of Lake Tenkiller, this park provides ample opportunities for recreation activities for the whole family such as biking, hiking, swimming, a playground for the kids to burn off some energy.
This is a great place for watersports and fishing. You can catch a variety of crappie, large and smallmouth bass, white bass, and catfish.
Cherokee Landing State Park has 5 campgrounds to choose from with tent and RV sites for rigs up to 40-feet with electric and water hookups, primitive tent campsites, covered picnic areas, and clean restrooms with hot showers and a dump station.
14. K River Campground
If you’re after a no-frills kinda site and you want a peaceful place, this is it. This is truly a nice little gem of a campground with a nice wooded area with a shallow river. It’s a great place for kids to go explore nature, ride bikes or ATVs.
There are a few RV sites with water and electricity and some with full hookups, tent sites, cabins, and even a couple of treehouses.
The facilities are very clean and include bathrooms with hot showers, laundry room, off-road trails and kayak/canoe rentals, clubhouse, and a petting zoo.
15. Oklahoma City East KOA Holiday
We’ve included the Oklahoma City East KOA Holiday on our list because this is a good place for a short stay when passing through Oklahoma City.
This campground offers all of the creature comforts you might need including a swimming pool, laundry facilities, playgrounds, Wi-Fi, snack bar and planned activities, a dog park, and a convenience store with propane gas refill.
There are sites available for tent camping with water and electric hookups and some primitive sites as well full hookup RV sites that include cable TV and a dump station.
Breathtaking view of Broken Bow Lake at Beavers Bend State Park
Conclusion
Camping in Oklahoma is a great way to explore the beauty and attractions that this state has to offer and as you can see, the opportunities are endless at Oklahoma’s campgrounds. I hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful.
Have you camped in Oklahoma? Which places did you like the most? Let us know in the comments section below, we always love to hear about your experiences!
If you’d like to find out more about camping in Oklahoma, check out travelok.com.
Looking for the best camping in other areas? Check out our Campgrounds section for more inspiration!
