Camping Destination-Oklahoma
Oklahoma offers great family
camping as well as beautiful landscapes. With many lakes and wildlife
areas that offer camping for the family and fun. The many parks
and lakes have special areas designed for different types of camping
from base camping to backpack camping. In addition to camping,
many areas offer fishing, hunting, water sports, picnicking and
hiking.
Greenleaf State Park is located
in Braggs, Oklahoma. A family friendly campground that offers
a variety of camping options. You can rough it as much as you
want at this park. They offer cabins for rent, tent campsites
and RV hookups. Greenleaf Lake offers boat rentals, fishing, swimming
pools, an amphitheater and more lakeside fun. Laundry facilities,
grills, miniature golf, playground, trails, basketball courts,
volleyball courts, and even hay wagon rides will make your stay
here fun and convenient. Greenleaf State Park also offers great
overnight backpacking areas and day hiking areas.
Beaver’s Bend Resort Park
is located in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. This park is considered the
“Little Smokies” of Oklahoma. Broken Bow features
heavily wooded areas and great camping opportunities. The resort
features some 47 cabins for rent, RV and tent sites. Hiking trails,
tennis, volleyball, fishing, water sports and horseback riding
will make your stay both fun and rustic. If you stay in the lodge,
you will have all of the comfots of home.
Robbers Cave State Park is an
Oklahoma favorite. The park was once a hideout for robbers and
horse thieves. The park offers excellent horse camping with both
tent and RV sites. Robbers Cave features excellent rock climbing
and repelling while the trails feature hiking for both humans
and horses. Trout fishing, swimming beach, playgrounds, golf and
paddleboats available for family fun and outings. With 122 campsites
and 26 cabins, Robbers Cave features great options for roughing
it or taking it easy. The park is located in Wilburton, Oklahoma.
The terrain in Robbers Cave can be rough and rocky.
Lake Keystone is the fisherman’s
heaven. Lake Keystone is located in Mannford, Oklahoma and very
close to Tulsa. This park offers tent camping, cabins, picnic
sites and RV hookups. Two cabins even have Jacuzzis, far from
roughing it! Comfort stations, hiking trails, boat ramps, fitness
trails and some of the best fishing in Oklahoma, Keystone Lake
has everything for your camping trip.
Much of Oklahoma’s camping
revolves around the lakes of Oklahoma. Oklahoma lakes have more
coastline than the U.S. East and West coasts combined. Many of
the lakes also have resorts that offer amenities of a hotel but
you have the option of tent camping as well. Kids will enjoy numerous
activities and fishing for children under 16 do not need a license.
Most of Oklahoma’s state parks have lakes available to them.
Most of the lakes also have small
lake communities that are great day trips away from the campsite.
Grand Lake has Grove, Oklahoma and you will find a variety of
unique shops and shopping. The homes and bridges of Grand Lake
will astound you as you travel through this little lake town.
These small towns also have plenty of bait shops and other stores
available just in case your forget something for your camping
trip. Tulsa is not far from many of the lakes. Other great side
trips in Tulsa include Bell’s Amusement Park, the Tulsa
Zoo, and great restaurants are located throughout the city. The
city also hosts several festivals in the spring and summer.
Summers in Oklahoma can be very
humid. Oklahoma gets a large amount of rainfall every year, which
makes for a humid climate. July and August have the worst summer
heat. It will be important that you pack plenty of water, sunscreen
and bug repellent if you are camping in the summer. Most of the
lakes in Oklahoma have heavily wooded areas and mosquitoes are
draw to the climate, which doesn’t make it much fun for
campers. Staying inside during dawn and dusk will help you avoid
mosquito bites. Using a bug spray with Deet will also help you
to be more comfortable.
The weather in Oklahoma can also
be fairly unpredictable. If there is a chance for rain, it will
most likely rain. During the summer, the nights will be very comfortable,
especially for tent camping. The best times to camp will be during
the spring and fall before the humidity is real high and before
it gets to cool. Spring days can still be somewhat chilly, so
it is better to wear layers of clothing and peel off what you
don’t need.
Most campgrounds will have small
grills available. If you need to build a fire, you should not
have any problems finding adequate wood. Wood in the spring may
be green and it may not burn very well. Due to the rainfall that
Oklahoma receives, some wood may be wet and don’t be surprised
if your campground is covered in a heavy dew in the mornings.
You should not have to bring much of your own wood during the
summer, as everything should be fairly dry. Oklahoma rarely has
burn bans, but you should always check before building a fire.
Park rangers should alert you of such bans if they exist.
Oklahoma provides great
camping opportunities for the whole family. Water and fishing
lovers will especially enjoy camping in Oklahoma. There are many
lakes that aren’t advertised and you can camp at just about
any of them. If you plan on fishing, be sure that you have proper
fishing licenses for out of state visitors. If planned properly,
your stay in Oklahoma will be an enjoyable one.
