Best Glamping near Independence, KS

Beautiful old, but refurbished campground in Northeast Oklahoma, built by the CCC! Our last night of a 16-day trip is quietly coming to a close. We made reservations on-line (that's another story!), and when we got there around 8 p.m., the RV campground was about 1/3 full. There are only electric hookups and community water is scattered through the campground. There are tent cabins to rent, and separate tent camping area, also where the overlook is, although it was overgrown and not easy to see the view! There are newish shower and toilet buildings scattered around and my hubs said they were nice and clean... shower water warm only. There is a swimming pool opening early June and nice walking trails. Lots of history if you go that route!

What a neat little park in Northeastern Oklahoma! What I really liked was that most of the park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the Depression and New Deal eras. Many of the buildings were still in use including shelters and cabins. What I didn't like were the terribly short hours of the office- open 8:00-4:30, although no one was around as late as 8:30 in the morning. Back to the positives, the tent sites were separate from the RV sites by a good 1/4 mile so no worries about generators. I camped in site Q which was on the interior of the tent loop, but the prime spots were on the outside of the loop. If you can get site R you will be in heaven!. Each site had a picnic table and fire pit and there were nice level places for tents on all sites. There is a nice overlook in the tent loop to watch the sun rise over the valley. The bathhouse was clean and had electric. There were two shower stalls, but no doors or curtains, so best not be modest. The RV sites seemed well spaced and well maintained. There were several nice trails in the park, with one that left from the tent loop, but they weren't really well marked and it was difficult to find any trail maps. There is a pretty little lake near the entrance that you can rent canoes to take a spin around the lake, but again, it depends on whether someone shows up to man the office. Apparently I wasn't the only one struggling to deal with the office hours as someone just dumped their boat paddles and PDF's in front of the office door since there was no one to turn them in to.

We often go here when we need to change things up on our hiking schedule. The trails aren't marked but the park is small enough that you do not need signs. We haven't had an issue picking up a day use map at the check in counter or just looking at the signs throughout the park. The camping situation is really pretty decent. We stay on the main loop and have a table and fire ring. It can be loud but when we camp here we make sure to go late in the season or really early as the heat in the park is a serious concern. We have seen water snakes in this park so be careful when swimming. We can't tell them apart so we steer clear. The main loop is a little uneven so it may take some work finding a level spot in certain camp spots. The far end of the loop is the best, imo. If you are going to do just a short hike, I recommend going to the look out and finding the trail to the old CCC camp. The trail goes close enough to the spots that you can go off trail and really explore! This is a site that you want to go to as there isn't really anything else around.

We had a wonderful time camping here. The park is great and the RV campground shady with sites well spread out. It was nearly full and super quiet. There is hiking and access to the bluffs from the Campground. It's a quick drive to the pool (4$ per person) and river access. The only downside we're the bathrooms. Soaking wet floors, overflowing trash cans, no hooks or little shelf for towel or shower toiletries. It wasn't the very worst state park bathroom I've seen but definitely not impressive. This could be greatly improved. Beyond that, this park and Campground were wonderful and I highly recommend!