Best Glamping near Ada, OK

We stayed here for 2 weeks over Labor Day 2020. It is a secluded, large property far away from any road noise so it is very quiet. All sites have FHU 30/50 amp. Sites are either grass or some gravel. Our site, 25, was shady, grassy and level with room for us to park our car next to our MH. The owners are pleasant and helpful. When we arrived they were on vacation but they had a woman watching the park. She told us to pick any site. Our Verizon was 2 bars of 4G and I was told that AT&T is sketchy here. There is plenty of shopping in nearby Ardmore. There is 1 set of showers, a laundry room and 3 community fire pits. There are no dog runs but it seems nobody pays attention to the“Pets must be leashed and under control” rule. In my opinion this is one of those places where“Resort” is a misnomer. No picnic tables, cable, WiFi. Pool or other amenities associated with other RV Resorts. If you are in the area, especially for Lake Murray, you don’t need those other conveniences and enjoy peace and quiet this is a good place for you. Website is www.shangri-larvresort.com

This was the first time we camped in Loop C, which is reserve only. It was in January, so the Loop was about 1/3rd full with mostly RVs. Loop D, first come, first serve, had less campers. RV sites have water & electric & tent sites have shared water. The restrooms were very nice, clean and heated. We stayed at site 81C, which was a challenge to back into because of trees that were close to drive. The pad was fairly level & the picnic table/fire pit pad was separated from the RV pad. I could only imagine how secluded this site would feel with vegetation on the trees. This loop also had many tent sites and all the tent & RV sites are well sized & spaced. Some RV sites closer to the water look like they would be a challenge to level, but most sites have fairly level pads & all sites have very level picnic/fire pit pads for an area that has some generally steep slopes. There was only one lake view RV site in Loop C, 56C, that had the hookups on the side that pointed the front door towards the lake, but all had a gorgeous view from the picnic/fire pit pads. Absolutely love the Chickasaw National Recreational Area because of the many activities this park offers & its history.

General: Buckhorn is one of six campgrounds in Chickasaw NRA (Central, Cold Springs, and Rock Creek are located in the Platt historic district closer to the town of Sulphur. These are best for tent camping with no hookups. Guy Sandy, The Point, and Buckhorn are located on or near Lake of the Arbuckles) with a total of over 400 sites. I am not sure why we chose Buckhorn, but it was possibly due to a Dyrt review and we were not disappointed! Some are reservable, some have water and electric, and some are walk-in. If you enter the park via the town of Sulphur, make sure you stop at the visitor center for a map and information. There is no fee to enter the park.

Site Quality/Facilities: Buckhorn has four loops, two of which were closed when we were there in early May. We reserved site 56 in the C Loop, which had a view of Lake of the Arbuckles. The sites are large, spaced a good distance apart and wooded, providing privacy. Our site (but not all of them) had a large picnic table, water, electric, lantern hook, bbq grill, and fire pit. There is an amphitheater between the C and D Loops, but I am not sure when/if programs will resume.

Bathhouse: The restrooms were very clean, and the good surprise was showers, a rarity in National Park Service campgrounds. The shower is clean, solar heated and operates on a timer. The water was immediately warm and although I did not time it, I had sufficient time to shower and wash my hair, and not feel rushed. There are plenty of hooks and a bench plus an outlet for a blow dryer. Only one spider made an appearance! Soap dispensers in the bathroom and air dryers (I bring my towel).

Activities/Amenities: There is a nature center, two springs, some small waterfalls, and a 2.9- mile paved path around Veteran’s Lake (you would need to drive to get to these areas from Buckhorn). There are also multi-use trails closer to Buckhorn which are used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Fishing appeared to be popular as we saw several boats by some of the sites. Swimming is also allowed but I would imagine this would be in the summer when it is warmer. No to fleeting cell service on Verizon although we did have cell closer to the town of Sulphur in the Platt Historic District.

It was very quiet and peaceful when we stayed here on a weekday in early May with only about 20% occupancy. For $11($22 for non-seniors), this campground is an excellent value, and I would absolutely return.

This campground is situated on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Murray. Because of this, there are some great lakeside campsites just steps from the water and no campers on either side of you. The downside is the lakeside campsites are set up on the eastern side of the peninsula and parking is N/S with about 20’ between campers. The campground road runs down the middle of the narrow peninsula with trees on the western side of the road (no sunset views unless you walk to the point). Because of this configuration, it requires parallel parking (like a pull through site but literally parked on side of road). The site I reserved (Site 21) was a mere 3 ft from the road. Not too big of a problem, except that I’m a light sleeper and cars/trucks/RV’s, trucks pulling trailers, motorcycles etc. noisily and regularly drive right by and especially at night this was a problem for me. During the day I was more concerned for the families with kiddos that were scootering and riding bikes in the street.

The location of this campground is great in proximity to other things in the Park. The Buckhorn trailhead is right in the campground, so easy access to hiking. Trails are well marked and not too difficult. Campground is closer to the Lodge and access back to the main road into the small “town” for supplies. Because the campground is on a peninsula the campground host said that there tends to be a breeze. When I was there a severe storm hit and I can attest to this location being primely located for wind! 

Note: my understanding was this campground accommodates rigs 30 feet or smaller, but I did see larger RV’s pull in and set up.

Summary:

• Site: No 21 level concrete pad with 30 amp electric and water hook up/no sewer, picnic table, fire ring and BBQ grill

• Shower facilities on site, but closed when I was there due to Covid-19

• Dump site available

• Boat landing and pier in campground

• Little gazebo at the end of the peninsula in campground (nice for watching sunsets)

• Good sized sandy swim area with designated parking

• Tent camping area with large parking lot. However, the sites weren’t very private

• Bike/walking trail to 2 other campgrounds

• Cons: I felt like I was camped on the side of a road. For this reason, if I were to return, I would chose a site in the area with back in camping. Although these sites aren’t on the water and are closer together, they are at least set off of the road and would be quieter. 

Lake Murray SP has campgrounds with nicer sites, but Tipp’s Point would do in a pinch.