Best Glamping near Afton, OK

This was our first time to visit an Oklahoma State Park! We were blown away by the beauty of this oasis! The waterfall is beautiful. The yurts are really cool! The park was busy with lots of campers and day use hikers as well as families picnicking. Great park!

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Nestled in the foothills of the Ozarks, Natural Falls State Park boasts a unique beauty which is unmatched through other state parks within Oklahoma. Perhaps best known for its beautiful waterfall, there are many other things to do here that make this a great place to visit during camping season. 

I visited during the summer months, it was hot and sticky outside, but slightly overcast making it a perfect day to visit and enjoy the park itself as well as some of the camping options. 

Exploring this park is fun as trails wind around and meander through some of the most beautiful areas of Oklahoma. If you are a person who likes mountains more than plains, this area of Oklahoma is one for you as lush tree coverage and rocky crags abound. 

The campsites themselves are pretty typical of an Oklahoma campground. 44 RV sites, also which can accommodate tent campers who are in need of power and 17 tent sites are available in addition to yurts they have on property. Yurts are pretty common in many Oklahoma State Parks in this region I have found. The sites are pretty standard with fire rings, picnic tables and some lantern hooks, just the basic ground work laid for you to set up your own unique adventures. 

When visiting I noticed that the Yurt section had no visitors during the week day and the campground itself was sparse as well. During the weekends I can imagine this fills up much more as it is a great place to visit. 

Visiting is fun with lots to do including the hiking trails however they also have playgrounds, volleyball and disc golf. The one downside for those visiting during the heat of summer however is, unlike many parks in Oklahoma which offer swimming beaches or pools, this park does not have any swimming resources. This was not a deal breaker for me personally but I would think for many it could be. 

A few things I noted that apply at the park that could be negatives to visitors passing through. They do currently have a reservation system, this can have both pros and cons. The reservation system is pretty easy to navigate but does state that on weekends you must book for the 2 days of the weekend no exceptions. When visiting the park in person I was told you can also get a site on the day of, however there is no guarantee of sites being available. Unlike many parks which hold a certain number for arrivals they are moving toward a fully online booking system like many other states.

First time here we stayed in a Yurt. Our group had 3 of the 5 Yurts and they were very well appreciated as the rain swamped some of the tents in our group.

2nd and 3rd trips here we stayed in our TT. Site #21 was awesome with electric, water and sewer hook ups as well as a lot of space all around our site. Site #18 was very cramped and only had electric and water hook ups. Our neighbor's water and electric hookup was literally closer than our picnic table. We walked around and found other sites with more space for next time.

The area is beautiful. Lots of trails, wildlife and a year round waterfall that is fed by a pump from a pond downstream. There is opportunity to fish in the pond. The waterfall is magnificent and can be viewed from an overlook that is easily accessible. The hike to the bottom and back out is moderately strenuous but there are places to take a break as needed.

Took a detour on our road trip to visit this park. There are tent sites, RV sites, and yurts available. Tent sites don't have electric and approximately half dont have water. Sites are equipped with fire ring, grill, and concrete tables. The park has some fantastic trails, just get someone taller than you walk ahead to clear the spider webs. There are playgrounds, a volleyball net, horseshoe setups, and paved walking paths.

Natural falls has been our weekend getaway spot for a few years now. It's normally pretty quiet, the hiking trails down to the falls are fun and challenging. They have added yurts which are pretty cool.

Tent camping is normally what we do and it's a great setup for that. The camping areas are spacious and flat for good easy tent setup. Water is centrally located in the middle of the campgrounds.

The restroom and shower areas have never been dirty and are always in clean working order. There is disc golf, a park, and playground equipment for your kids.

Definitely worth the visit.

Fairly small state park but they have a lot to do. They have 17 tent sites and about 45 RV sites. There are also nice looking yurts you can tent. Our tent site had a picnic table, lantern hook, charcoal grill and a fire ring. Bathrooms were clean and had flush toilets and a shower.

There are 4.5 miles of great hiking trails at the park. You can find some great hidden spots along the river and enjoy the quiet.

Of course, the best part of the park is the 77 foot tall waterfall. The hike to the bottom is fairly steep but there is a sidewalk that takes you to an overlook at the top.

The park has probably the longest disc golf course I’ve ever seen.

Overall, I highly recommend Natural Falls State Park.

General: Located near the Oklahoma/Arkansas border, this is a surprisingly quiet campground given its proximity to the highway. Once you reserve a site, you receive an e-mail instructing you to register your vehicle for a parking pass, which must be done prior to arrival. (There is a $10 charge for non-campers). You will then receive several updated e-mails and/or text messages. The weird thing is that the parking pass is activated at 9 am on the day you are scheduled to arrive, however, check-in to the campsite is not until 4 pm. The pass expires 24 hours later (9 am), however, check-out from the campground is not until 2 pm. I’m not sure if the parking fee is enforced in the campground or just in the day-use parking lot. 

Sites/Facilities: There is an RV loop and a tent loop. There are also five yurts. Sites 41-45 are VERY long pull-throughs that could easily fit two large RVs plus another vehicle. All other sites are back-in. All sites are paved. 

Bathhouse: Restrooms/showers are located between the tent and RV sites and are easily accessible to both sections. They were clean. I did not use the shower so cannot comment on this other than it looked clean. 

Activities/Amenities: The main attraction here is the short hike to see Dripping Springs. There are also other (paved) walking trails plus a volleyball net, basketball, disc golf, and catch and release fishing. There is a small store which is also where you check-in for camping. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

A gem of a state park in Oklahoma, it is a very popular destination. There is a day use charge of $5, which is included in the campground cost. First, the campground: There is separate tent and RV camping, but I think the RV portion is nicer. The tent area, “Airy Tent Area”, is in a small grassy section of the park, with few sites having enough trees to hang a hammock. If that is your thing, try to get a site on the outside edge that backs up against the woods. While there were picnic tables and grills, there didn’t really seem to be specific sites for tents, and there was no privacy. The playground and shower house are directly next to the tent area, which compounds the lack of privacy. However, you could choose to get a larger RV/Camper site in the woods. If you do that, try and get on the Bluff View loop. It was a pretty quiet campground at night, but I understand that it can be loud on nights that the cars are running on the nearby speedway across the road. There are Yurts available for rent in the back of the park behind the falls if that is your thing (not sure how much they cost a night; might be fun for a night if they aren’t too expensive). The park: a beautiful park for hiking and hanging out. There are a few nice trails for hiking, though none are very long or difficulty. You can hike out and around the falls as well as along the creek at the bottom of the falls. There are some beautiful bridges over the creek/river as well. It’s understandable why this park was the location for the movie “Where The Red Fern Grows”. There is also a pretty little botanical garden and nice lawns for picnicking.

We frequently take 412 from Tulsa to the Arkansas Ozarks and have always wondered what lies behind the gates of Natural Falls State Park. If you have to pay $5 a car it must be magnificent and grand, I thought every time I passed the turn off sign .5 mile from the city street that leads to the entrance. Well, it is a place you can stop at if you are late in the day and need a spot to camp without much fan fair or activities. The $5 day price is not worth it if you just want to hike and see the park as it is quite small and you can complete every trail in just a few hours if you tried. The falls itself is pretty nice for the area and would provide a pleasant respite from the road. As far as the campground goes, it is just as small as the park itself. It abuts a barb wire fence designating the difference between private property and the park and has some in vogue features such as yurts but the small size and the layout make it one I will not go back to. With 2 dogs who like to bark and a desire to go on longer hikes and activities, there just isn't much here for me. As far as the sites, the layouts were nice with a table and fire ring and adequate space but overall pretty forgetful.

When traveling through Oklahoma, Natural Falls is a great place to camp. It’s on border of Arkansas and Oklahoma, near Siloam Springs. It’s peaceful. You can take your wheelchair on some of the trails and look at the Falls. There’s a steep hike down to the falls for those who can walk it. The road is paved and each site has cement pad. So if you have a special needs person with you they can get around with no prob. There is also discount for totally disabled people.

There are nice playgrounds, disc golf and trails. Camp in RV or tent. Definitely going back. Been twice already in one summer. (2019)

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I should start by saying we went to the park on Mother’s Day weekend. This may have, and probably did impact the crowd. However, the number of people makes me think it is like this on most weekends. I asked a park ranger and they indicated it’s very busy on the weekend. Due to the parks proximity to AR and OKlahoma (literally almost on the border), it is a high day use park. The actual camping areas are really nice. I’d break it down like this: if I’m a tent, the sites are great all around. If you’ve got a camper like me, the rv sites are real close together. I shared a video explaining my top choice. I’d choose site 4 bc it backs up to the playground, lots of green space around, and short walking distance to bathhouse. If I were going with another family, as my brother and I often do, I’d go with sites 5&6. They are in a corner, also back up to playground, lots of green, and short walking distance from bathhouse. One draw back is there is only one bathhouse for all campers. This is a big drawback for me. With the number of sites and the number of people who visit, this sort of grossed me out just thinking about it. I took pics of the inside of the men’s showers. They looked ok, not great. If you’re counting on using the bathhouse, I don’t know about this park. The pros of the park are many. It’s beautiful. Lots of great trails with a good mix of easy-difficult. The signature water fall trail is beautiful. The park has a disc golf course that’s really nice and well maintained. Lots of picnic tables, grills, etc around. Nice playground, beach volleyball, and horse shoes, all near both the tent and rv sites. There’s also a huge green space/field of sorts for throwing a frisbee, soccer, etc which isn’t altogether common in parks. Overall, it’s a great little park, but I’m giving it 3 stars bc of the sheer volume of people you have to deal with and the bathhouse issue. These issues alone will keep me from ever camping there unless I go during the week.

Beautiful view, quiet, but annoying folks. There is one site, B69, that someone needs to have the ability and the common sense to leave it as part of the day use area. There is a man-made path directly behind where a camper/rv parks that leads down to the shore/lake, that is heavily used by those who fish. In other words, they can and will, invade upon your site, your privacy, your solitude, all day, every day, to use this path to go fishing. So, even though the site is occupied by a PAYING camper, the hosts favor those free, day use fishermen, to allow them access to the lake for their pleasure. You, the paying camper, your pleasure does not matter. Mind you, this is NOT the only way down to the lake, just most convenient. There is no respect, common courtesy or consideration towards the camper who has PAID for the site, at all. The hosts may offer to move you, but if a person picks a specific site, why should they have to move to a different site? During the open season, find a different path to get to the lake!

Very nice and spacious sites with lots of trees and shade. Good hiking and views of the falls. Unless you’re a fan of oval dirt track racing, most Friday and Saturday nights in the summer and fall are pretty loud until after 11:00 at night.

This is my ideal spot for established tent camping. It has a little bit of everything you could ever want plus close enough to town in case something comes up. ✨️

The hike down to the falls is super short, but definitely worth seeing. They have frisbee golf and decent restrooms. Very green and beautiful

We spent the day visiting this pretty park and hiking down to the falls.  Nice reprieve from a hot day!  The park host was very pleasant and professional and informative, and the office was clean and organized.  Will make time to go back in the future!

Great campsite! Clean with many things to do. As most reviews have mentioned, sites are very close together.

Restrooms were alright. They are shared between RV campground and tent campground. Only two showers and two stalls.

Hikes were great! The waterfall is beautiful, however the park map confused us more than we thought it would. Unsure why it was so difficult to read, but we figured it out!