Best Tent Camping near Afton, OK

Gopher Valley campground in on of several campground in the Twin Bridges area of Grand Lake State Park.  This campground is fully paved with both full hook up RV camping area, tent camping area and areas that work for both.  Campground have drive through and pull in sites.  Sites all have picnic tables and metal fire rings.  Campground has a large pavilion which can be rented.  The pavilion has a huge BBQ grill.  Campground has a small playground for the kids.  Small restroom with showers is available.  With the exception of the RV pull through sites all the other sites have plenty of grass to set up a tent.  Sites can be reserved.

Eagle Bluff campground has both RV and tent camping spots.  Drive in sites have electrical, picnic tables, metal fire rings, BBQ grills and paved parking pads.  The nice part of this campground is the undeveloped camping area for those tent campers, the sites while close together have Shelters over most of the sites picnic tables as well as BBQ grills.  Sites with electricity have plenty of room for setting up tents.  Campground has a new playground for the kids.  Rest room has showers as well.  Horseshoe pits and a basketball hoop are also available.  Sites can be reserved.  A Pavilion is available.

This State Park is best known for the filming of the movie Where the Red Fern Grows and it's understandable why. The falls and the trails/nature walks are beautiful. Very easy hiking/walking with a nice reward on views of the falls and river/stream.

Now the camping. There is an RV area and a Tent only area. When we arrived (Oct) the RV area was pretty filled up and we prefer less neighbors, plus we were tent camping. So off to the Tent camping area. The sites were nice and level but no real break up/divide between sites. Luckily there was only 2 other Tent campers when we showed up so we chose the opposite side of the area. There were fire rings, grills and cement picnic tables.

There are full facilities and the camp host does a great job keeping them maintained and also checking in on all the campers/RV'rs.

We chose the rv site 16 from their website before ever seeing what the campground looked like in person. It is the site toward the back of the rv park overlooking the bluffs. 

Our site had plenty of tree cover that kept us from seeing the bluffs; but it also provided for a cool experience looking out of the back windows of our camper, especially at night. 

The sites are a bit too close to one another. But our neighbors in site 15 were super cool. We came with only one bundle of firewood and they quickly provided us with more than enough to have a great time, and more than enough for the next morning. 

The reason it gets 4 stars is because the sites are too close to one another. What was especially strange is that the fire ring that belongs to site 15 was actually directly behind our pad on site 16. Our fire ring was located between our site and the other neighbor's site (17) next to us. Very strange.

The campsite otherwise was wonderful. Our kids loved the two playgrounds. The weather was great. So we took a quick stroll through the woods and to the small waterfall nearby. Would definitely go again, maybe even to book two or three sites next to one another, being so close. That would be fun for a larger group.

General: Blue Creek is one of four campgrounds operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers on Oologah Lake (the others are Spencer Creek, Red Bud, and Hawthorn Bluff). It is divided into three sections: one with electric hookups (Sites 14-35) and two without (Sites 1-11 and 36-61, with Sites 54-61 that can be used as a group area). On a weekday in early May, the section with electric was full but we had the section with sites 36-61 entirely to ourselves. Sites 1-11 are good for boaters as they are near the boat ramp, however, the sites are not as well delineated (the picnic tables have the site numbers on them and cars park wherever). Since COVID, reservations are required but as with all other CoE campgrounds, the fees are extremely reasonable ($20 for electric,$16 for non-electric and half-price for seniors). 

Site Quality/Facilities: It is often impossible to determine the best site when reserving but after arriving, we discovered that Site 55 was not going to work for us. It had a very short sloping half-circle drive and after 10 minutes of maneuvering, it was obvious there was no way we were going to be level. It was also rocky so it would be challenging for tents. This site is the furthest away but near the spot where many fish so it will not be as quiet as you might expect. Fortunately, we were able to switch sites (no one else was there!) and Site 42 was much better and like many others, had a large semi-circular drive. Many sites had a covered concrete pad with a large concrete picnic table, utility table, and lantern hook. There was a dump station, but it was coned off when we were there; we did not need it so I did not ask when/if it would be available. 

Bathhouse: The sections without electricity have vault toilets, which were clean, but the flush toilets/showers are within a reasonable walking distance. These were very clean. Soap but bring your towel. 

Activities/Amenities: Aside from fishing and boating, there are many activities you can enjoy here including volleyball, horseshoes, bean bag toss, and basketball. When the gate attendant is there, you can check out supplies for these activities. There is also a hiking trail. We saw a few people kayaking. Horses are allowed in the group camping section (Sites 54-61). 

Perhaps it is because we had an entire section to ourselves, but we had a relaxing and peaceful stay here and would definitely return.

Once arriving at the camp site, I discovered that the sites near the lake were very sloped making it a little difficult to find a flat spot to set up a tent. I talking to one passer-by, who was unfortunately house-less at the time, who explained that Hawthorn Bluff does not charge for camping until April 1st. I paid for my campsite as the website did not state this. I'm not upset by this because I know the fees will help maintain the park. However, this makes for some very interesting campers. The couple next to our site were having a domestic dispute where the lady sped off in her car after cussing her partner out for some time. She returned later with an 18 pack, one in her hand, and thankfully they seemed to have made up. This was hard to explain to my young kids who witnessed the whole exchange. Since they were not charging for campsites during my stay, the showers were locked and not opened as well as another restroom. There was only one opened restroom on the opposite side of the park and it had beer cans and other trash in it. 

Nice views of the lake, but I think I'll cross this one off my list for next time.

Angler's Paradise campground is a 20 site campground in the Twin Bridges area of Grand Lake State Park.  The campground sits between the Neosho and Spring rivers.

17 of the sites are RV sites with hook ups, the last three are primitive tent sites.  All sites have Picnic tables and BBQ Grills.  Some sites have hooks for lanterns.  Restrooms are on site as well as water and trash service.  Most of the RV sites are right up against each other with little room between.  It appears that this will be a busy site due to the very large boat launch at the campground.  The campground is also just off of U.S. Highway 60 so expect some road noise.  The campground does have a shelter as well that can be rented for $51.

I’ll start my review by saying I’ve never pitched my tent in this park but have visited many times. They added tent sites in 2019- they appear to be primitive and include a fire ring. The nice thing is the tent sites are far from the RV sites so no unwanted noises for tenters in the night.

Trails abound in and around blowing springs which connect into the back 40 trail system...you can hike the B40 but remember this is a shared trail and you will come across many mountain bikers enjoying the trails system. There is also a arbortrarium in the park towards the back, a couple caves, and a creek.

If you are in need of snacks etc it’s a quick 2 minute drive to the grocery store / sonic/ Pizza Hut.

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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.