Best Cabin Camping near Altus, OK

Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area, Fort Sill, OK

Cabin 3 (both late June and mid-October)

Lake Elmer Thomas(LETRA) is a 334 acre lake located on Fort Sill in Comanche County, Oklahoma. LETRA offers a pretty nice location for recreating. Offering quite a bit for families in a limited space.                                                                                                            •A nice beach and cordoned swim area, complete with restrooms and shower house(11a-7p)…lifeguards                                                                                                          •Sand volleyball court                                                                                                             •Watersport rentals: paddle boards, canoes, kayaks, pontoon boat                                      •Mini golf course                                                                                                                         •Disc golf course                                                                                                                     •RV/Camper area                                                                                                                         •Rustic rental cabins                                                                                                                    •Random primitive tent camping                                                                                        •Fishing                                                                                                                                              •Nearby off-base hiking(Mount Scott and the Medicine Park Wildlife Refuge)              •Bicycling-ample quiet, paved road opportunities but surprisingly limited off road options 

Tent Camping: there are no specifically designated loop or numbered site tent areas. Tenters are permitted to camp all along the lake’s edge in the grassy area. There are a few picnic tables and elevated charcoal grills(no ground fires permitted), so you may have to do without. There are also a few picnic tables under shelters, but half are in a state of disrepair and caution-taped off. Tenters cannot set up tents within the cabin rental inner circle. 

The modern facility restrooms are across from the playground as you enter the cabin rental peninsula. Tent campers are able to utilize the shower house/restrooms in the RV/Camper section, as well as the beach areas during open hours. There is no ground cover to separate one tent from the next…all can be seen and heard. 

RV/Camper Sites: big rigs are lined up side by side in a separate gravel loop immediately to the left of the entrance. Sites have water and electric hookups. The nicest shower house/restroom is located there. There is a small patch of grass between sites, picnic table and elevated charcoal grill. These sites are closest to the entrance, beach area, watersport rental and campground activities. 

Cabin Rentals: log home rentals are on a small peninsula with great views of Mount Scott and Lake Elmer Thomas. At the time of this review, you must bring your own bedding linens/blankets, towels, etc. I would also recommend packing extra eating utensils, condiments and any other items that you would take camping. We rented Cabin 3, which the website says will sleep 4…inaccurate. One full size bed and a small futon will sleep two average-sized adults and one small child in marginal comfort. The table only provides two chairs, not four for two not four. I would subtract 1-2 persons on the cabins unless you count floor space. Cabin 3 was$80 nightly. 

Painted turtles are in abundance around the lake, as are smallish ‘fist-sized’ tarantulas. Bicycling the Artillary Range perimeter roadways on base, coyote dash across in early morning hours. Note: you are on a military base, so there are a number of restrictions that you need to be aware of and abide by. 

Additionally, the campground is positioned along the northern side of the Artillery range. Yes, you will see and hear C-Ram’s lighting up the sky randomly during the day and night hours, as well as other ordinance. I enjoyed the display and out-of-the-ordinary disruption. Think unanticipated fireworks.

This park was turned back over to the state in 2020 and is exactly how I remembered it from the 80’s. Tucked down in southwest Oklahoma in the Wichita Mountains, it’s a small park but has LOTS of options. There are RV and tent Campgrounds, cabins, a very modern lodge with 96 rooms, group pavilions, and a dormitory. There’s a full restaurant, ORV trails, hiking trails, a river and a lake. Something for everyone.

We stayed in the Mountain View campground which has concrete pads and didn’t have to level our rig at all. Electric and water and steps to the flush bathroom that has a shower in it. It backs up to the lake berm and has a view of one of the mountains. Not much cover but we didn’t need it as it was cloudy during our stay. LOTS of stickers. Beware especially if you have long haired dogs.

Military CG on Fort Sill's base. Spent 5 weeks here. Scenery and base is beautiful. It's in the Wichita Mountains near Mt Scott and Medicine Park. Clean lake with paddle boat and kayak rentals. Mini golf, beach and water slides. Nice museum and Indian Cemetaries on base. Saw geese, fox, Coyotes, Buffalo, prairie dogs and rattle snakes. All sites are pull through and fairly level. Full hookups with 30 & 50 amp service. Laundry room with 4 washers & dryers, $1 (when working). There is also a laundrette by the Commissary. Didn't use showers or restroom but checked them out. Ladies room was very dated and needs a really good cleaning.
There are a lot of long term rvs. Some not stayed in by the owners the entire time we were there. We didn't have any issue getting the site we reserved as someone mentioned in a previous review. The staff was nice when we asked to change our site to one with a better view. Biggest con was absolutely no warning on their site that there is training going on all around the CG. If you have a Veteran with PTSD like I do prepare him/her that they shoot howitzer rounds at any given time. We had no clue and the 1st week there was a rough one for my DAV. Do not use Letra Gate. It's closed. Ignore GPS and go to Apache Gate. Better yet set GPS for Apache Gate. It's the quickest route and you won't have to drive through the busy base and narrow roads.

The Wichitas are (in my humble opinion), by far the best place to be in Oklahoma. When my boyfriend took me camping there (he's an OK native), I was pressed to the glass looking at the buffalo. AMAZING. So much wildlife (make sure you stop to see the prairie dogs), and the mountains are amazing. There is no bad place to camp here, just make sure you go for a hike!

Weekends at WMWR (Wichita Mountains Wildife Refuge)are very popular beginning early in the camping season making it difficult to find open spots by Friday evening. But that doesn’t keep people from trying late into the night.   

The facilities are well maintained and allow anyone to choose very primitive to RV hookup and car/tent camping also.   Always lots of friendly folks to visit and get hiking insights from. Many activities are available in WMWR. Hiking trails can be accessed directly from Doris Campground, or there are numerous other trails in other areas a short drive away. Carry in all your water with bovine (longhorn, buffalo) covering virtually all areas of the refuge. I have visited all months of the year.

I stay regularly in the walk in campsites here. The walk in sites are 40 to a few hundred yards walk from the parking lot. Each campsite has a fire ring and concrete picnic table. Most have tree shade. You'll want to bring firewood and water. Don't expect cell service but there's a good chance you'll see wildlife.

Doris Campground is a cool little campground nestled in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. There are multiple areas to camp at Doris. The easiest way to reserve a site is to goto Recreation.gov and book online (This may be the only way, a lot about the booking process has changed in the last few years) There are two main campground areas with decently spaced but also high site density just past the information hut / entrance to the campground. A is immediately on the right after the entrance, it's a non electric loop and I believe (C?) is on the left just after the A loop with a loop of electric sites. There are also primitive campsites for tents further down the road and lake sites, as well as some more isolated sites spread throughout the campground and group camping areas. There are quite a few trees in the campground, but you can also see the sky fairly well. There are restroom buildings scattered throughout the campground and several shower areas. The campsites are almost all back in if you have a rig. There is zero cell phone reception, even with a booster. Many of the rig campsites have some sort of bench / picnic table and fire rings. There is a ton of wildlife in the area, and it is very peaceful.

This is my go-to primitive campground when camping at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. It's always very clean, quiet, and well-maintained. Wild deer and turkey frequently cross through the nearby campsites and if you wake up early enough, you can listen to the sounds of bugling elk. The refuge often has a water boil advisory in effect, so be sure to bring plenty of potable water or boil thoroughly if you get it from the site. Beautiful refuge, and very peaceful and clean campsite. Highly recommended.