Best Tent Camping near Arcadia Lake

Had friends come to town with an RV and we decided to do a last minute camp out.

After finding out all of the RV and tent camping areas around OKC were at capacity we gave Bell Cow Lake a shot and we were not disappointed. We stayed in Camp Area B, Friday night there were a handful of RV spots still available and we were the only tent campers. Saturday a few more tent campers arrived but there was still open sites between us. 

Our friends in the RV stayed in RV site 1 and we stayed directly across from them in tent site 3. There was some small trash, cigarette butts and such around the site, cans in the fire ring adjacent to us (site 2) but over all it was a nice spot with ample room to put tents. 

The tent area is on the water with water access through the grass along the shoreline. Swimming was great with a sand bottom once you got past the grass along the shoreline. There were tons of fish hitting the surface in the evening but I was unable to catch any. Each tent site had a table but it either had a fire ring or a grille (alternating) it would have been preferable if each site had both. 

The bathrooms weren't the cleanest but were what I would probably expect for a camp ground owned by a smaller city. 

Bell Cow lake may become one of our go to places as it is still within an easy drive from OKC and half the price of the next closest lake to camp at (Lake Arcadia).

Tent camping is $10 a night, RV is $20. 

One of the only things we did not like was with the campsite being 2 miles from I-44 you could hear the highway traffic all night and there was not fire wood available to gather or purchase (perhaps in town) so though it is generally frowned upon to bring your own you won't have a fire otherwise.

King Snake on Arcadia Lake is my go-to site for a quick getaway.  If I have a free weekend and the weather is nice I pack my tent and head out.  The park is large and spread out.  A LOT of Rv's and boats in the main parts of the park but I prefer King Snake for the tent camping.  No rv's, limited traffic, and a short walk to a lightly-used bathroom.  The sites are large enough for 2 large tents.  Tables, hooks, and fire pits in each.  Close enough to the city to get anything you may have forgotten to pack. Also, the eastend of the lake is quiet and calm, away from the boats.

We did fine tent camping but nothing for electric hook ups. The swimming areas were nice and it was perfect for our boat!!

Did some car winter camping and enjoyed it! No one else at the tent camping sites. Had a McLoud policeman check our permit in the morning.

Located next to a lake, excellent spot for rv or tent sites. Staff is super friendly.

In a pleasant change of pace for camping I pulled into this location to check out the options which exist in this region for camping in a tent. Wow was a pleased when I discovered that this location was designed for tents only!!

The pros were great water access, flush toilets, great parking and access to a self pay station. The cons, completely primitive and the roadway is pretty close to the camping area.

This location is maintained by the City of Guthrie. They have nice parking lot and boat ramp at this location in addition to a fishing pier. A lot of people choose to pull off into the zone deemed camping however for a more shaded coverage when fishing. With that being said there is still plenty of room to have you own little piece of comfort.

You are supposed to park and walk in the 100 yards to the campsites however I did notice that locals drive into this area. It is pretty open and the main concern is that you pay for day use or overnight uses.

There are some scattered picnic tables and trash cans however only one are which has bbq grills and this are is pretty removed from the designated camping zone.

I noticed when I was visiting a lot of traffic down the access road which wasn’t loud really but could be distracting if trying to relax. The traffic was mainly from the residential area which also surrounds the lake.

Overall I really liked this area for day use but am not completely sold on it as a camping area.

Nice spot near Stillwater. Great mountain bike and hiking trails. Good fishing I’m told. Frisbee golf course. Our campsite was in the RV area, shaded, water and power available. Tent sites available next to the water.

Campground C area offers many pull through RV sites and some back-in RV sites, all with electric & water hook ups. There is also equestrian RV sites with pens, tent camping with shared water spigots, primitive tent camping and a dump station. There are miles of equestrian trails. Hiked down one and the trail was very peaceful and beautiful. It had recently rained a lot, so I had a thick layer of red mud on my shoes from the hike, but glad I hiked it. There are bathrooms with showers, a swim beach, a volleyball court, pavilions, a boat ramp, and plenty of wildlife. Lake is calm & shallow, so it is best for small boats and kayaks. There were plenty of flies due to the time of year and the presence of horses, so a good fly swatter and a fly trap is recommended. Found a small cemetery on the drive to the campsite with some very old grave sites. In all, it was a great place to escape from the real world and relax.

I stayed at Wes watkins tent campground for three weeks.. it was completely relaxing and quiet. The park staff was very friendly and helpful with anything that I needed. Thank you

Really nice campground, but the campers themselves gave a very strange vibe. In the area where there is tent camping there appeared to be people who were possibly living there full time. One car was broken down and crashed, another had tickets, and one camper had a cot, lots of stuff strewn about, no tent, and no car. One car was full to the brim with stuff. Honestly, we didn’t even end up staying here because we got such weird vibes.

Mustang run isn’t to far from Oklahoma City off I-40 and is locally owned. Also close to State fair. It is at the end of a lane next to a hotel. You can hear lots of traffic from the interstate. It has 2 dog runs,storm shelters,pool,playground, laundry, and nice clubhouse. So everything you might need. There are pull through sites and back in. The sites are concrete so level. They are full hook ups with cable and wi-fi. There are no tent sites here. The nightly rate is $49 but they do except Good Sam discount. They also have weekly and monthly rates.

Just did a quick overnight stop here.  The site is bordered by a moderately busy 4 lane road which is why I gave it 4 vs 5 stars.

I was in a tent site but had easy access to electric and water.  I hosted a Zoom meeting from the picnic table with no issues over the KOA Wifi.

As is typical with KOA and most RV campgrounds, very closely packed sites.

Exceptionally friendly staff and well kept facilities.

Pool, pedal carts, jumping pillow, and a playground for the kids! Super friendly staff. If you need full hook ups, those are basically a parking lot. However, there’s some really nice shaded electric/water sites for RVs and tent sites. The bathrooms are super nice and clean. Pond has great crappie fishing too! It’s way less crowded than the state parks, and it’s nice place to spend a weekend away. They have little cabins that have beautiful, shaded outside areas (fire pits, porch swings, etc) and they’re cheap to rent. We’re not typically “KOA” type campers, but we really enjoy this place.

This campground has one of the simplest, user friendly, online reservation site I've ever used. For me, thats a definite plus. The tent sites are massive, equipped with a table, fire ring, grill, and parking. Four sites are near the swim area (9-12), site 9 and 10 are nearest to the toilets - which are clean, sites 1-8 are tucked back in the woods a little. There are RV hookup sites on the inside of the campground loop. Amenities include a playground, hiking/mtb trails, swim area, fishing dock, and a bait shop. Day use fee is 6$, overnight tent fee is 10$. This area is subject to burn bans and showers are located at the west campground.

Nice open area for cars & tents. Site says 3 tents max but you could probably fit 5 if you park a bit farther back on the road. Lakeside access, fire pit, clothes hangar, no other campsites nearby, good forest cover, it’s great.

It is a nice little campground that has R.V. camping and tent camping. We like camping here because the campsite is next to the shore. There are some nice camping spots under shade trees. When you want to cool off you can just walk from your campsite to the water and get in and cool off. However don't wear white when you go swimming because after you go swimming white cloths turn orange. It does have a swim beach but we like to swim privately at camp. The fishing is pretty good. There is a playground and restrooms with showers. They only have about 25 campsites that are 1st come 1st serve. Getting a campsite near holidays like the 4th of July is almost impossible unless you go days early to get a spot. The campsites have picnic tables, grills and a fire ring. They also have trails for riding horses. Camping with electric is $18.00 Senior citizens (55 and up) and disabled citizens is $15.00 Primitive camping is$8.00

Arcadia Lake is a great little lake north of Oklahoma City about 30 minutes. It is definitely a weekender party lake, but the campgrounds are well maintained and facilities are kept up well. There are trails, boat ramps, and 'beaches,' but we go for the two disc golf courses. There are two back to back courses that are really well maintained, and are well designed. Whoever mows the course must play disc golf because they do a great job of defining the fairways. The courses are definitely worth the $6 fee to enter the park.

P.S. There are quite a few ticks out in the summer time. So bring the bug spray if you'll be in the tall grass at all.