Best Cabin Camping near Arcadia, OK

There are three main campground parks around the lake. Spring Creek and Scissortail Parks are off 15th. Central Park is off the 2nd Street entrance.

Spring Creek and Scissortail were both full, so we ended up at the Spring Creek Park.

In Spring Creek, there is primitive camping in Bobcat Campground and King Snake Campground. We stayed in the Cottonwood Campground which had a mix of camping types. 

We stayed in an RTT, so all of the spots were easy access for us, but I saw some big rigs and setups with boats, so it looked like it was easy to park for most anyone.

The spaces were ample sized and most all of them had enough trees surrounding them to offer decent privacy. They all had had fire pits, grills and picnic tables. They all looked pretty level.

Restrooms and showers were passable, but not much better than that.

The campground was pretty full, but pretty quiet. No problems with noise.

Lots of trash cans around, but they were all full or overflowing. Most of the campsites had some lingering trash around. Definitely could have been cleaner.

My son had a ball and this place isn't far from home, so we will probably checkout the other campgrounds on 15th the next time we are there.

In addition to easy setup and getting around, the other thing that makes this great for new campers is that the city of Edmond is just a few miles away for a full list of stores and restaurants. Or head east on 2nd (66) and go to Pop's in Arcadia for a burger and a selection of over 500 sodas.

And finally, lots of Oklahoma hospitality in case you do have problems or need a hand.

This is a very well maintained RV park. I think the pictures speak for them selves.

• 32 Spacious Hookups
• 22 - Drive-through
• 10 - Back-in
• Quaint Picnic Area 
• Convenient On-site Laundry and General Store 
• Shower/Rest Rooms Building
• Rental Cabin
• Free Wi-Fi 
• Safe Storm Shelter 
• Stocked Fishing Pond 

Located just minutes from Lake McMurtry, Lake Carl Blackwell, Karsten Creek Golf Course, Oklahoma State University, and all the rest that Stillwater has to offer, Cedar Crest is situated on 40 acres in a natural setting and offers modern amenities. Despite our country setting, we are easily accessible by paved roads.

The lake is owned and operated by Oklahoma State University. The grounds were well mowed, some of the structures are dated but well cared for. Super-friendly and helpful people at the permit office. The store was closed when we arrived.

The quirky bit is the number of camping spaces that are by annual permit. That means a lot of of the shore line is taken up by permanent campers, weekend campers that leave their rigs, student living and even residents (in campers). The lake being close to Stillwater, it looks like a number of students and such commute from the lake.

None of this was problematic for us, but the level of care each annual permit holder takes on their lot range from pristine to near dilapidated.

We stayed in Beaver Cove and found it to be clean, well-maintained, friendly and quiet. No real privacy buffer between sites, but the spacing was comfortable. 

The park ranger made several passes through, even though the campground was only about 1/4 occupied. 

Lots of birds, including a resident blue heron the locals named Charlie. Wonderful views of the cove. We stayed in lot 31 and a few large elm trees gave our campsite evening shade.

Nice fire rings and sturdy picnic tables.

All in all, a good stay.

We really love the long, relatively private sites on the west side. Each campsite is somewhat screened from the neighbor by brush.

Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring, water and electrical hookups.

There is a dumpster on the circle. There is a shower and a toilet at the bait shop. Each (west side) campsite has access to the lake.

Our favorite campsites are #11 and #12, which are a little more private, and because we can easily launch our kayaks from both spots and they have nice areas to fish.

There are many nice hiking trails.

The west side is our favorite place to camp within 60 miles of Stillwater.

The cons - ticks are very plentiful, and we have heard that copperheads are plentiful in the camping area. I personally haven't seen one, but camping neighbors are always happy to let us know when they have! Might take a weed eater and clear the brush on your path to the water!

The road to the campground is fairly long and winding, but easy to make with the trailer as long as you obey the speed limit.

The only other con is it is hard to get reservation. They have a very nice online reservation system, but the campsites fill up quickly and pretty far out date wise. I wish they had twice as many campsites!

Here is the main website: https://www.lakemcmurtry.com/

Here is their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lakemcmurtry I highly recommend their facebook page and their youtube videos. They are really funny.

Regarding boating (Taken from the website):

• The following are prohibited: activities that involve towing a person behind a boat, sea-doos, jet skis, or any similar personal motorized watercraft. 
• Boats of any kind are not allowed in the swim area. 
• Watercraft must be properly registered by the state of Oklahoma before entering the lake.
• Designated boat ramps are for “launching” only.
• Maximum speed is 25 mph. No wake at boat docks and ramps.
• Water skiing, jet skis, sea doo’s, water bikes, and any other related water sports are prohibited.