Best Tent Camping near Bristow, OK

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.

It's a nice quite campground ran by the Corps of Engineers. It has nice campsites that are well kept. It has restrooms with flushing toilets, showers, boat launch, a swim beach and a playground for the kids. The lake is small but great for hiking, nature watching, fishing, boating and swimming. Very peaceful and not crowded and has a lot of shaded campsites and group shelters. It is near a little town of Kellyvielle and about 10 miles from Bristow, which has a nice Walmarts for getting things you might need. It cost $25 dollars a night.

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.

It was nice, individual spaces for tent camping. Where I was there wasn’t much for primitive type camping. Bring your own wood, but there is ample room and the fire pits have grates on them for cooking.

Only 8 RV sites with electric and water hook-ups. Small area with a bait shop at the lake. Fire rings and a lake view is about the extent of it. No hiking, tent camping etc… a cheap, simple place to relax and that’s it. $11 per night.

Great State Park close to Tulsa. RV sites and primitive Tent Camping. Great clean and modern toilets and showers with heating and air near the marina. There is a camp shop near the entrance and a short nature trail with some great views. I will definitely be going back

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.

stayed for one night during a road trip with a friend. We're both females and felt safe. Tent sites were pretty big and flat. We didn't go in the lake, the water was pretty stagnant and didn't feel refreshing. The bathrooms were okay, I didn't take a shower, but they seemed clean. Sunset by the lake was really beautiful! Rangers/staff were very nice and helpful too.

I really enjoyed my stay at Keystone Lake State Park, despite my slightly rowdy neighboring campers. We stayed at a tent site with a direct, but slightly tough, route down to the lake. The area was beautiful, and there were plenty of amenities, including restroom and shower. Though we didn't actually see much wildlife, we did have what we think was a sneaky raccoon steal our bread in the night, so lock that cooler up tight! The lake is beautiful and warm until you get deep, and the people were all really friendly (aside from our neighboring campers)!

I have been going to Skiatook Lake almost all of my life with friends and family to boat and enjoy the beaches. The campground is rather pleasant, if small and the spots are pretty close to one another. Mostly geared to RV's, tent camping is loud and not the most fun. We wouldn't go here for hiking and only to enjoy the lake. The beach is great for dogs but we got kicked out because we didn't have a spot when literally no one was in the park. That sours my opinion of the campground but overall, if you are a boater and RVer it is one of the best spots in the region.

It's a small lake in Seminole County Oklahoma a couple miles from the town of Wewoka. It has a small RV campground and some primitive campsites along waters edge. It is always active with jet skiing. It has a swim beach and a few pavilions. The 4th of July festival is popular there and always a big hit. The park entrance is free. There is a small fee for launching boats kayaks are free to launch. The restroom is in the main campground which is bad if your at the swim beach or camping on a tent site because it's a long walk around the cove. The showers have only cold water. During the week there is always campsites. The lake is overcrowded on the weekends and during festivals. It's a Wednesday and not many camping today. It's also a very hot day 104 degrees.

Visited on a cool but rainy weekend. We had not been to the park before, so we explored their multiple campgrounds prior to deciding on one. We chose Red Oak b/c it had good space for tent camping. Hickory Point was another campground option but lacked tent space, more for RVs. By far the busiest area was Clovis; this is a big fishing area as we were told. All campgrounds had flush toilets, the facilities are older so they aren't great but they suffice. The park as a whole is well taken care of. The main points of attraction are fishing and swimming. It would be great for families with kids - designated beach areas for swimming, large playgrounds, etc... Kayaking and canoeing on the lake is a great alternative to hiking here; they only have one short nature trail within the park.

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

We stayed here for the weekend at the end of June. We tent camped at the Red Carpet campground spot #25. One of the things we really liked about this park was that the bathrooms are new and kept clean. They also have showers that are through a separate door from the toilet side. I like that the 2 sides are separated. Also, the playgrounds were all new equipment, which is great compared to lots of the other OK state parks. We could walk down to the lake and jump in the water which beats having to go to a specific swim beach. The park has a nice little store with gift shop items, firewood and snacks. There is also a marina with boat rentals and a restaurant but we didn’t visit either place on this trip. There are a couple hiking trails here. We took the Ranger trail which is a mostly gravel loop that goes through the trees and past the children’s fishing pond.

Overall a good park with new amenities and great for lake activities.

Primitive - $8.00

Water & Electric - $15.00 *Senior (65 and over) - $12.00

Water, Electric & Sewer - $20.00 * Senior (65 and over) - $17.00

Pavillion (cove 3) - $25.00 ($10.00 deposit)

Coon Hunter Lodge - $50.00 ($65.00 deposit)

(enclosed pavillion with small kitchen, no bunks)

Boating - One Day/$5.00

(any type of watercraft)

Boating - Yearly/$25.00

Equestrian daily rate - $3.00

Equestrian trails yearly - $30.00 (Jan 1 - Dec 31)

Monthly Camping Fees (Nov 1 - Mar 1)

$400.00 per month (water, electric service only)

$500.00 per month (full service - water, sewer, electric)

Pavillion (cove 1) - $75.00 (6:00a.m. to 10:00p.m,)

Pavillion (Cove 1) - $25.00 (up to 3 hours)

This is a nice, newer feeling recreation area with a large lake for boating, fishing and water sports. The campground is large with several loops and sites on and off the lake. Most of the sites on the lake were taken by RV'ers, with most tent campers choosing sites up the hill away from the lake (and lake noise). I was in site 44 which backs up to the woods (making it easier to gather downed wood for my fire and cooking). I thought I was going to have the back end of the loop all to myself, but lucky me, someone with a camper decided to be my next-door neighbor. Sigh. It was a fairly nice site with a paved parking pad, picnic table, grill, and fire ring, with plenty of level space for my tent and trees for my hammock. The trees provided a nice wind break from the relentless Oklahoma winds. The shower house on my loop (there was one on each loop and it seemed like a few spare mixed in) was clean and maintained daily. The actual shower portion had two stalls, one handicap accessible, and both with a few resident spiders. Speaking of wildlife, there were plenty of deer in the field in the evening and several turtles and snakes hanging out in the late afternoon. All sites had electric and there was a shared water pump for every two sites. The Recreation Area had a manned gate house and the campground host manning it was very nice and helpful. There weren't any hiking trails in the campground, but then again, its main claim to fame is the lake. If you are looking for things to do in the area, Pawhuska is home to Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman from the cooking channel. Her store and restaurant are in Pawhuska and its a pretty good place to get breakfast or lunch.

Plenty of RV & tent space.

Perfect little spot for a nice cheap overnight stay on the way through Oklahoma. Not far from Walmart so it was a good place to restock the fridge!

They have RV spots across the road from the lake, and tent spots right on the lake. Go to the building near the floating deck to check in. There was a little road noise, but it did not bother me.

A smaller campground less than 10 mins from Keystone State Park. Great if you have a RV and/or boat but tents are also allowed. Nice bathrooms, boat ramp, playground, a short nature trail, and nice day use pavilions.