Best Cabin Camping near Calera, OK

We met the camp host who assisted us in finding our spot. We had a site far from anyone else and had a lakeside camp spot. This made our site feel huge. My favorite moment was when I was able to strip bare in the moonlight and dance on the shore. It feels very private & peaceful

The sites themselves were awesome. We opted for a site with electricity and our site had a newly built & paved platform/deck with the picnic table, grill, and light hook. The camp host suggested we pop our tent on the pavement but we found a suitable spot so we could stake our tent in.

The bathroom were clean and easily accessible though depending on where your site is you may end up wanting to drive to the bathroom. Lol

I almost for got to tell you that there are cabins here. Very basic simple structures with bunk beds, a table inside, a fireplace, & screened in porch. On our way out of the campgrounds we drove by to take a peak & saw a ranger there who allowed us to pop in to see. She recommended a visit to McGee Creek during winter. Less visited & they get snow. How peaceful!

McGee creek State Park is a beautiful state Park. It has beautiful campsites nestled along the lake shore. Their campsites can accommodate big RVS. The lake is beautiful. The fishing is great from boat, shore or covered fishing dock. I love swimming and kayaking in the cool water. They also have campgrounds for people with horse. The lake is surrounded by the kiamiche mountains. There is no lights around the lake except at the park. Star gazing is amazing. The lake has 2 dams. The park has beautiful hiking trails going through the Pines. If you like to hike you can choose the type of hiking you want to do from just a few minutes hike or carry gear for camping in the forest. You have to sign in when you go hiking back country. I went hiking in the winter and because I took a trail that was new to me I was 5 minutes late getting back to the Ranger Station and when I came out of the Forrest their was a search team assembling. Very embarrassed but it felt good to know if I had been lost or injured they would have found me. The state Park also have 8 camping huts that are air condition and heated that have a fireplace, screened in porch that you can relax and look out over the lake. They are nestled in the Pines along the shore at Potapo Hill.They are unique. They were built back in the 40s I believe by WPA. The huts have a set of bunk beds, picnic table, heat and air, fireplace, fireplace, barbecue grill. The huts do not have bathrooms in each hut but have shared bathrooms outside that are clean and kept up. The huts are not equipped with refrigerator, cook stove or bed linens. So if I'm going for a few days or longer I take a mini fridge, hot burners for cooking. Basically this is camping with the luxury of having a roof over your head with the comfort of heat and air without bugs bitting. The huts have plenty of room for 2 queen size air up mattresses. They also give good discount for vets, military and disabled.

Campground review

Paradise on Lake Texoma is on the Big Mineral Arm of the lake, on the Texas side and only a short 90 minute drive from Dallas. This proximity makes it a great spot for a quick weekend getaway. Texas and Oklahoma’s border share the 89,000 surface area of Lake Texoma which just happens to be the 12th largest Corps of Engineers lake in the U.S. Lake Texoma is home to great fishing for Striper, Catfish, Black Bass and Crappie. Because of heavy rains in the Dallas area the boat ramp was closed. The area has cruise activities if you don’t have your own boat, and for those who prefer, kayaking is also available, or simply swimming. Believe it or not, Lake Texoma has sandy beaches!

The people at Paradise campground were amazing. We got a call the afternoon of our reservation to confirm that we would arrive before closing time and if not, they would give us after hours information. We did arrive in time and our hostess was pleasant and provided us with all the information we needed. We reserved a primitive campsite and were the only tent campers in the campground (it was a Monday night though). The primitive campsite is just a vacant lot on the waterfront across from a bathroom/shower area. Parking in the bathroom lot, you take a very short walk to the primitive site and pitch your tent in any spot you choose. The lot had been mowed and our only issue was mounds of fire ants which are rampant everywhere in Texas.

The bathrooms had not been cleaned and the recent users had left a bit of a mess. The bathrooms did have all the supplies we needed and we always welcome flush toilets and hot and cold running water. 

Being a primitive site, there was no picnic table so we drove over to an empty spot to prepare and eat our dinner. A staff member came by to check our credentials and while we weren’t really supposed to be using that area/spot, he let us since the campground had plenty of room/spots. He was so friendly, he gave us lots of information about the lake and the campground. The RV sites and also lakefront and very roomy. The campground also has the cutest glamping tiny cabins and other regular size cabins to rent. There is a nice hammock garden which we took advantage of. Cell service was strong, no issues and the only noise we dealt with was the sound of the lake and the birds and critters.

We want to encourage our family to come to Paradise on Lake Texoma for a fun family weekend, we will definitely return.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, today I am testing Wenzel’s Double Never Flat Fabric Air Pad. My husband and I had individual sleeping air pads, but were looking for something that wasn’t so slippery and would allow us to cuddle, this Air pad fit the bill, it was exactly what we wanted. It was very comfortable and roomy. We were able to use an existing pump for inflation which was great as I wasn’t sure about the specs for the pump. Deflating the air pad was easy and great news it fit back in the carry bag easily!  

Www.wenzelco.com

I had never heard of McGee Creek State park but had a blast here last weekend! We stayed right on the water at Potapo Landing. Definitely the nicest campsite I’ve seen. Aside from electricity, water, picnic table, fire pit and grill, each site also had their own deck! We got lucky as our site was not directly next to other campers, however most sites were pretty close together. It seemed like many of the RVs that were parked were there permanently (or at least for a very long time). Every now and then we’d catch a whiff of sewage smell but other than that it was very quiet and peaceful weekend.

One of the more expensive Texas state parks. Standard electric at 25/night. Large bathrooms and lots of trash bins. Actual pay phones (who knew those still existed?) the trails are for DORBA (Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association) so maybe that explains the horrible lack of signage. Bicycle fix it station.

Great security. I was with my 3 year old after dark, maybe 8PM at the playground on the water. No lights so I used our lamplight. I noticed a truck in the parking lot with its lights on. We were there maybe 90 minutes and the truck kept moving. When we left, they left. I spotted it down the road and saw they were camp rangers. Bodes well that they were keeping tabs on the facilities even if it was just a mom and kid.

Very clean and moist spots are secluded. Lots of REALLY great primitive spots if that's your thing.

This campground was one of a few we could find locally that had spots available while state parks were closed. We typically prefer state parks because of their spacious/private sites. Lighthouse is mainly cabins (some are for rentals, some are full-time residents), but there are approximately 15-20 RV sites right on the water near the marina. The sites are nothing fancy - grass pads, concrete picnic tables, but are convenient if you plan to spend the day in the lake. You can easily walk to the water’s edge and get in the lake. There isn’t a beach - you pretty much get in rom the edge of the road that leads to the boat ramp.

The RV pads are not at an angle and, depending on the size of your rig, can be challenging to get into depending on its location and if you have a tree on your site.

We also have two dogs, one of which is a super friendly pitbull. Because of that, we sometimes run into problems finding campgrounds without breed restrictions. We had no issues here.

The marina store doesn’t have much in the way of a variety of supplies/gifts/trinkets, it did have necessities like food items, milk, some camping supplies, etc. I think the store could really up its game and offer more.

All in all, we had a nice long weekend.

First RV stay so this review is from the perspective of a family that has no experience with any RV Parks. 3 Stars is my starting point and as we stay at more campgrounds I would like to think that we will have a better understanding of what makes an RV stay "5 stars". This location is "first come/first serve" sites so for a beginner that can be a bit challenging. Working with Thousand Trails and the experience with that service was great. The road into and around the park was okay, there was room to drive around the entire park while looking for a spot. The spot's varied in size and there were no fire pits or grills provided by the park in the spots that we were able to see. The picnic tables have seen better days and i'm sure that is not uncommon. The 30 amp S/E/W hookups were clean and no issues with any service during the stay. There was not cable so TV was over the air antenna only. Cell coverage was fine during our stay. The park had activity areas but with COVID restrictions most were still unused. There is road to the lake that you can take to go to a small fishing pier and some rocky lake area access. The restrooms/showers were clean and the garbage bins were full but never overflowing with trash. There are multiple pools and the water appeared clear from a distance. Saw lot's of pet's and every size RV, there appeared to be quite a few long term RV sites. We would visit again since this is part of our Thousand Trails membership.

Lake Murray State Park located near Ardmore Oklahoma has something for everyone. Water activities on the centerpiece 5,278 surface acre Lake Murray, 18 hole golf, picnicking, fishing, camping, trail riding, hayrides, 30 miles of hiking, swimming, miniature golf, 100 acres of ATV trails, several marinas and more. Accommodations include Lake Murray Lodge, 56 cabins and six campgrounds. The campgrounds are dotted around the lake with tent and RV sites of varying hook-ups; 30& 50 amp electric, water and some full-hook-up with table, fire ring and grill. Each campground has a camp host, paved roads, modern bathhouses, dump stations, pull-through sites, lake front sites, concrete pads with both open and shaded sites. Research the sites to find one to accommodate your rig. Our choice was Elephant Rock Campground. The nearby town of Ardmore has all the amenities: shopping, dining, groceries, fuel and Walmart. WARNING: Oklahoma State Parks charge a daily parking fee per vehicle of$10 in addition to the camping fee and they enforce it...just saying from experience...read the information carefully! Park Office: 13528 Scenic Hwy 77 Ardmore, OK 73401 l Park Office GPS- 34.071612,-97.101490 Reservations: https://www.travelok.com/