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Best Tent Camping near Chandler, OK

423 Reviews

Tent camping opportunities near Chandler, Oklahoma include several lakeside options within an hour's drive of town. Liberty Lake offers spacious tent sites with lake views, fire rings, and picnic tables, while Shawnee Twin Lakes provides primitive tent camping with basic amenities. Both locations are managed by nearby municipalities and provide access to fishing and water activities.

Most tent sites around Chandler feature dirt or grass pads with minimal improvements. Liberty Lake campsites include fire rings with attached grills and concrete picnic tables, but lack drinking water and electrical hookups. Port-a-potty style restrooms are available but may be subject to weather damage. Shawnee Twin Lakes offers fire pits, but campers should note that the designated campground has reportedly closed, with camping now limited to boat ramp areas. A visitor commented that "it was super quiet and calm. The campsites were minimal but had lots of space and were right on the lake."

Tent camping in this region provides peaceful lakeside experiences with fishing opportunities for bass, catfish, and crappie. Several lakes permit swimming, though water quality varies seasonally. North Sentinel at Lake Thunderbird State Park offers additional tent sites, though campers should be prepared for potentially poor maintenance. "The campgrounds were clean and quiet during our stay," noted one camper at Sunset Bay. Most tent areas provide some tree cover for shade, though primitive sites may require campers to pack out all trash. Weekend reservations are recommended for Liberty Lake due to limited site availability, especially during summer fishing season. Most tent sites in this region allow fires when conditions permit, providing traditional camping experiences with lake views.

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Best Tent Sites Near Chandler, Oklahoma (10)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Chandler, OK

423 Reviews of 10 Chandler Campgrounds

  • Tom K.
    Jun. 24, 2018

    Keystone State Park Campground

    Close to town; main spot for boaters

    As a typical Oklahoma State Park, this campground is what you would expect. Built in the 50's and very few upgrades, it remains as a mostly RV/ Boaters park. Many family's go here for the shore line swimming and boating opportunities. The bathrooms are okay but haven't been updated but you don't have to worry about vault toilets. I would suggest bringing soap. Since we tent, it is fairly easy finding a level spot but they do not have platforms or any premade sites to set up. Some sites do have fire rings but most do not but they do have tables. This has always been a good spot for bringing our beginning camping friends to get them introduced to camping before any longer camping trips.

  • William A.
    Dec. 16, 2019

    Lake Stanley Draper

    Primitive but cheap

    the Campground at Lake Stanley Draper is Primitive.  There are no Electric or water at the campground and no dump stations.  They have started to clean the campground up by removing old brush and adding new tent pads, The only restrooms are 2 Porta-Potties at the campground so be prepared for no showers or running water.  Also there are no campfire rings provided and if you want a fire you must bring your own and it must be atleast 4 inches off the ground.  If you visit you must get a permit from the Marina office and call ahead to make sure they are open.  Because this is not on the water of the lake, you will need to drive to fish or boat.  there is alot of road noise so if you are looking for a quite place this may no fit your needs.

  • M
    May. 18, 2025

    Critter Alley — Lake Thunderbird State Park

    Good spot!

    Good little areas. A good amount of space. Not enough if you’re wanting privacy as other camp set ups are close. Some tent sites are handicapped accessible. However some are a steep walk to get down to. Not all, but some have a rocky steep path. Every tent area has a fire pit or some kind and a picnic table which is neat.

  • Melanie W.
    Sep. 30, 2020

    Stroud Municipal Lake

    Small and quite

    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

  • Stephen & Theresa B.
    Jun. 21, 2021

    Little Axe — Lake Thunderbird State Park

    Great State Park in Oklahoma

    We had a great stay in Lake Thunderbird State Park near Norman Oklahoma. The park has 11 campground areas situated around the 6000 acre centerpiece lake with many tent, RV sites and some of those have full hook up; our choice was the Little Ax campground on the southern end just off Oklahoma 9. In addition to water activities the park offers hunting, horse rental and boarding, equestrian trails, hiking, mountain biking, nature trails, a nature center, and an archery range. Our lakefront site#37 was nice and shaded with a gentle lake breeze offering a concrete pad, water, 30/15 amp electric, concrete table, lantern holder, fire ring and grill at site. The campground has an entry station, camp host, picnic shelters, playground, bathhouse and laundry, beach area, common fire pit, Verizon 4 bars, dump station, trash receptacles, interior roads are paved, with many sites waterfront. RV sites are close quarters. Tent sites are amazing...pads, concrete table, fire ring, grill, water spigot dispersed, waterfront sites. The town of Norman has all the amenities: shopping, dining, groceries, fuel and yes, Walmart. The area is home to local wineries and breweries and also the hometown to actor James Garner. 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! 13101 Alameda Dr, Norman, OK 73026 GPS- 35.234940,-97.219224 for the Little Ax Campground.

  • Crystal C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 28, 2019

    Guthrie Lake

    Tents Only

    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.

  • Crystal C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 28, 2019

    Liberty Lake

    Small campground with secluded sites

    Visiting this campground so was expecting similarities between it and the Guthrie Lake campground as they are both maintained by the City of Guthrie. But I was pleasantly surprised as the road turned to packed rock and dirt and started to get more and more remote in appearance. I noticed equestrian crossings and trails and also signs marking arc access points before entering.

    When arriving to the lake itself traffic splits off into one way lanes. You pass a house like structure which serves as a paystation for entry, though when I visited no one was there to accept my money and I didn’t see a self pay area.

    The boat ramp and fishing pier is the first thing you see when entering the park with large parking and easy water access. There are a few picnic tables at this point to enjoy the day use space. Just beyond that a swimming “beach”. This was a little perplexing to me because there was less than a foot of red dirt sand then water which was marked as appropriate. The beach itself was tiny but it was nice to see they had created a space unique to swimming in the area for safety. No also noticed an abundance of naked signs about life jacket safety which I thought was great!

    As you continue to drive away the more commercial day use area there are 7 campsites each with large parking areas, grills, fire rings, picnic tables and plenty of room to spread out in a tent or RV. These sites do not have hook ups but what they lack there they make up for in lake views. Each site had a clear view of he lake and water access only a short distance from your parking area.

    Restrooms are only port a potty units and with recent winds some of these had been knocked over or damaged by tree limbs, so that is something to consider.

    I really liked that this location by far seemed more established than the other city maintained option and also had more privacy overall.

    Tips:

    • Call ahead if you want to stay here on a weekend since there are limited sites and reserve in advance

    • Check weather before traveling, it is very common for bad weather to roll through this area and with all of the trees you want to make sure you are safe.

  • i
    Jun. 9, 2022

    Sheppard Point

    Uncomfortable

    My RV spot is so unlevel it's almost unusable. Front to back there is 2 feet in elevation difference and a foot from side to side.

    The power pedestal, from the 120v 20amp receptacle, is putting out 134v. The neighboring spot's pedestal is putting out 103v.

    The bathroom near the campground was closed due to a water leak and a sign on the door said to use the restrooms near the beach. They were reasonably clean but not too private. There was nowhere to change except in the shower with its cheap curtain.

    Grass is very long in some areas, needs to be mowed to help with the amount of bugs.

    Each campsite has a fire ring, picnic table, and charcoal grill which is nice.

  • J
    Jun. 8, 2020

    Bell Cow Lake Campground C

    Nice hidden gem

    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.

Guide to Chandler

Tent camping opportunities near Chandler, Oklahoma primarily concentrate around water sources, with several lakes positioned within a 40-minute drive radius. The region experiences hot, humid summers with temperatures regularly exceeding 90°F from June through September, making spring and fall the preferred camping seasons for most visitors. Primitive campsites dominate the landscape, with minimal facilities and few reservable locations.

What to do

Fishing for multiple species: Shawnee Twin Lakes offers productive bass fishing across two connected reservoirs. "Great bass fishing here! The dams were cool to see. It was easy to walk in and get a permit for camping and fishing," notes James D. about Shawnee Twin Lakes.

Kayaking calm waters: Romulus Lake provides excellent flat-water paddling opportunities for canoes and kayaks. "Great camping, lake is great for canoeing or kayaking," confirms Tristan F. about Romulus Lake, which sits approximately 25 minutes south of Chandler.

Water recreation with boats: Liberty Lake permits various watercraft activities beyond just fishing. "Great place to take the kids, grandkids to Fish and have fun behind the boat on toys," reports James S. about Liberty Lake, located 40 minutes northwest of Chandler.

What campers like

Lakeside proximity: Many campers value direct lake access from their sites. "The campsites were minimal but had lots of space and were right on the lake. We had a beautiful sunset too," notes Hillary B. regarding her experience at Liberty Lake.

Privacy between sites: Whitetail Trail at North Fork provides notable separation between camping areas. "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," explains Mason H. about Whitetail Trail - North Fork.

Quieter weekday visits: Most campgrounds experience limited weekday traffic. "Very nice and clean campgrounds. It was empty and quiet during our stay," reports Jacinda V. about her time at Sunset Bay.

What you should know

Limited facilities: Most tent sites lack modern amenities. "We just stayed for one night, it was super quiet and calm. The campsites were minimal but had lots of space," states Hillary B., noting the basic accommodations at Liberty Lake.

Seasonal maintenance issues: Several campgrounds suffer from inconsistent upkeep. "Don't expect to use your fire pit without cleaning weeks worth of trash out of it. The showers sprayed water everywhere except for where you need it," warns That_Other_Grace about North Sentinel.

Campground closures: Verify status before traveling. "The designated campground is now closed to camping. We ended up staying at the boat ramp," reports Nancy B. about changes at Shawnee Twin Lakes.

Tips for camping with families

Playground availability: Some locations offer children's recreation areas. "There is a playground and picnic pavilion which would be good for families," notes James D. about amenities at Shawnee Twin Lakes.

Swimming conditions: Water quality varies significantly by season. "My wife found it a bit boring but she isn't as into fishing as I am. She just enjoyed the water. She went swimming and said the water was nice," James D. mentions regarding Shawnee Twin Lakes.

Poison plant awareness: Watch for hazardous vegetation when exploring. "We walked and seen some trails ended up spending most of the trip on land. As we were exploring the area my wife got bit or came across some ivy," cautions Zahru A. about their experience at OK Treehouse.

Tips from RVers

Hookup limitations: Most sites offer minimal RV services. "We did fine tent camping but nothing for electric hook ups. The swimming areas were nice and it was perfect for our boat!!" explains Julie H. about Shawnee Twin Lakes.

Size restrictions: Larger rigs face access challenges. "When arriving to the lake itself traffic splits off into one way lanes," Crystal C. describes about Liberty Lake, adding "each with large parking areas, grills, fire rings, picnic tables and plenty of room to spread out in a tent or RV."

Weather preparation: The region experiences severe storms regularly. "Check weather before traveling, it is very common for bad weather to roll through this area and with all of the trees you want to make sure you are safe," advises Crystal C. regarding the best tent camping near Chandler, Oklahoma.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Chandler, OK?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Chandler, OK is Meeker Lake with a 2-star rating from 1 review.

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TheDyrt.com has all 10 tent camping locations near Chandler, OK, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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