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Dog-Friendly Camping near Clayton, OK

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    Clayton Lake State Park Campground accommodates pets in tent sites, RV spaces, and cabins near Oklahoma's Kiamichi Mountains. Campers can access electric hookups, drinking water, picnic tables, and restroom facilities with showers at this year-round destination with a 4.7-star rating. Potato Hills South, situated on Sardis Lake, allows pets while providing electric and water hookups, although there's absolutely no cell service or WiFi despite testing both ATT and Verizon with signal boosters. K River Campground extends its pet-friendly policy to tent sites, RV spaces, cabins, and glamping options including yurts, with amenities like full hookups, showers, trash service, and a general store. Talimena State Park Campground permits pets throughout their property, offering direct access to miles of hiking trails including the 220-mile Ouachita Trail that starts directly at the park.

    Free dispersed camping options for dogs exist at Dead Man Gap and Deadman South Trail campsites in the nearby Ouachita National Forest, both offering primitive tent and RV camping without amenities but with spectacular dark skies for stargazing. The camp host at Clayton Lake is known to be helpful and friendly, making for pleasant stays when camping with pets. Many campgrounds connect to extensive trail networks ideal for dog walking, with the Ouachita Trail providing over 200 miles of hiking opportunities. Some campsites back directly to waterways, like those at Deep Ford campground where you can hear rushing water from certain sites. When visiting with pets during warmer months, water access becomes particularly valuable, as several campgrounds offer lake or river frontage where dogs can cool off after hikes on the region's scenic trails.

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    Best Dog-Friendly Campgrounds near Clayton (76)

    Filters    Tent onlyRVDispersedCabinGlampingPetsEquestrian

      1. Clayton Lake State Park Campground

      4.6(5)4mi from ClaytonRVs, Tents, Cabins

      "If you check dark-skies maps, you'll see that Clayton Lake is right on the edge of the section of SE Oklahoma with the least light-pollution."

      "We got here in the dark and it was hard to find a a spot but when we woke up the next morning we had a great view of the lake."

      from $14 - $150 / night

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      2. Robbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park

      4.2(62)27mi from ClaytonRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "Our first Oklahoma camping trip lead us to Robbers Cave State Park in the southeastern portion of Oklahoma. It is located on more than 8,000 acres in the San Bois Mountains. "

      "Stayed in the Equestrian campground with access to miles and miles of trails. It was wonderful and some of the best hiking I have done in quite a while. The hikes along the lake edges were great."

      from $32 / night

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      3. Potato Hills South

      3.0(1)3mi from Clayton18 sitesRVs, Tents

      from $16 - $75 / night

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      4. Talimena State Park Campground

      4.2(13)27mi from ClaytonRVs, Tents

      "This State Park is located in SE Oklahoma and is a hidden gem. The park has a number of RV sites and tent sites."

      "There was at least one other trail leading away from camp. Camp store is closed during the week - at least during the time of year of our visit.

      The town of Talihina is about 6 miles from camp."

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      5. K River Campground

      4.6(5)23mi from ClaytonRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "Right next to the river for kayaking, canoeing or just relaxing. Off-road vehicle trails a petting zoo on site."

      "My dog and I will be back again here."

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      6. Potato Hills Central Campground

      Be the first to review3mi from Clayton82 sitesRVs, Tents

      from $20 - $150 / night

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      7. McGee Creek State Park Campground

      4.6(18)35mi from ClaytonRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "There is free admission but it costed 12 dollars for the site which was really cheap. pets are allowed and they have clean hot showers"

      "The campground we stayed in was very nice with easy access to the water. I could also tell that some camping spots were upgraded for ADA compliance, which looked spacious and neat."

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      8. Dead Man Gap Dispersed Campsite

      4.3(9)30mi from Clayton

      "Go another 40 ish yards and there is the end of the side ‘road’/stone path and you’ll find the site we stayed at.
      There is a great fire pit and a well established site."

      "First time in the Ouachita national forest and we found a most excellent spot next to Lillard Creek off of 6010 Deadmans trail Rd. Would recommend a 4wd vehicle."

      9. Deadman Gap South Trail Dispersed Campsite

      5.0(3)29mi from ClaytonRVs, Tents

      "Small peaceful pond and is right off the Deadman South Trail."

      10. Cedar Lake (Oklahoma)

      4.9(13)39mi from Clayton117 sitesRVs, Tents

      "We completed this campout with another family and this is our favorite campout in Oklahoma. The large pines, the facilities and the hiking is wonderful. Cedar lake is beautiful."

      "The lake nearby is great. We brought our kayaks and had so much fun hitting the lake in the morning. It does get busy as the day goes on, especially in the summer on the weekends."

      from $15 - $40 / night

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    Recent Dog-Friendly Camping Photos near Clayton, OK

    42 Photos of 76 Clayton Campgrounds

    Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Clayton, OK

    320 Reviews of 76 Clayton Campgrounds

    • Kelly Z.
      Jun. 23, 2016

      Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground

      Great campground

      This was mine and my mom's favorite place to camp in Oklahoma. The campground is heavily forested with pine trees and there are some sites right off the lake. It has a very nice bathroom facility with showers. Normally when we would go (in the fall and spring) it was not very crowded. Lots of great hiking trails nearby and the scenic Talimena scenic drive is beautiful, especially in the fall.

    • Jerry W.
      Oct. 27, 2020

      K River Campground

      Loved it

      We learned about this campground through the owners activities with Veterans. We stayed for 7 days and we were able to have totally relaxed days as well as very active days. Right next to the river for kayaking, canoeing or just relaxing. Off-road vehicle trails a petting zoo on site. Check the web site for activities, there may be live music or a large gathering scheduled which may or may not be your thing. The only reason I rated it 4 stars is that it’s a work in progress. New cabins were being added and more trails were being cut while we were there.

    • Ava G.
      May. 17, 2023

      Clayton Lake State Park Campground

      Beautiful Nature, BIG BIG Sky!

      If you love getting the full effect of beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and stars - this may be the perfect spot for you to watch the skies! If you check dark-skies maps, you'll see that Clayton Lake is right on the edge of the section of SE Oklahoma with the least light-pollution. So if your favorite Southeast Oklahoma spot is booked, give this little hidden treasure a shot!

      If you like foraging and looking for cold-season decomposers like I do, you'll find plenty of mushrooms and moss under the canopy.

      There are plenty of cheap B&Bs in the area as well if you want a really secluded trip into the forest - definitely one of my favs!

    • k
      Jun. 27, 2016

      McGee Creek State Park Campground

      mcgee Creek state park

      I camped here with my 12 year old cousin here and he absolutely loved it. There is free admission but it costed 12 dollars for the site which was really cheap. pets are allowed and they have clean hot showers

    • Kyle H.
      Jul. 24, 2018

      Robbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park

      Our First Camping Voyage into Oklahoma

      Our first Oklahoma camping trip lead us to Robbers Cave State Park in the southeastern portion of Oklahoma. It is located on more than 8,000 acres in the San Bois Mountains. The parks claim to fame is outlaws such as Belle Starr, the Dalton Gang, and Jesse James used it as a hideout from the law. This was going to be our first full week of vacation spent in the popup, and our first camping trip outside of Missouri. We selected Robbers Cave State Park for two reasons it’s distance was a little over 4 hours away, and the number of amenities it offered for our 4 year old on our extended outing.   

       The first thing this park did was challenge my perceptions on what the Oklahoma landscape is. This is a park is located in an old growth pine forest, located in the rocky terrain of the Sans Bois Mountains. The park is split in half by Hwy 2 with the east side of the park consisting of the RV campgrounds, cabins, and Belle Starr Lodge. The west side of the park includes Lake Carlton, the equestrian camps, swimming pool, miniature golf, and nature center. This layout was negative in the fact that we could not walk between two sides with my son because of the distance and elevation change, you could rent golf carts if you would like. The positive was that it kept traffic down in the campground from the day use visitors of the park. We booked site 23 in the Old Circle Campground, when booking on the Oklahoma state park website there are no photos of the sites, only short descriptions…sometimes. I will let you know there is a youtube video that someone made driving around the old circle campground. I used this to take a look at our site after booking it.  Site 23 was a pull through site with full hookups located only about 5 feet off the main campground road. This could be a problem if the park was busy and there is a lot of traffic. Lucky for us we were camping through the week and this was not an issue. The site then on the opposite side held our own little secluded spot surrounded by pine trees down a slight slope from camper. We had a fire circle, picnic table, grill, and lantern post. We loved this site for this very reason. I will post pictures of both sides of our site below so you can get a visual. The bathroom and shower house is located in the middle of the old circle loop. The structure is very old and very dated stone structure, where you might find frogs sitting on shower curtains, spiders, and lizards (Those are just the ones that I witnessed). There is a newer shower house located outside of the Whispering Pines campground, next to the campground office and store. If you go to the newer one to take a shower make sure you have some quarters, or some dollar bills, because the showers cost money. Four quarters will get you 6 minutes worth of shower time.   

       When we were not at camp we spent most of our time exploring the west side of the park. We spent two afternoons swimming in Lake Carlton. The designated swim area has a very rocky drop-off for an entrance, but once out it was very nice swimming.  There is a concrete pier that is located along the swim ropes that you can climb up and jump off of. Besides swimming you could rent peddle boats, canoes, and paddle boards to go exploring. There was a pool with two water slides and a splash zone, it is $5 dollars to enter for the entire day. My son also got to play miniature for the first time at the course located next to the pool. One word of warning the golf course is very dated with carpet ripped or completely missing in spots. This did not slow us down at all, it just needs a little work.  They also sell shaved ice at the miniature gold building.    

      The Oklahoma Park staff were very knowledgeable, friendly, and willing to answer any of my questions. Also when you get to camp they will give you a schedule of all the events that are going on throughout the week you are staying. We did a hayride that lead us through the park to the stables where there is a petting zoo, we saw the second largest pine tree in Oklahoma, and drank water from anartesian well. They also had a campfire with stories and smores one night, a cane pole fishing class, and even a tour of Lake Carlton by canoe. Just make sure you have cash because each item does cost money. 

      The last thing we did before leaving Robbers Cave State Park after our three night stay was to go and search for the outlaws in the cave ourselves. I will give you a spoiler alert, the hiking trail to the cave is steep and rocky with big drop-offs, so be careful with small children. It is a ¾ of a mile trail that my son absolutely loved. He was trying to find the robber that was hiding out. The hike was worth every hair raising nervous parent moment.    

      It is a consensus with my family that we will need to return to this park again. It has so much to offer, and we did not even touch on the many miles worth of trails to hike or go for a horseback ride on.  We look forward to our return to continue the exploring and searching for the elusive robbers.

    • Analia F.
      Aug. 13, 2018

      COE Hugo Lake Kiamichi Park

      Had a blast

      Every so often my family and I will venture into Oklahoma to do some camping and hiking. About 5 years ago we came to Kiamichi Park and enjoyed our time there. There is a lot of grass area which was nice because we love to play KOOB and throw the freesbie for our dog. There is also a lake nearby called Hugo Lake which was amazing because we went to the lake to cool off, and our dog enjoyed swimming. People were fishing in the lake as well, and kayaking too. The kayaking looked like a blast. We looked for places nearby to rent, but couldnt find any. If you have your own I would recommend bringing one because the lake is gorgeous. We also enjoyed biking on the trail, running, and hiking. There is a boat ramp next to the lake as well. We also saw people horseback riding on the trails. There honestly was so much stuff do it! We loved it and stayed super busy.

    • Teresa T.The Dyrt PRO User
      Jan. 7, 2026

      Robbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park

      I stayed for almost 10 days

      Stayed in the Equestrian campground with access to miles and miles of trails. It was wonderful and some of the best hiking I have done in quite a while. The hikes along the lake edges were great. There are horse trails id have loved to have done but it was time to move on. Of all the campgrounds, and there are many in the park, the Equestrian is the best if you want to hike.

    • R
      Nov. 8, 2022

      Robbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park

      Beautiful scenery, mediocre campsite

      We stayed at Bob Cat crossing, and it was fine for the most part. There’s a campfire ring, a table, and a double lamp pole at each site. The campground is close to a pavilion with lots of tables and grills, and some pretty clean bathrooms with hot showers. It really was beautiful out there and there were a million things to do that were close by; we really enjoyed our stay for the most part. There is firewood for sale at the office, but word to the wise, bring your own wood because they charge $6 for 4 really pathetic twigs.

      The biggest problem I had was with #004. It’s on a horrible slope, and so is the picnic table, which caused our food to continually roll off our plates. There is no flat ground for a tent, so we would wake up in the night from sliding off our sleeping mats. It’s also really close to the road and the RV campground, so we would get woken up by cars and golf carts going up and down the road at night. Other than that, we had a pretty good time.

    Guide to Clayton

    Dispersed camping options near Clayton, Oklahoma include several primitive sites in the Ouachita National Forest. The area sits within the Kiamichi Mountains at elevations ranging from 500-2,600 feet with dense pine forests and numerous waterways. Summer temperatures typically reach 90°F with high humidity, while winter nights often drop below freezing, requiring proper seasonal preparation at undeveloped campsites.

    What to do

    Hiking the Ouachita Trail: The 220-mile trail begins at Talimena State Park, with multiple access points throughout the region. Talimena State Park Campground connects directly to this extensive hiking system. "I've stayed here a couple of times the night before starting my hike on the Ouachita Trail. The OT is a 200+ mile trail and this is park is the Western Terminus," notes Mike D.

    Trout fishing: Cedar Lake and surrounding streams offer excellent fishing opportunities, especially in cooler months. Cedar Lake Equestrian Camp provides access to stocked waters. "Trout fishing just steps away from camp and we had the whole campground to ourselves for the night," shares Neil T., who visited in March.

    Kayaking and canoeing: Several lakes and rivers throughout the region offer paddling opportunities. Local outfitters rent equipment during peak season. "The river was low but very enjoyable. The cabins are adorable and their general store was so cute! They have a community kitchen anyone can use," explains cindy W. about her experience at K River Campground.

    What campers like

    Dark sky viewing: The minimal light pollution creates excellent stargazing conditions. Dead Man Gap Dispersed Campsite offers primitive camping with unobstructed views. "We were skeptical on this spot's location, but it was very easy to locate... Highly recommend this spot for anyone willing to be 100% off-grid (no cell service or nearby bathrooms)," writes Ryin J.

    Private, secluded sites: Many campgrounds offer well-spaced sites with natural buffers. "This spot was amazing, the first place I had planned for was taken, so this was my next option and it did not disappoint. The pond was calm, with some bullfrogs and snakes which were cool to experience," reports Brett F. about Deadman Gap South Trail Dispersed Campsite.

    Wildlife observation: The diverse ecosystem supports numerous species. "We stayed in the non-electric sites (North Shore loop). Campgrounds were incredibly peaceful and quiet... The setting is absolutely beautiful with tall pines, rolling hills and a gorgeous lake. Saw a ton of wild turkeys and two cottonmouth snakes," shares Amelia S. about Cedar Lake.

    What you should know

    Limited connectivity: Most campgrounds have minimal to no cell service. "ABSOLUTELY NO CELL SERVICE OR WIFI, had both ATT and Verizon as well as a we boost," warns Lula L. about Potato Hills South.

    Weather variability: The region experiences rapid weather changes, particularly in spring and fall. Pack accordingly with layers and rain gear.

    Water access: During dry periods, some creeks may run low or dry completely. "We noticed that there wasn't much wildlife about and guessed it was because the creek bed was bone dry," notes John H. at Dead Man Gap.

    Bathroom facilities: Amenities vary widely between established and dispersed sites. "The bathroom near the office was newer and had showers that you need quarters to use," explains Richard about Clayton Lake State Park Campground.

    Trail conditions: Some trails become overgrown during peak growing season. "We enjoy the Horsetheif Springs Trail which starts behind the dump station. You can either hike a small couple mail loop or extend it to 14 miles. Be warned however that the trails can be overgrown in the late Summer/Fall," advises Tom K.

    Tips for camping with families

    Campground selection: Choose established sites with amenities for easier family trips. Robbers Cave State Park offers extensive facilities. "The park is split in half by Hwy 2 with the east side of the park consisting of the RV campgrounds, cabins, and Belle Starr Lodge. The west side of the park includes Lake Carlton, the equestrian camps, swimming pool, miniature golf, and nature center," explains Kyle H.

    Swimming options: Several lakes and streams offer cooling options during hot summer months. "We spent two afternoons swimming in Lake Carlton. The designated swim area has a very rocky drop-off for an entrance, but once out it was very nice swimming," adds Kyle H.

    Pet-friendly activities: Most campsites welcome pets, but require leashes on trails and in common areas. "This is such a great park, one of the best I have ever been to for equine camping. Horses are very happy here, just remember to bring your coggins paperwork," advises Kent B. about Robbers Cave State Park.

    Ranger programs: Check with campground offices for scheduled activities. "When you get to camp they will give you a schedule of all the events that are going on throughout the week you are staying. We did a hayride that lead us through the park to the stables where there is a petting zoo," notes Kyle H.

    Tips from RVers

    Site selection: Many RV sites back up to highways or roads with associated noise. "Many sites back up right to the adjacent highway. A little hill and some trees block the view, but the road noise is loud. And several trucks in the middle of the night were heavy on their jake brakes," warns Neil T. about Talimena State Park.

    Water and power: Most established campgrounds offer electric hookups, but sewer connections are less common. "The rv spots are shaded. Electric and water but no sewer if you're close to the river which we were," explains cindy W. about K River Campground.

    Access considerations: Forest roads leading to dispersed sites may require higher clearance vehicles. "The road in/out has some tough spots, 4WD would be preferred," notes Ryin J. about Dead Man Gap.

    Site spacing: Campground layouts vary significantly. "Campgrounds were alongside the highway, however the highway divides the state park, sites up the hill are farther away from the highway... the trees offer privacy and noise reduction," explains Vanessa M. about her experience at Robbers Cave State Park.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Clayton, OK?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Clayton, OK is Clayton Lake State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 5 reviews.

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