Best Equestrian Camping near Cleveland, OK

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.

This campground was mostly clean and pleasant for a short weekend trip. We did find a lot of cigarette butts all over our site but other than that it was pretty clean. We camped next to some friends which worked out well because our picnic table was very close to the other people camping next to us. The lake has a little swim beach and the water is a bit dirty like most lakes in Oklahoma. There were bathrooms and showers nearby and they were some of the nicer bathrooms that we have come across. There isn’t a lot of shade so be aware of that. We didn’t get a chance to kayak while we were there because it was extremely hot and then we had a storm roll in but the lake seemed pretty nice for kayaking and other small boats.

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 reserve two sites side by side in the beaver cove campground. The sites are on a slight decline but pull through and we were able to make them level with our blocks. The sides have enough room for the grandkids to roam around it besides for electric and water only but offered a view of the lake and we're close by a swim area. The trees at the sides provided adequate shade for the afternoon sun and the campground offered boat ramps couple of swim areas and on-site store for gas and supplies including and after hours vending machine with propane tanks and charcoal and s'mores supplies. The dump station provided slots for three RVs at one time and well thought out. The crap ground offers hiking bicycle and horse trails that cover a large area. Wildlife was abundant with plenty of deer and Canadian geese and squirrels. The campgrounds offer some annual sites for long-term visits but there is a waiting list to be on that.

I grew up in Oologah and frequented the birthplace often. There’s lots of animals to pet and lots of history to learn. You can tour the birthplace for free, there’s an old barn to explore, you can go hiking, there’s horse trails as well. It’s very close to Oologah lake so you could go swimming for the day, rent seados or a boat etc. You can rent a spot for $25 to RV camp with a maximum of 3 days. You have to apply for it as well. No smoking is allowed and you can only drink past 5 pm (wine and beer only) if that’s your thing. It is such a beautiful place, rich in history and I highly recommend visiting at least once!

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.