Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Colcord, OK

Spent one night at this campground. Grounds were clean, restrooms and showers were also clean. The check in office was inviting and pleasing. We didn’t use the laundry facility while we were there, but they are available should the need arise. Bathrooms were locked and secure and passcode was required to enter. Passcode was provided upon check in. Our site was a pull through level gravel pad with full hookups. The off leash dog park was a small fenced in area with a couple of benches. Horse track and casino were well within walking distance from the camp sites. Quiet location, just off the highway. Highway could not be heard from inside our camper.

I go here with my friends every summer we hike almost all the trails , it’s gorgeous last time I went there (summer of 23) we saw a wild river otter swimming there is so much wildlife out there and it’s just gorgeous absolutely stunning and worth visiting, family friends and dog / pet friendly if you want to take your dogs on a hike this is the place , has stairs and is not very handicapped accessible if you want to go to the bottom of the falls but it is completely accessible for a wheelchair if you just want to view the falls from the top and there are multiple handicapped accessible paved paths !

called on June 27th to reserve a cabin for 6, Saturday the 2nd- 4th, At first was told they had no cabins available about 15 min after I made the call John the owner calls me back to tell me they had a cabin that was a 2 room available for theses dates and it was 100 per night and would sleep 6. I said we would like to reserve it. After hanging up called to inform my husband that we got a cabin then remember that I forgot to see if dogs were allowed, so I had to call back to make sure cause I can’t leave my fur babies. When I called it was a young girl that answered and said yes dogs were allowed and proceeded to talk about her 2 little puppies that were in the office with her. When packing and getting everything we needed together on Friday the day before we left we called to make sure the cabin had bedding and towels etc.. the young girl said yes. We get to sparrow resort on Saturday afternoon 2 young girls checked us in gave me a key pointed us in the direction of the cabin we pulled up to a cabin unloading all our stuff and unpacked was at this 2 bedroom cabin for approximately 2hours when John the owner came to this cabin told us we was at the wrong cabin I told them the key unlocked it. They said this was not cabin 2 and the people that reserved it would be up later so we gathered our things and moved to the cabin they said was ours that was next door. OH MY WAS WE LET DOWN. Mind you we have 2adult children myself and husband and 2 teenagers and 4 dogs they put us in a concrete prison that had missing curtains holes around the air conditioning window unit It was dirty holes in the walls. One king size bed a chair and a futon couch one room box. Bedding on bed only with a dirty comforter. For$100 a night not including the float trip. We were let down but determined to make the best of this we went to the store and bought bedding and towels and cleaning wipes. The next morning get up and noticed no one was in the 1st cabin still. So my daughter and I go to the office to get out float paid for and ask if we could get the bigger cabin since no one was in it told them I would pay more for it the little brown haired girl said yes then the other girl with a nose piercing said no it was booked and we should have had to pay a pet deposit of 15 a dog and we needed to pay this fee and was nasty with me. I said I wanted to by one raft and 2 tube rentals she keep saying and 60 pet deposit the brown haired girl rung up the float while the nasty teenager kept repeating and pet deposit the other girl stated stop worrying about the deposit and she kept saying it! The sign read tube float for 4 hours was only$20 and the raft was 25 per person for 4hours she charged us 30 x 6 people to float the 4 mile I said the 20 tube for 4 hours she nasty teen says that for just playing in the water😡 really the sign clearly says 4hour float only$20 and 25 for rafting over 4 people. I ask again about the other cabin the nasty girl said Chelsea and her 2 daughters were staying in it. Really because Chelsea and John the owner were the ones that came to the cabin the day before and Chelsea said she was the cleaning lady and John was the owner. Always we paid our pet deposit and float trip and tried to make the best of this regardless i a grown woman not to be argumentative with a child. This morning comes and we can’t wait to leave we cleaned the crap out of our concrete box prison and went to to office to return our key and get my 60 dollar pet deposit back and the nasty little teen was by herself while we started recording the whole encounter since day prior I ask for my pet deposit she said it don’t work like that I said excuse me you say deposit that means I get my deposit back if no damage was done. John came in and said what do we want he said you want your deposit here thank for staying and goodbye🤯wow what service. The best part the large cabin stayed vacant the entire time. The teenager that was running John’s business will be his downfall she don’t know how to treat people VERY DISRESPECTFUL!!!  Will never be back!!

Cookson Bend Campground is a popular area that lies on Tenkiller Ferry Lake, among the Cookson Hills of the Ozark Mountains. Visitors here delight in breathtaking views of 200-foot limestone bluffs rising from the scenic waters. 

Open All year Peak season Apr 1- Sep 30 Reservations welcome 

Off peak Oct 1– Mar 30 FCFS Electric sites $19.00 Non electric $14.00 

Ten only non electric $14.00 Group shelter $50.00 You will find sites with electric and sites without. 

There are hot showers, water, playground, swimming beach, dump station, fishing dock, boat ramps, flush toilets. The sites are older and consist of gravel and grass but the grass is well maintained. Beautiful water sites make the visit worthwhile. There are lot of trash dumpster scattered throughout the park. Most sites are nicely shaded. There is a marina next to the campground with the ability to purchase needed items, rent boats, etc. 

Tenkiller Ferry Lake has waters that are clean and clear from a distance of 8 to 28 feet. It is located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains and it is covered in oak, and hickory forest. There are tall bluffs and gently rolling hills. The lake has 12,500 acres of surface water which make it the perfect getaway. 

Check-out time: 3:00 pm. Check-in time: 6:00 pm. Quiet hours: 10:00 pm- 6:00 am. Entrance gates will be closed during this time. Grey water and sewage must be properly disposed of in the provided dump station receptacle. Trash must be placed in the provided dumpsters. Pets must remain restrained on a leash or penned at all times. Pets are not allowed on swim beaches or in bathrooms.

Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Group shelters are day use only. Limit 3 tents, or 1 wheeled camper and 2 tents per camp pad. Fireworks are prohibited.

I still rank Hickory Lake as a three star campground but it is my least favorite of the campgrounds around Beaver Lake. I would suggest staying at Lost Bridge North or South or Horseshoe Bend.

One of my big pet peeves is when a campground doesn't regularly mow. They let the grass grow tall, then they cut it with a tractor and it looks more like hay than it does grass. Hickory Creek falls in that category. You end up with grass all over your tent and equipment or all over the floor of your RV. There really isn't a good excuse for this. You just need to mow more frequently. This is very disappointing for a campground run by the Corps of Engineers.

It still commands three stars for its proximity to the lake and the scenery.