We all love roasting marshmallows over a campfire—and you can often still do that while cabin camping in Elgin. The Dyrt is the ultimate place to find cabins for your next outdoor adventure near Elgin. Each cabin offers quick access to one or more of Elgin's most popular destinations.
Located just 25 miles northeast of Lawton, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was established in 1901 to help preserve and provide habitat for native bison, Rocky Mountain elk, white-tailed deer, and wild turkeys. It is one of the oldest wildlife refuges in the United States, and consists of nearly 60,000 acres of natural grasslands, small lakes and river bottoms. Today, it is home to more than 50 species of mammals, 240 varieties of birds, 100 reptiles, amphibians and fish, and more than 800 types of plants. Visitors are invited to discover and observe many of these unique species by exploring the refuge’s Visitor Center and 15 miles of nature walks and hiking trails. There are also interpretive programs and guided tours available for learning about everything from the refuge’s wildflowers to its seasonal eagle population.
Visitors to the refuge are invited to stay in the Doris Campground, located near Quanah Parker Lake. This year-round campground offers a total of 90 campsites, ranging from drive-in tent and RV sites with electrical hookups, to more primitive, walk-in tent sites. There are also two group campsites, and a few ADA accessible sites. Sites are mostly wooded, and equipped with picnic tables, fire pits and cooking grills. Amenities include both flush and vault toilets, a shower building, water faucets, and waste receptacles; a dump station is available near the campground entrance. Backcountry camping is available in the Charons Garden Wilderness Area. Dogs are welcome on the refuge, but must remain leashed. Campsites are available first-come, first-serve only; rates are $8–$20/night.
Formerly Red Rock Canyon State Park, this park is now privately owned Red Rock Canyon Adventure Park, as of November 2018.
$12 - $38 / night
Ten campgrounds with RV and tent sites are spread out over a large area of Fort Cobb Lake. There are 34 full-hookup sites with water, sewer and electric (modern), 245 sites with water and electric (semi-modern) and 99 tent (primitive) sites. Comfort stations with toilet facilities and showers are nearby.
Sunset Bay Marina on the East side of the lake features a gas dock, a small convenience store with drinks and snacks, boat slips and watercraft rentals. Fort Cobb Lake Store on the West side offers RV storage and a convenience store with groceries, snow cones, and a wide selection of bait.
Three group picnic pavilions with grills, water and electricity as well as a community building for groups, family gatherings, or intimate weddings. The air-conditioned and heated community building is equipped with a full service kitchen, inside bathroom and seating for up to 150 guests. An enclosed shelter with a screened porch great for small groups or family gatherings with seating for up to 50 guests is located on the West side in Eagle’s Nest campground. A stove, sink, and refrigerator are provided.
The 18-hole Fort Cobb Golf Course at the park has a diverse play area and is perfect for both the beginner and the avid golfer.
$16 - $38 / night
Fort Cobb State Park has 34 full-hookup RV sites and five cabins available for online reservations. Three of the cabins can sleep up to 6 people, while the two smaller cabins can sleep 4. Pets are allowed in select units for a small nightly fee. Primitive tent campsites are also available and must be reserved online. In addition to picnic pavilions, playgrounds and comfort stations, the park also features an enclosed shelter and community building, perfect for get-togethers, family reunions and intimate weddings.
$120 / night
Scout
It's a good little spot on the edge of town to go eat lunch, do some thinking, or fish for fun. Around the holidays it lights up and is just an all around good place to go for free
Guide
Campground is getting a upgrade with concrete pads, we were on gravel, EZ in and out pull throughs.Full hook up 30 and 50 amp, did our laundry there ,nice place ,close to the hwy.
Legend
What a cool place in the middle of a flat area of OK. The guys at the check in office were super nice. Our campsite was clean and within a reasonable walking distance to the bathroom. Showers are individual stalls, but separate from the toilet section of the bathhouse. The park is fun to explore and the camping areas are broken up so that you don’t feel crowded. Would definitely return here again if in the area.
TravelerClean restrooms, nice campground
Legend
Doris CG, Wichita Mnts, OK: This park was a pleasant surprise. The hiking was splendid and much better than expected. The visitor center deserves at least an hour of time. Fabulous. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 4 for the scenery, and bathroom cleanliness. General layout of campsites is a bit of a minus.
Price 2023: $ 11 for non electric w interagency pass
Security: Not at night
Usage during visit: Full during spring break
Site Privacy: Open sites. Some back up to each other. Our site, 9 backs up to #7.
Site Spacing: varies - the map in photos is pretty representative
Pad surface: blacktop
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: A bit noisy during this spring break week.
Outside Road Noise: None. Some campsites back up towards the campground access road. I would rather have one of these sites than any inner loop site I saw.
Through Traffic in campground: No
Electric Hookup: E loop
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: Yes
Potable Water Available: Yes, near the pit toilets.
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: New and clean pit toilets in most loops . Whoever cleans the pit toilets has high cleanliness standards. . . E-loop has flush toilets. The sinks and toilets were very clean .
Showers: Near E Loop. Fairly clean after a busy weekend.
Pull Throughs: I didn’t see any
Cell Service (AT&T): No bars at Campground. 2 bars outside of visitor center
Setting: In an oak Forest.
Recent Weather: 70s downtown 30s
Solar: Yes, but when trees leaf out, the solar will still be available in most sites but not as great.
Host: Not in all loops
Rig Size: E loop has some larger rigs.
Sites: I don’t particularly like the sites on the inside of the loops. Water view sites are circled on the map. I would be happy with these. Best sites in Loop A: 1, 2, 5, 10, 11, 13, 15. E63 is the only site I liked in the electric loop. A 7&9 are not good sites as far as privacy from each other.
TravelerLoved this park. Spectacular views. No neighbors this time of year. Nestled in a canyon of red, walnuts, creek, trails. Just perfect.
GuideMy visit to Red Rock Canyon left me awe-inspired and exhilarated! From the moment I stepped foot into the park, I was greeted by the mesmerizing beauty of the red rock formations, captivating greenery, and clean rivers.
What truly sets this park apart is the wide range of activities available for all adventure enthusiasts. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced rock climber, Red Rock Canyon offers something for everyone.
GuideVery nice national park. Very clean. Lots of animals to see. Gentlemen at the gate was very knowledgeable and had all of the information about the park.
GuideThis place was such a disappointment. I don't often pay for campsites that aren't inside a National Park, but this place looked so pretty and it was in the location I needed.
I should start by saying that if you book an RV spot (I think they cost around $30) and whatever you're staying in has a toilet, your experience will probably be a lot better than mine. Although very close together, the RV sections seemed fairly nice.
My experience, however, was a little different (if you don't want to read all about my experience & just want the basics, scroll down to the section "the campground"):
I booked my tent site ($20) on their website a few hours before I arrived. I arrived well before sunset, and there was a sign up that said the office closed at sunset. No one was in the office and there was another sign that indicated they would return at 10AM. This wasn't a big deal.
When I booked my site online it told me to select an area (there's three different sections of the park), and then once I arrive I could choose any available campsite. I chose the Walnut Grove area. They have a map on their website showing the areas where there is tent camping. What they fail to mention on their site, is that there isn't any obvious parking for most of these sites in the Walnut Grove area. A couple of the campsites on the map were in what was signed to be a "day use only" area, a couple of the sites on the map looked like walk-in sites, but I had no clue where to park my vehicle, a couple of the sites I just couldn't find, and most of the sites were on the main road that goes through the canyon and had no obvious place to park (I looked for dead or trodden grass near the sites to give me a sign that people were just parking in the grass & didn't see any.) Also, at first it was hard to distinguish between which sites were day use picnic sites and which were campsites, because the website told me the campsite area I chose didn't have fire rings.
I finally decided to just pull onto the grass, but I noticed that multiple campsites had trash at them (most likely from guests using the park during the day). Nearby a dumpster was overflowing with trash, and I eventually saw that every section had one or two dumpsters either filled to the brim or overflowing.
I decided to stop off at the toilets in the Walnut Grove area. To get there you cross a wooden bridge that has wood planks laying over the original structure, which seems a little hazardous for navigating after dark. I could smell the bathrooms (an actual running water bathroom) from the bridge, not a great sign, but it appeared to be coming from the men's. In the women's side were two spiders the size of my palm, one in each stall. (Yes, I am afraid of spiders. In most circumstances I can get over it, but a spider of this size, that didn't seemed particularly frightened by my presence, hanging out close by while I sat on a toilet was a little too much for me in this moment.).
Between the frustration of trying to find a campsite/parking, the overflowing trash, the horrible smelling bathroom, the giant spiders, and the trash at the campsites, I finally decided to check out another area. Despite finding another overflowing dumpster, this area was a little better. The campsites were on a gravel loop, with a cleaner, but still not great bathroom at the front of the loop. At this point, I was hungry, tried, and frustrated, so I just stayed there. The office was still closed when I left in the morning.
I'm not a particularly fussy camper. I don't mind picking up a little bit of trash at a campsite. I frequently camp in areas that don't have toilets or any amenities. But when I pay $20 to camp in a tent, I do expect to have the campsites, the toilets, and the overall campground maintained and cleaned to some acceptable degree.
The campground: You drive down a short, but steep and curvy hill to get into the canyon. The red rocks of the canyon wall give off a pretty glow, especially when the sun is lower in the sky. The park is labeled into three different sections; if you are tent camping I would advise going for the first campground called Canyon Campground. Also, unless you're concerned about it filling up, I would go down and look at the areas before booking one. There are three bathrooms with running water throughout the canyon; the toilets themselves look clean, but the bathrooms as a whole don't; also lots of bugs and a couple large spiders inside. There was trash at many of the campgrounds and most of the dumpsters were overflowing with trash.
The area: If you are coming from highway 40 you'll pass through a small town that has a Sonic and a local restaurant or two. Watch your speed here, there was a police officer every time I drove by. Otherwise there's not much nearby.
Booking: You can book online, but they did have envelopes & a drop box by the front office.
Cell service: I could call out, but couldn't text or use internet.
TravelerDoris Campground is a cool little campground nestled in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. There are multiple areas to camp at Doris. The easiest way to reserve a site is to goto Recreation.gov and book online (This may be the only way, a lot about the booking process has changed in the last few years) There are two main campground areas with decently spaced but also high site density just past the information hut / entrance to the campground. A is immediately on the right after the entrance, it's a non electric loop and I believe (C?) is on the left just after the A loop with a loop of electric sites. There are also primitive campsites for tents further down the road and lake sites, as well as some more isolated sites spread throughout the campground and group camping areas. There are quite a few trees in the campground, but you can also see the sky fairly well. There are restroom buildings scattered throughout the campground and several shower areas. The campsites are almost all back in if you have a rig. There is zero cell phone reception, even with a booster. Many of the rig campsites have some sort of bench / picnic table and fire rings. There is a ton of wildlife in the area, and it is very peaceful.
LegendWow. I can't recommend this park highly enough. I pulled in here after a week in the deserts of eastern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and the Texas panhandle. The lush green landscape at the bottom of Red Rock Canyon was a balm for this Northwesterner's soul. I liked it so much I decided to stay three nights instead of one. Rates for tent camping are very reasonable.
The landscape around Hinton doesn't, uh, hint, at the Canyon's presence. It is flat here, which makes the canyon all the more remarkable. Trees at the bottom are sheltered from the wind and grow to great heights. There is a creek that runs along the length of the canyon. The creek is dammed at one point to create a small lake, where fish can be caught. There are several trails by which visitors can explore this spectacular environment. The Rough Horsetail Nature Trail near the head of the canyon is particularly nice, and paved for the first stretch.
There are a few different campgrounds along the road on the canyon bottom. I stayed in the northernmost one, Canyon Campground. Sites here are large and beautifully shaded. There are no electric hookups, and only one water spigot near the entrance. There is a modern bathroom here with flushing toilets and running water, but it was a mess when I visited. The bathrooms down the road at the Walnut Creek group picnic area are older but were in better condition. (They had signs up that read "closed for the season" but were wide open... go figure).
This park has other amenities, including a camp store and swimming pool, but these were closed when I visited due to damage from recent heavy rains.
LegendAwesome surroundings, incredible hikes, broken pool, showers and toilets were very rough but worked well.
Trees at site, a grill, picnic table. 2 shower and bathhouses both far from site. Lovely creek behind us.
Worth it for the hikes, sites, and views. All awesome. Best of all were the endless wildflowers on the ridge hike.
Dump station but water hookups and electric. Sites are close to one another but not cramped.
Verizon and ATT worked well!
Came for pool, it was out of commission. When I asked about it they gave a half refund, this wa very appreciated! Nice staff too.
ScoutWeird man by himself driving around the camp area. Parked and approached after dark, seemed a little off and had trouble getting him to leave. Ask us to turn off our head lamps, don't need em he said. Finally got him outta there when we headed to car for cc items and opened our phones up Sent park an email, no direct response. Hope they keep that vagrant out of there.
RangerThis KOA was a welcome relief after a long day driving through northern Texas. The wind was pretty relentless, but that's just par for the course. It was a good stopover for our journey to the northwest.
GuideSites are good. Everything is paved which is nice. Lots of cool trails to hike, albeit not well marked. Very cool spot. Highly recommend.
RangerIf you've been to 1 KOA, you know what it's like
Legend
Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area(LERTA), Fort Sill, OK
Tent Site:$10 (both in June and October)
Spending a week in Lawton, OK there are only “so many” places you can camp…so we jumped around every night to try as many as we could. The weather was blistering hot and cloudless during the day with a constant strong breeze in June...(and unseasonably windy and bitter cold in mid-October). So both Lake Elmer Thomas and Lake Lawtonka were a welcomed respite. Technically, the only swimming permitted on Lake Elmer Thomas is 11:00a-7:00p with a daily pass of $8. However, they offer packages for military families and civilians should someone desire to take advantage of the season savings. For campers it’s all included in the site or cabin costs.
There is a separate RV/Camper Loop near the entrance and is a little lower so does not have Lake views. All cabins have lake views to some degree.
Tent sites are grassy areas along the campground roadway on either side, but are not numbered and cost$10 a night. All are first-come, first-served. Most will snatch up the sheltered picnic table areas with an elevated charcoal grill. Almost all are along the lake bank. There is no understory or shrubbery to provide privacy, so you can see and hear your neighbors.
During our stay, they were all young families and very respectful of others. Tent campers can utilize any of the restrooms as well as the showerhouse in the RV area.
There is enough to stay busy right here at LERTA. Canoe, kayak, paddle board and pontoon boat rentals to enjoy the lake. Fishing is permitted and schools of bluegill are seen along the shoreline. The water is incredibly clear. A very nice mini-golf course is located across from the offices. Sand volleyball is next to the beach area. The beach and swimming area is manned by lifeguards from 11:00a-7:00p and offers a huge restroom/showers/changing rooms building. Playgrounds are located in the RV/Camper loop, outside the beach area and along the tenting area before you reach the cabin rentals. An archery range is located across the roadway from the tenting/picnic areas.
The staff are very courteous and helpful. The entrance gate attendant will direct you (Entrance was manned in June but not in October). A bicycle event was taking place and LERTA was the halfway mark and turnaround point. So bicycling these sparsely traveled undulating roads was enjoyable. There are some two track worth exploring to the north of the roadway as well as a few other sizable lakes to fish in the area.
DO NOT venture south off the roadway. It is a clearly marked and active artillery range. Also of note, artillery range practice, though sporadic, takes place at any hour of any day. If you treat it like an unexpected fireworks display you’ll actually look forward to it.
I find the large resident flock of geese more annoying that the artillery….though the half minute displays were at 2359, 0245 and 0349…blasting you out of any REM cycle.
I was advised the tent spots rarely fill up, but RV/Camper and cabin rentals(adventure travel letra)fill up quickly so reservations are a must.
Things to do nearby: Definitely spend time in the Medicine Park Wildlife Refuge Area. Drive, bicycle, run or walk up Mount Scott(rock climbing is permitted on Mount Scott). Check out the hundreds of free roaming LongHorn’s, Bison and prairie dog towns. Coyotes, various snakes and tarantulas can be seen through these hills. Scores of fishable lakes dot the landscape. The Ferguson homestead still exists with its “cannonball” architecture. Chad's El Sabores Mexican Restaurant in Medicine Park is a fantastic little eatery on your way in or out of the Recreation Area. Medicine Park Aquarium and Natural Sciences Center is worth a visit and reasonably priced. Clarification: while this may or may not be true for every military base campground,
LERTA is open to civilians. However, there is a process. Passes must be acquired at the Visitor’s Center at the Sheridan Entrance (plan for an hour) for each adult over 16. You must have a valid/current Drivers License, Passport or other recognized government ID. They do a background check before you qualify for a pass. Also know, certain gates close at 7:00p…so keep track of your time of off-base.
The camp host rolled through during the evening before sunset to make sure all was well…and the military police made their rounds a few times during each day. Both of which I appreciate.
Would I return? Yes, if I’m traveling through these parts again, I wouldn’t hesitate to camp here again (and I did in mid-October, same year for military graduations)
LegendLake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area, Fort Sill, OK
Cabin 3 (both late June and mid-October)
Lake Elmer Thomas(LETRA) is a 334 acre lake located on Fort Sill in Comanche County, Oklahoma. LETRA offers a pretty nice location for recreating. Offering quite a bit for families in a limited space. •A nice beach and cordoned swim area, complete with restrooms and shower house(11a-7p)…lifeguards •Sand volleyball court •Watersport rentals: paddle boards, canoes, kayaks, pontoon boat •Mini golf course •Disc golf course •RV/Camper area •Rustic rental cabins •Random primitive tent camping •Fishing •Nearby off-base hiking(Mount Scott and the Medicine Park Wildlife Refuge) •Bicycling-ample quiet, paved road opportunities but surprisingly limited off road options
Tent Camping: there are no specifically designated loop or numbered site tent areas. Tenters are permitted to camp all along the lake’s edge in the grassy area. There are a few picnic tables and elevated charcoal grills(no ground fires permitted), so you may have to do without. There are also a few picnic tables under shelters, but half are in a state of disrepair and caution-taped off. Tenters cannot set up tents within the cabin rental inner circle.
The modern facility restrooms are across from the playground as you enter the cabin rental peninsula. Tent campers are able to utilize the shower house/restrooms in the RV/Camper section, as well as the beach areas during open hours. There is no ground cover to separate one tent from the next…all can be seen and heard.
RV/Camper Sites: big rigs are lined up side by side in a separate gravel loop immediately to the left of the entrance. Sites have water and electric hookups. The nicest shower house/restroom is located there. There is a small patch of grass between sites, picnic table and elevated charcoal grill. These sites are closest to the entrance, beach area, watersport rental and campground activities.
Cabin Rentals: log home rentals are on a small peninsula with great views of Mount Scott and Lake Elmer Thomas. At the time of this review, you must bring your own bedding linens/blankets, towels, etc. I would also recommend packing extra eating utensils, condiments and any other items that you would take camping. We rented Cabin 3, which the website says will sleep 4…inaccurate. One full size bed and a small futon will sleep two average-sized adults and one small child in marginal comfort. The table only provides two chairs, not four for two not four. I would subtract 1-2 persons on the cabins unless you count floor space. Cabin 3 was$80 nightly.
Painted turtles are in abundance around the lake, as are smallish ‘fist-sized’ tarantulas. Bicycling the Artillary Range perimeter roadways on base, coyote dash across in early morning hours. Note: you are on a military base, so there are a number of restrictions that you need to be aware of and abide by.
Additionally, the campground is positioned along the northern side of the Artillery range. Yes, you will see and hear C-Ram’s lighting up the sky randomly during the day and night hours, as well as other ordinance. I enjoyed the display and out-of-the-ordinary disruption. Think unanticipated fireworks.
GuideThis was my last stop on a 2 week road trip and it was a cool find close OKC. After spending a couple hours driving through TX and OK, this spot doesn’t even feel like Oklahoma. It gets very hot during the day but the canyon tent sites have a good amount of shade and are a lot cooler. There are also some great walking trails since it used to be a State Park.
TravelerI've always loved going to this place. I go at least once a year
Guideoverall, this campground was a nice overnight spot on our route to Dallas. There were nice paved pull through sites and a good gravel pad surrounded by grass. There were large trees, which seem rare in this part of Texas, but they were mainly on the perimeter back in sites. The restrooms looked recently redone, but it did take a while for the hot water in the shower to warm up. Be warned that mosquitoes were pretty thick when we visited.
Guide
We stayed in the Whites Catfish Cove campground at site #16 during Father’s Day Weekend. This site was located on both sides of the roadway and was at the end of the road. It was hard to back into given the many vehicles parked on the street. I would not recommended this site for longer rv’s or travel trailers. It had 30 amp hook up and water available. No sewer hookup, but dump site was not far off. Bath houses were close by, but could have been cleaned a little more.
Walking distance to lake beach swim area and playground directly across from this site (great if you have kids).
Prime spots for this campground area would be site #60, 62, 64, 66
Pros: Close to lake Close to playground Only one camper next to you
Cons: Small site No sewer Fire pit was overgrown with grass Right next to busy roadway
GuideMilitary CG on Fort Sill's base. Spent 5 weeks here. Scenery and base is beautiful. It's in the Wichita Mountains near Mt Scott and Medicine Park. Clean lake with paddle boat and kayak rentals. Mini golf, beach and water slides. Nice museum and Indian Cemetaries on base. Saw geese, fox, Coyotes, Buffalo, prairie dogs and rattle snakes.
All sites are pull through and fairly level. Full hookups with 30 & 50 amp service. Laundry room with 4 washers & dryers, $1 (when working). There is also a laundrette by the Commissary. Didn't use showers or restroom but checked them out. Ladies room was very dated and needs a really good cleaning.
There are a lot of long term rvs. Some not stayed in by the owners the entire time we were there. We didn't have any issue getting the site we reserved as someone mentioned in a previous review. The staff was nice when we asked to change our site to one with a better view.
Biggest con was absolutely no warning on their site that there is training going on all around the CG. If you have a Veteran with PTSD like I do prepare him/her that they shoot howitzer rounds at any given time. We had no clue and the 1st week there was a rough one for my DAV.
Do not use Letra Gate. It's closed. Ignore GPS and go to Apache Gate. Better yet set GPS for Apache Gate. It's the quickest route and you won't have to drive through the busy base and narrow roads.
TravelerWe read that there were big trees for shade, and the pool was open 24 hours/day. It sounded lovely. When we arrived we were given a site where you could see the trees, but none nearby for shade. The neighbors had "acquired" the picnic table for our site. They had a tire and other junk stacked around their RV & the flies were horrendous. The pool hours were crossed out on the flier. The internet didn't work. I would definitely pass on this site in the future.
ScoutPrivately owned for three years, taken over from state parks. Totally worth stopping, lots of hikes and activities too!
GuideWe stayed one night in an RV. The sites were not too close together, and we had friendly people on both sides. There were a lot of other families and my boys enjoyed playing with some other kids. The hiking trails were amazing and all in all just a beautiful setting for camping. The bathrooms were a little dirty and one toilet got clogged, but maintenance came right out to fix it. Would love to return.
GuideEnjoying it, end April, cool weather. Sites spacious & trees nearby. Only a few RVs ‘n me. No tents. My neighbors from Oklahoma City saw it’s booked for weekend. Locals love it. Nice easy short hikes. Bathrooms a bit outdated but work. One has a super old hand drier (works!) from , my guess by looks, 50+ years!
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Elgin, OK is Camp Doris with a 4.5-star rating from 40 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 8 cabin camping locations near Elgin, OK, with real photos and reviews from campers.
