Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Fort Sill, OK

Lake 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.

Military 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.

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)

Absolutely wonderful camping and hiking!! Lots of camping spots - and most were well distanced for plenty of privacy. Due to COVID all spots require pre-registration online and only self contained vehicles are permitted (all bathrooms are closed). There is no service in the park, but about 2 bars next to the Visitor’s center (which is also closed), so be sure to reserve a spot before you get close to the park. Some sites are dry and some have electric hookups. No water available due to an ongoing E. Coli issue. The camp host was really nice and stopped by both nights we were there. There were lots of hikes and we are looking forward to coming back for an extended stay. For hiking, we loved 40 foot hole (nice waterfall) and Little Baldy for sunset. Wish we had been here a couple weeks earlier because I bet the trees would have been at peak fall foliage color. We saw long horns and bison several times, but unfortunately didn’t see any prairie dogs. We heard this park is mostly used by locals (~80 miles from Oklahoma City), and not many long distance travelers hear about it. Also heard there are great mountain biking trails.