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Best Tent Camping near Fort Towson, OK

171 Reviews

State parks and public lands surrounding Fort Towson, Oklahoma provide several tent camping options within a short drive. Beavers Bend State Park, located about 45 miles east, offers multiple tent-only campgrounds including Bluejay, Coyote Drive, Grasshopper, Deer Drive, and Hawk Drive. These established tent campsites provide basic amenities for primitive tent camping experiences. For those willing to cross into Texas, East Lake Crockett Recreation Area near Honey Grove and Lamar Point near Paris offer additional tent camping opportunities within 30-40 miles of Fort Towson.

Most tent campgrounds in the region feature drive-in access with parking typically available within 15-50 feet of campsites. Campers should bring their own water, as potable water is limited at many locations. Picnic tables and fire rings are common at Beavers Bend State Park's tent sites, while vault toilets are available at most campgrounds. Sites are generally set on natural surfaces with minimal grading. During heavy rainfall periods, some areas may experience flooding or limited access, particularly those near rivers or lakes. Reservations are recommended for most Beavers Bend tent campsites.

Tent campers at Coyote Drive Campground report peaceful shoreline walks along the lake, with one visitor noting it's "super nice" despite having to park a short distance from the actual tent sites. At Bluejay Campground, campers appreciate being "a stone's throw from the water" with access to hiking trails and the park museum. The region's tent-only areas offer good shade coverage during summer months, providing relief from Oklahoma's heat. Weekday visits typically provide greater solitude for backcountry tent camping experiences. The natural setting allows for wildlife viewing opportunities and stargazing from tent sites, particularly in the less developed primitive camping areas.

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Best Tent Sites Near Fort Towson, Oklahoma (8)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Fort Towson, OK

5 Photos of 8 Fort Towson Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Fort Towson, OK

171 Reviews of 8 Fort Towson Campgrounds

  • M
    Sep. 30, 2016

    COE Pat Mayse Lake Pat Mayse Park East

    Pat Mayse East Campground

    I found this campground through a US army core website, and the details at that website did not turn out to be very accurate. Both loops at Pat Mayse East Campground showed to have bathrooms, which I assumed meant flush toilets and sinks, since the map also had an icon for vault toilets and this was not used. Both loops actually do have vault toilets and no running water. The campground seems set up pretty well for RVs; there were a lot of rv hookups for water and electric. There are also basic tent sites, picnic tables and metal fire rings. Water spigots are placed throughout so access is not difficult. You have your choice of sunny areas or more forested. Some spots are tightly packed in, but others are on the outside of the loop and seem like they'd be pretty quite. I wasn't overly impressed on the whole.

  • M
    Jun. 2, 2021

    Armadillo Campground - Beavers Bend State Park

    Beautiful. Simply, beautiful!

    This place is terrific! Awesome view, abundant wildlife (we had a bald eagle perched across the cove from us for two days, when he wasn’t flying up and down the channel) and very peaceful. Fish from your tent pad if you wish because most are within 15 feet from the water.

    We are seasoned tent campers so my review is based off of the Bluejay Tent Camping Loop at Stevens Gap. Each site is directly on the lake and has a level tent pad, a fire ring, a picnic table on a concrete slab, a barbecue grill and a lantern hanger. We were there the day after Memorial Day and the weather stayed in the mid 60’s to mid 70’s. Perfect hammock weather! Plenty of pines and even some oaks for shade. The marina is about a half mile to the East but all of the big boats go East from there so there was hardly any boat traffic except for a few kayaks and canoes. The only downside was the vault toilets, which I normally don’t mind, were terrible. Maybe because of the holiday weekend previous, but nonetheless, they were foul. The ones about a mile up the loop were fine so I don’t know why. I would have given four stars if not for that.
    Town is just 10 minutes away with food and entertainment so it was very conveniently located. We hope to return there soon!

  • Rick G.
    Mar. 11, 2023

    Pat Mayse West

    Nice Lake front Campround

    This is a nice campground with decently wooded sites. The site I sated had water, electric, a picnic table, a fire pit and a lantern post. There was a flat spot to set up my tent. The campground had decent star views and was a short walk to clean pit toilets. The showers were a short drive away and were also clean.

  • Rick G.
    Nov. 20, 2022

    Lost Rapids

    Nice Campground Next to Lake

    This campground is next to a large lake. It has tent sites with picnic tables. Some have lantern poles, fire pits and/or grills. The RV sites have water and power with same assortment of other things. The lake has a boat ramp with a small dock/fishing pier. This is a good place to take a telescope or just stargaze. Some of the sites need minor repair. The restrooms will clean. The restrooms nearest the RV area have showers.

  • M
    Sep. 30, 2016

    Beavers Bend State Park Campground

    Beavers Bend

    This campground is nothing spectacular but I love it anyway; I just have really great memories being here. The campgrounds are pretty primitive, you have a fire ring and picnic table, vault toilets where we stayed. We had close access to the river from the campground, hence the photos. We got poured on here, to the point that we had to dig out a moat so that water would not flood the tent; it was a blast. The next day we went canoeing down the slow moving river which was also great. I like this campground and hope to return soon.

  • J
    Sep. 1, 2020

    Acorn Campground — Beavers Bend State Park

    Oklahoma hidden oasis

    Beavers Bend State Park is a incredible beautiful state park hidden in the southeastern corner of the state. We planned our trip and reservation process on the TravelOK.com website which I highly recommend reserving in advance because this place fills up fast. We ended up reserving a premium RV site 5 in Acorn and our 5th wheel fit perfect. This site is a back in site with the river directly behind the site. Site consists of 1 fire pit, 1 picnic table and barbecue pit. The hookups consist of water and 30/50 amp electric. The road is on a one way loop with shower, bathroom and trash containers within walking distance. Trails are also within close proximity and vary in elevation be prepared and bring water and pick up a map from the ranger station. With that said the place is green for a reason and very humid during the warmer months but if you want to cool off check out the swimming area or rent a Kayak or paddle boat. We were told that the most popular time to visit is during the fall due to the color change just remember reserve ahead time and happy camping!

  • Crystal C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 10, 2019

    Tiny Town Oklahoma

    Centralized Cabins, Tent & RV Camping

    When searching for a unique camping experience you might check out something a little bit outside of the box. Offering tent sites and RV sites Tiny Town might seem normal on paper but when you were arrive they have a lot of options which might be considered a little bit different. 

    I pulled into Tiny Town I noticed right away the unique experience which they offer. Though RVs were parked in the front and on the right I noticed a community of tiny homes just beyond the bounds. Many tiny homes were under construction however a few options were already up and running in a variety of floor plans ideal for any traveler visiting the area. 

    The property it’s self is small but does offer a few amenities including a restroom and laundry as well as a small play facility. The big draw to this area is the quick and easy access to beavers Bend State Park and other attractions around the Broken Bow area. 

    The offering of cabin rentals varies from humble three person dwellings all the way up to a 20 person“Deck-A-Saurus”. Cabins are all equipped with standard furniture including couches and beds, making it ideal for those who just want to pullin and immediately jump into comfort. The RV area it’s self accommodate 17 spaces in three various sizes. Each side includes full hook ups, and barbecue pits. The larger areas have private fire pits as well as picnic tables. 

    When I visited I noticed that the area was a little void of large trees. However the area is currently working to re-landscape and provide better shade accommodations along the perimeter’s which would be very beneficial to tent campers. While they do not market the smaller sites as tent only facilities I did notice there were several people staying in vans or tents in these sites along the outer border. 

    The facility itself is very clean and well-maintained. You can really tell there is attention to detail at this location and that as it continues to grow and be developed that this will be a continued point of interest. 

    Standard nightly rates run between $30 and $45 depending on the site for RV or tent camping. They do also offer both weekly and monthly rates but do impose strict guidelines for those who are staying long-term to keep the facility clean and not looking unkept. 

    The Broken Bow Area offers beautiful unique attractions. If you like fishing, hiking,canoeing or trying something a little new this area is perfect. This park offers easy access to not only the outdoor features but also the nice Intown features such as restaurants making it a perfect place to stop if you’re in the area.

    The only downside I could see to this campsite is that it is not as remote as some.    While it does provide great amenities and access points to everything around with easy pull ins for RV traffic, it does lack that in the woods feel that many other campsites provide.   You will be a little close to your neighbors here.

  • Richard
    May. 25, 2020

    McGee Creek State Park Campground

    McGee Creek State Park

    We camped at McGee Creek State Park over Memorial Day weekend. We camped at tent hill #3. The thing we really liked about this particular site was that there are only 4 tent sites here, so it’s secluded and nice and quiet. There is very little traffic driving by as well. What we didn’t like is that there is only a pit toilet and no water faucets. There is a real bathroom with a shower about a 10-15 minute walk away. The bathroom was pretty typical of a state park. There is an area that has some lake huts for rent as well. They don’t have bathrooms but the are heated/cooled.

    There is another area about 1.5 miles away called Buster Height campground. This is where the swim beach and another boat dock is. There is also an RV area and a bunch of tent sites. Most of these tent sites are pretty small and crowded together. If you have a big tent or don’t like being near others, you might want to consider tent hill if it’s available.

    On the other side of the lake (about a 25-30 minute drive) is the natural scenic recreation area. There are a ton of hiking trails that lead to backpacking campsites, equestrian camps and there are boat in sites as well.

    Overall a pretty decent park but definitely not one of our favorites.

  • M
    Sep. 30, 2016

    West Lake Crockett

    West Lake Crockett

    This is another great hidden away campground in the Caddo National Grasslands Wildlife Management Area. It is only 3 miles from Coffee Mill campground, but does not have the parking lot area for lake access. The camp features around 8-10 campsites; established fire rings and picnic tables at each. The toilets are pit toilets. As you can see in one of the photos there is this cool old fireplace, looks like a CCC build, just out in the middle of a sunny grassy area. It was overall a pleasant campground, my only concern would be the bugs if it is hot weather. The campground is close to the lake, and I can see mosquitoes being an issue in the summer.

Guide to Fort Towson

Tent camping near Fort Towson, Oklahoma primarily centers around sites within Beavers Bend State Park, located in the Ouachita Mountains at elevations ranging from 400 to 700 feet. The region experiences hot, humid summers with temperatures regularly exceeding 90°F, while winter overnight temperatures can drop below freezing. Most campgrounds require reservations during peak seasons from March through October when rainfall averages 3-4 inches monthly.

What to do

Fishing access points: Grasshopper Campground at Beavers Bend State Park offers direct water access, though campers should note it can get busy. "It cost us 16 USD and was really noisy because of all the boats that came fishing in the weekend," reports Agam from Grasshopper Campground.

Hiking trail proximity: Bluejay Campground provides convenient access to several trail systems. "The park had some great hiking trails and museum," notes Gerald S., who gave the campground a 5-star rating.

Day trips to lakes: East Lake Crockett Recreation Area, approximately 36 miles from Fort Towson, serves as a popular boating destination. According to Izzy T., it's a "Nice place to launch your boat for a day of fishing. Stayed at the campground across the lake and saw plenty of people come and go throughout our stay."

What campers like

Shaded sites: Bluejay Campground provides substantial tree cover, helping mitigate summer heat. Jeremy A. describes it as a "Nice spot well shaded" in his 5-star review.

Waterfront proximity: Several campgrounds offer sites near the water. At Bluejay Campground, one camper mentioned being "a stones throw from the water," providing convenient access for fishing or swimming.

Peaceful shoreline walks: Coyote Drive Campground features lakeside paths that campers frequently mention. David T. notes it's "pretty peaceful to walk the shoreline" despite having to park 15-50 feet from actual campsites.

What you should know

Parking limitations: At Coyote Drive Campground, vehicles cannot park directly at campsites. David T. mentions "no parking at campsite for coyote but can park about 15-50ft away," which requires planning for gear transport.

Weekend noise levels: Grasshopper Campground experiences significant boat traffic on weekends, creating noise for campers. One reviewer specifically mentioned it being "really noisy because of all the boats" during weekend stays.

Facilities vary widely: While most Beavers Bend tent campgrounds have toilets and picnic tables, Hawk Drive lacks toilet facilities, and several areas have no potable water sources. Campers should verify amenities before arrival and pack accordingly.

Fee structure: Despite being classified as dispersed, Grasshopper Campground requires payment. Agam clarifies, "No dispersed camping - paid. It cost us 16 USD," highlighting the importance of bringing cash for site fees.

Tips for camping with families

Museum access: Elm Campground at Beavers Bend State Park provides convenient access to the Forest Heritage Center Museum, offering educational opportunities during inclement weather.

Yurt options: For families seeking an alternative to tent camping, Elm Campground offers yurt accommodations that provide more protection from weather while maintaining a camping experience.

Bathroom proximity: Families with young children should note that Hawk Drive lacks toilet facilities entirely, while campgrounds like Bluejay and Coyote Drive provide vault toilets within walking distance of most sites.

Tips from RVers

Day use alternatives: East Lake Crockett Recreation Area serves primarily as a day use area rather than overnight camping. Izzy T. reports, "Nice place to launch your boat for a day of fishing. Stayed at the campground across the lake and saw plenty of people come and go throughout our stay."

Size restrictions: Most tent camping areas near Fort Towson are not big-rig friendly, with limited turning radius and parking areas. RVers should consider staying at more accommodating campgrounds and making day trips to Beavers Bend for outdoor activities.

Limited hookups: None of the tent campgrounds within 45 miles of Fort Towson offer electric, water, or sewer connections. RVers requiring hookups must look beyond the immediate area for suitable accommodations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Fort Towson, OK?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Fort Towson, OK is Lamar Point with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Fort Towson, OK?

TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near Fort Towson, OK, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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