Best Equestrian Camping near Goldsby, OK

We had a great stay in Lake Thunderbird State Park near Norman Oklahoma. The park has 11 campground areas situated around the 6000 acre centerpiece lake with many tent, RV sites and some of those have full hook up; our choice was the Little Ax campground on the southern end just off Oklahoma 9. In addition to water activities the park offers hunting, horse rental and boarding, equestrian trails, hiking, mountain biking, nature trails, a nature center, and an archery range. Our lakefront site#37 was nice and shaded with a gentle lake breeze offering a concrete pad, water, 30/15 amp electric, concrete table, lantern holder, fire ring and grill at site. The campground has an entry station, camp host, picnic shelters, playground, bathhouse and laundry, beach area, common fire pit, Verizon 4 bars, dump station, trash receptacles, interior roads are paved, with many sites waterfront. RV sites are close quarters. Tent sites are amazing...pads, concrete table, fire ring, grill, water spigot dispersed, waterfront sites. The town of Norman has all the amenities: shopping, dining, groceries, fuel and yes, Walmart. The area is home to local wineries and breweries and also the hometown to actor James Garner. WARNING: Oklahoma State Parks charge a daily parking fee per vehicle of$10 in addition to the camping fee and they enforce it...just saying from experience...read the information carefully! 13101 Alameda Dr, Norman, OK 73026 GPS- 35.234940,-97.219224 for the Little Ax Campground.

Visiting this campground so was expecting similarities between it and the Guthrie Lake campground as they are both maintained by the City of Guthrie. But I was pleasantly surprised as the road turned to packed rock and dirt and started to get more and more remote in appearance. I noticed equestrian crossings and trails and also signs marking arc access points before entering.

When arriving to the lake itself traffic splits off into one way lanes. You pass a house like structure which serves as a paystation for entry, though when I visited no one was there to accept my money and I didn’t see a self pay area.

The boat ramp and fishing pier is the first thing you see when entering the park with large parking and easy water access. There are a few picnic tables at this point to enjoy the day use space. Just beyond that a swimming “beach”. This was a little perplexing to me because there was less than a foot of red dirt sand then water which was marked as appropriate. The beach itself was tiny but it was nice to see they had created a space unique to swimming in the area for safety. No also noticed an abundance of naked signs about life jacket safety which I thought was great!

As you continue to drive away the more commercial day use area there are 7 campsites each with large parking areas, grills, fire rings, picnic tables and plenty of room to spread out in a tent or RV. These sites do not have hook ups but what they lack there they make up for in lake views. Each site had a clear view of he lake and water access only a short distance from your parking area.

Restrooms are only port a potty units and with recent winds some of these had been knocked over or damaged by tree limbs, so that is something to consider.

I really liked that this location by far seemed more established than the other city maintained option and also had more privacy overall.

Tips:

• Call ahead if you want to stay here on a weekend since there are limited sites and reserve in advance

• Check weather before traveling, it is very common for bad weather to roll through this area and with all of the trees you want to make sure you are safe.

Stay with some friends here for a festival in Oklahoma City. The campground was easy to find and very close to Oklahoma City but it was dirty and the fire in the fire pit was still going from the people that have been there the night before.

This campground offers lots of sites with water views. There is a swimming beach and boat ramp as well as a dock to fish off. Very easy to get to from Oklahoma City.

Nice campspots as we are passing through Oklahoma, near Norman and restaurants/grocery stores. Quiet with decent shower and bathrooms.

The spot we found was level, but has pulled into the spot next door first and it was not very level. You can't beat the price for $26 a spot for electric. They also don't tack on non-resident fees like some states wish is appreciated. Tourism brings additional money into the state. Thank you!

I’ve stayed here twice now, and I love the rural, rougher campsites. This area is much more wooded than Thunderbird, and the views of the lake are obstructed by trees, so don’t expect to get a lake view in front of your tent. Payment sucks, as you have to shove money into an envelope at the entrance and is just a hassle. The City of Edmond could improve this by allowing reservations online just like the Oklahoma State Parks.

Looking for a nature centric camping experience? This isn’t your place.

Need a place convenient to the Lazy E Arena, Guthrie or Edmond to base out of of? This could be your spot.

Need an easy on/off overnight spot in central Oklahoma? This could work for that, too.

Not scenic, but clean, level spots. On-site store and propane are handy. Spots aren’t roomy, but I’ve been packed in tighter at other places. All spots look to be pull-through.

Lazy E is only 4 miles away.

Chicken Shack is very close and has great fried chicken. A bigger convenience store and gas station is close as well.

In Guthrie check out Missys Donuts for the best donuts and in Edmond, Texlahoma BBQ is consistently awesome.

There are three main campground parks around the lake. Spring Creek and Scissortail Parks are off 15th. Central Park is off the 2nd Street entrance.

Spring Creek and Scissortail were both full, so we ended up at the Spring Creek Park.

In Spring Creek, there is primitive camping in Bobcat Campground and King Snake Campground. We stayed in the Cottonwood Campground which had a mix of camping types. 

We stayed in an RTT, so all of the spots were easy access for us, but I saw some big rigs and setups with boats, so it looked like it was easy to park for most anyone.

The spaces were ample sized and most all of them had enough trees surrounding them to offer decent privacy. They all had had fire pits, grills and picnic tables. They all looked pretty level.

Restrooms and showers were passable, but not much better than that.

The campground was pretty full, but pretty quiet. No problems with noise.

Lots of trash cans around, but they were all full or overflowing. Most of the campsites had some lingering trash around. Definitely could have been cleaner.

My son had a ball and this place isn't far from home, so we will probably checkout the other campgrounds on 15th the next time we are there.

In addition to easy setup and getting around, the other thing that makes this great for new campers is that the city of Edmond is just a few miles away for a full list of stores and restaurants. Or head east on 2nd (66) and go to Pop's in Arcadia for a burger and a selection of over 500 sodas.

And finally, lots of Oklahoma hospitality in case you do have problems or need a hand.

I love a good lake side camping site, nothing better than being able to set up with a great view and the sound of the wakes rolling in with the breeze when in my tent. But what happens when your perfect setting becomes your worst nightmare?

On a recent trip to Oklahoma I got a good glimpse of just what that would be like as a slightly unexpected rain flooded this campground miserably. Driving through the RV loop waters were right up to some of the pull throughs, tables in some areas were underwater and this was the better of the camps. The tent sites were nearly all effected by the flooding because of their location and even the road was cut off and closed.

Now is this typical of the camp? No. But however this is a scary reality you must consider when choosing your site at this or any lake. I have many times experienced overnight rains unexpectedly, however usually choose a site slightly elevated from the waters, however at this camp many of the sites are level to the water and more susceptible to rising waters.

As a location as a whole, it was nice and facilities were very well maintained, but because of the issues with flooding I would not want to imagine the stress low laying campsites could hold.

Prices are reasonable, the staff was friendly and the lake was large (larger of course because of rains…lol) but all in all this has a lot of features which make for a great location.

TIPS:

• If reserving online, look carefully at the map for your site, choose something a little further back from the water, you will still have a great view but will avoid possible fear of unexpected rainfall.
• Check out the sites just up from the camp on Route 66 including POPs (a multimillion dollar retro style cafe and gas station boasting over 700 different types of soda) and the Round Barn, a staple of the original Route 66.

If you have a 30 amp rv/camper you can get a spot at one of the 3 decent Thunderbird parks most of the time same day no reservation. If you have a 50 amp better go parkit on Thursday so you have a weekend spot. On the lake and that's what we want. Lots of yahoos in the summer it's a party spot.

We visited in October when the leaves were changing and it was so beautiful. The lake is great. Bring your fishing gear. Site spacing is good. Typical amenities for a state park. You must make your reservations in advance online. We highly recommend this park

Absolutely loved it here. Beautiful place to stay. Fire pit at each spot. Right off the lake. Bathrooms and showers. Highly recommend!

We stayed for a few hours and had a great time! Very nice park with lots of space and big trees. It was very dark so we were able to see the stars. Really enjoyed the evening.

Quiet, peaceful, and fun for the two of us! Camping with a view of the lake was great.

Beautiful and quiet! Camping with a lake view was great.

Thunderbird has a lot of camping. Our favorite is Little Axe. You can reserve spaces (which Is fabulous) and because you have to pay $5 just to get in (if you aren't camping), there is less traffic and it is quieter. Other sites have loud parties and such… Little Axe is nice for families and quieter groups. Also, it's a peninsula by the dam, there's a quiet cove for fishing, good beaches and lake access, a play gym for kiddos and clean bathrooms. Bonnie, the camp host, and Ron (I think) are lovely and attentive. I absolutely love this site… As far as camping in Norman this is my favorite. If you're camping in Norman, try here. We've been in every season and it is always beautiful.

Nice place to relax by a fire. Campsites are spaced out well enough and has some right by the water. Close to some trails. Camp hosts are very welcoming and haven't had any issues with other campers.

We didn't stay but rode our bikes over from Little Ax to ride the bike trails. No one there except the campground hosts but we explored the campground and area. Very nice. Lots and lots of trails including and unmarked but paved trail. We are here for a few days and will come back again to do more. Great view of the dam and the lake from the dock and they allow one to bike and walk across the dam.

Little Axe Campground is a great Campground. Bathrooms are new and showers work great and spacious. Lot of campsites on the water so you can beach your boat.

Some sites are nice and spacious and others are crowded. Check the map before making online reservations. Easy access to the lake for swimming, kayaking, etc. Playground, day use pavilions and swim area on site. Bathrooms near the day use area require quarters to use. Bathrooms away from the day use area don’t require payment, but aren’t as nice. They are passable though. This campground stays full. I highly suggest making online reservations well in advance if you want to camp there.

I liked this one the best if all the Dirtybird campgrounds. best position on the lake. Less of a party crowd over here.

The camp hosts were very nice and so were our camping neighbors. Our site was clean with a good view of the water. Lots of beautiful waterfront spots and we saw people who brought boats to the shore next to their site. We would definitely come back!