Best Glamping near Hastings, OK

The Wichitas are (in my humble opinion), by far the best place to be in Oklahoma. When my boyfriend took me camping there (he's an OK native), I was pressed to the glass looking at the buffalo. AMAZING. So much wildlife (make sure you stop to see the prairie dogs), and the mountains are amazing. There is no bad place to camp here, just make sure you go for a hike!

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.

Lots of family activities-swimming, fishing, maze, mini golf, hayrides, archery, paintball, laser tag, crafts, animal visits, bubble pool, golf cart rentals, great cabins, level concrete rv sites 20/30/50 amp, cafe, store, gem mining, basketball, cedar playground!!!

The good: This park has a lot to offer. Multiple pools(including a nice splash pad type area for the little kids), jumping pillows, maze, nice playground, animals, blow up obstacle course, and schedules activities like hayrides, bubbles, candy bingo, etc. The not so great: There’s a lot of campsites and most are “RV park” type sites with little shade. The bad: The cafe. We seem to always have problems. Waited over an hour to get pancakes, over an hour to get a pizza, and once the breakfast buffet ran out of food right after we bought it (3 separate trips). The foods not bad, we just seem to be unlucky. It’s obviously easy to work around this, just bring your own food! Overall: We think the camping price is very reasonable for all of the included activities and we enjoy coming here a couple times a year.

Great place to stay! We were here for 3 nights, and there was a ton of activities and things for kids to do. The sites are concrete pads (a little off level) with full hookups and nice grass. Would definitely come back here again.

Beautiful park with tons of activities and great staff.

Can’t say enough about this place. Staff were super accommodating and friendly. So many day activities and my kids were never bored with 3 pools and a splash pad. They even finish off every night with a marshmallow roast! My only complaint is that we didn’t have enough time to do everything that was available. We look forward to coming back!

plenty to do with the kids . place is very clean . bathrooms are nice . staff is great

I can’t say enough good things about this place. The employees are so incredibly kind, you can tell they love what they do. The breakfast from the cafe was great! The general store had everything you can think of and toys for the kids with affordable prices! From animals to a water course on the lake, this place has literally EVERYTHING you can possibly think of. 3 pools, an AMAZING splash pad for the kids and plenty of family activities for all ages. If I could give more than 5 stars I absolutely would. Everything was very clean and well kept. We did a pull through RV spot for our 40ft tiffin. Will definitely visit again next road trip. Exceeded expectations! 🤩

Deserving of Texas Campground of the year award! Great amenities and tons of activities! Family bathrooms are first class!

Pros clean restrooms and open space. Great for families with younger children. All set up for Halloween

Cons: no trees, sites are very close together.

Park was clean and nice. Has some shade in most sites, some more than others. Restrooms were closed due to Covid but it looks like the pool is open. Spots are gravel with cement pads and picnic tables. Table we had was rough around the edges but manageable. Some road noise.