Tent campgrounds around Marietta, Oklahoma offer diverse options for primitive camping experiences within reach of Lake Texoma. Hickory Creek provides dispersed tent camping with boat-in and hike-in access, while Cross Timbers Texoma Hiking Trail Primitive Campsite offers free tent camping in a more established setting. Both locations provide natural settings for tent campers seeking minimal infrastructure.
Sites throughout the region have variable conditions depending on seasonal water levels and weather patterns. Most tent areas offer little to no amenities, with campers needing to pack in all supplies including drinking water. At Hickory Creek, tent sites require creating your own fire rings from gathered stones, with abundant firewood available from fallen timber. The terrain can become muddy after rain, particularly near water access points. Many walk-in tent locations require short hikes from parking areas, with surfaces typically consisting of hard-packed dirt or natural forest floor. One camper noted, "There is plenty of space to spread out and material for a campfire but you will need to create your own fire pit or ring to safely burn in this area."
Backcountry tent camping experiences vary significantly by season and location. Areas around Lake Texoma offer expansive night skies and abundant wildlife viewing opportunities. Tent campers should secure food properly, as reviews indicate local wildlife will investigate unsecured supplies. A reviewer warned that "wild hogs which migrate through the area at times" require campers to take appropriate precautions. Most walk-in tent sites provide good separation from neighboring campers, allowing for quieter experiences than more developed campgrounds. The primitive nature of these locations means minimal light pollution, with several reviews highlighting exceptional stargazing opportunities. Pack appropriate lighting since no facilities or ambient light exists in these areas. Most tent campgrounds maintain a natural setting with native vegetation and minimal development beyond occasional fire rings.
"The camping is free but you must have an Oklahoma fishing license rather your fishing or not to camp there."
"Camping stops are spaced out very well. It is primitive camping. There is no electricity and there are some bathrooms but very few which doesn’t bother me bc I don’t use them anyways."
"Lots of trees around this location make for plenty of shade during warmer months and sites are large enough to easily accommodate rigs of all sizes or tent campers."
GuideThe KOA is clean and well maintained. There is lits of space for the pull throughs. Dog park is amazing, host are friendly and kind. They are very welcoming and the store is small, but clean with a little bit of everything for everyone! We will definitely be back!
TravelerSuper easy in and out. Pretty much every amenity that you would want at a very modern campground.
TravelerRed River RV Resort (Deluxe) in Thackerville OK is a hot mess to be polite. The entire campground is covered with goathead sand burrs. It's impossible to go outside and enjoy any part of the campground. If you do go out you have to be very careful not to bring any of the sand burrs into the camper. The property owner / management knows of the campground issues but they're not doing anything to fix the issues. The pool and hot tub are disgusting, both have green slimy water with leaves, dirt and whatever else blew into it. The community room is locked and you have to ask at the office to get access. The community room has multiple TV's but none if them turn on so whats point in having them. On the good side it has two nice pool tables so its has some purpose. The gym area is packed with equipment but looks more like a storage locker than a gym.The campground has a good laundry room and okay WIFI. The showers are okay, older facilty but it all works. It has a fenced dog park but again It's covered with sand burrs so its unuseable. There's several empty/abandonded campers through out the campground. We went down the street to the local public park, sadly the park is unuseable as well due to the sand burrs being everywhere. It appears sand burrs are a bigger issue in the area and just not only at the campground. The campsites have full hook ups, some of the sewer hose tubes have caps while others don't. The neighboring campsite sewer connection didnt have a sewer cap and it has a huge wolf spider living in it.... we had planned to stay the full 14 days but leaving early due to the 8 billion sand burrs. Our dog is unable to walk in the grass, dirt, pavement without a paw full of sand burrs. I'm very disappointed C2C thinks this is a deluxe campground, I would be embarrassed to be in any way connected to it. There's other campgrounds in the area that have similar nightly cost ($40 - $50) if I was to pay outside of the C2C members rate with useable grass yards, clean useable swimming pools and community rooms. This could be an amazing campground if someone would fix the issues. As it stands now I would avoid this campground at all costs.
TravelerWonderful big camping sites. Water and electric with picnic tables. Pretty water views of Lake Arbuckle. Quiet. Excellent walking with pets.
GuideFolks want different things out of campsites. For me, it's scenic beauty, quiet for work and mental health, and nice places to take my dog. This checks all the boxes!
None of my reviews will be useful for amenities or activities because I just don't use them. I can't tell you about bathrooms, fishing, etc. I can tell you the water is very soft and feels slick or soapy even after you rinse. I have onboard reverse osmosis and wouldn't recommend drinking city water anywhere in Texas. There's too much oil production here and gas and chemicals are all over.
The staff at the gate were pleasant and said, "You must be David," when I pulled in, which was very nice and made it easy and welcoming.
Texas has many undiscovered and wonderful public lands, whether you're really camping or just working remote, watching the deer, or seeing the sunrise over a lake from your bedroom window. Get out here and come see them!
LegendGot here after Labor day weekend and mostly all to ourselves.
ScoutGreat place to camp for a few nights. Boat ramp, clean showers, Lakeview, swimming, fishing, campfires. Clean, safe place to enjoy yourself.
GuideWe needed an overnight spot on our way back home to Texas, and we're so glad that we picked this park! Easy on and easy off of Highway 69, and It's located right next to the Choctaw Casino complex.
Parking for registration is located right by the office, and all the park staff we dealt with were very friendly and helpful. The road from the highway to the park is very easy to navigate for any size rig. The same inside the park; it's well-marked and easy to navigate. Even though it's not too far from the main road, we didn't hear any traffic noise at all.
We were assigned to pull-thru site number 41. All the sites are concrete and appear fairly level. Our site was level side to side, and a few inches off from front to rear. There are very few shade trees for the majority of the park sites. Power, Water, and Sewer were all conveniently located, and the power supply had no issues at all. We use a power management system, and all electrical parameters were spot on during our stay. Water pressure was okay, and the in-ground sewer connection was conveniently located. There is also a picnic table and a covered trash can located at each site.
Bathrooms, Showers, laundry facilities, and the pool are all located at the registration office building and are in great shape. In fact, they are the cleanest and nicest facilities that we've ever experienced at an RV park. They are on par with what you would expect at a 5-Star resort.
Wi-Fi, Satellite, OTA: there is free Wi-Fi in the park with numerous repeater towers, so each site has a fairly strong signal- we achieved 101 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up. We got AT&T 5G with 3 bars and achieved 330 Mbps down and 11.3 Mbps up. If you need clear access for satellite reception, trees will not be an issue. Also, you can pick up approximately 50 OTA stations with good HD quality reception.
Dog Park: They have a nice fenced-in park that is divided into two separate areas. They provide doggie bags and a trash can.
Amenities: Lots of items are listed on their website. They have a propane area where you can fill your existing tanks, exchange tanks, or even buy new tanks. They also have RV supplies and parts located in the office area.
Summary: A great place for an overnight or an extended stay. They provide free shuttle service to the Casino Complex that has plenty of restaurants and a multi-screen movie theater. The park map provides a very accurate rendition of the park. See my attached photos for more details.
Bottom line- this park is owned by the Choctaw Nation and is part of the Casino Complex. So, the RV park is maintained at an exceptional level since income from the RV park is not critical. They just want their RV guests to have a first-class experience. Even if you don't gamble or dine out, take the free shuttle over to the casino complex just to see what it offers. It's truly a Vegas-like experience. This park deserves its high rating, and I do not hesitate to recommend it!
TravelerI was tired, pulled in with my camper…and was pleasantly surprised. Nice new facility, and they helped me get settled in a good pull through. Good folks. I’m glad I came here.
Tent campsites near Marietta, Oklahoma provide basic camping accommodations with limited facilities. The region features rolling terrain with mixed hardwood forest and open grasslands situated between 700-950 feet elevation. Water levels fluctuate seasonally at Lake Texoma and other local bodies of water, making shore access unpredictable during certain times of year.
Water recreation at Lake Texoma: Lake Texoma offers boating and fishing opportunities with several boat ramps and access points. Willow Springs provides RV hookups along with tent camping options for families wanting lake access.
Fishing for catfish: Local waters provide good fishing opportunities during certain seasons. As one visitor to Hickory Creek noted, "We used to go here to do some bank fishing and pulled some nice sized catfish."
Explore nearby Chickasaw National Recreation Area: About 30 miles northeast of Marietta, Guy Sandy Campground offers access to Lake of the Arbuckles. A camper mentioned, "Very well kept areas. Lots to see and do and only minutes from town of needed."
Affordable camping options: Most primitive tent camping areas charge modest fees. At Guy Sandy Campground, a camper noted, "Sites are well priced at $14 which wasn't bad considering how the campground was set up."
Quiet atmosphere away from crowds: Less developed areas provide tranquil settings. At Joe Benton Park, a reviewer observed it was "the most quiet of the three as well because the majority of those coming out to the lake either want improvements or the larger docks for fishing, and this has neither."
Generous campsite spacing: Joe Benton Park offers tent camping with adequate space between sites. According to one camper, "The area is scattered with camping sites and could accommodate tents only per its posted policy although there are no improvements such as dump stations or electrical hookups."
Seasonal water level changes: Water access varies throughout the year. One camper at Hickory Creek stated, "This place can be a bit hit or miss depending on the season because of the water levels."
Limited amenities: Most tent camping areas have minimal facilities. At Joe Benton Park, "There is a restroom available however it is small but serves the purpose of a restroom only. To be honest this restroom was not some place you would want to use unless you had to."
Wildlife encounters: Honey Creek Campground and surrounding areas have active wildlife populations. Secure food properly as local wildlife will investigate campsites. Some areas have seasonal wild hog activity requiring appropriate precautions.
Check campground reviews before arrival: Experiences vary widely between locations. One family at Honey Creek had a negative experience: "We had to rake away all the brush from our campsite, the shower was basically a box in the woods with a garden hose, no trash cans."
Pack essential supplies: No convenience stores exist at most primitive campsites near Marietta. For Joe Benton Park, a camper advises, "Take your own toilet paper. A lot of people come through here because it is the more improved of three campgrounds in this area so they utilize the facilities for day use."
Consider day use options: When camping with children, some locations work better for day trips than overnight stays. Lake Nocona offers picnic areas with tables that are "shaded and close to parking for those wanting to use this park for day use."
Limited RV-friendly primitive sites: Most tent camping areas near Marietta lack RV hookups. Guy Sandy Campground accommodates both tents and RVs with "sites large enough to easily accommodate rigs of all sizes or tent campers."
Arrive early for non-reservable sites: Popular camping areas fill quickly during peak season. As one camper at Guy Sandy noted, "These sites are not reservable so it is first come first serve. Arrive early during busy times of year to ensure your space."
Boat registration requirements: If bringing watercraft, ensure proper documentation. A regular at Guy Sandy warns, "If you have a boat, make sure your registrations are cleared by the State of Oklahoma before entering the water, this site is a very active site for game wardens to inspect."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Marietta, OK?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Marietta, OK is Hickory Creek with a 3-star rating from 1 review.
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TheDyrt.com has all 16 tent camping locations near Marietta, OK, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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