Best RV Parks & Resorts near Medicine Park, OK

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.

We stayed in the Whites Catfish Cove campground at site #16 during Father’s Day Weekend. This site was located on both sides of the roadway and was at the end of the road. It was hard to back into given the many vehicles parked on the street. I would not recommended this site for longer rv’s or travel trailers. It had 30 amp hook up and water available. No sewer hookup, but dump site was not far off. Bath houses were close by, but could have been cleaned a little more.

Walking distance to lake beach swim area and playground directly across from this site (great if you have kids).

Prime spots for this campground area would be site #60, 62, 64, 66

Pros: Close to lake Close to playground Only one camper next to you

Cons: Small site No sewer Fire pit was overgrown with grass Right next to busy roadway

In our opinion after coming from a really great campground with everything you need, this park didnt really rate too high on our scale. However, others might think differently. It was a great.campground for fishing (we dont fish). There is a store near where we were staying that catered to those fisherman. Also had a kitchen with several items on their menu. Boat rental is available. The pull through site we reserved was not paved. There was a kiddie park right across from our site that had spider webs all over it. A downer for those in tents, you have to pay for showers. There were handicap rv site near restrooms. Some wildlife, bugs (something Ive never seen before flew on me and gave me a nasty bite) the sites are really close together and traffic is heavy. Roads are thin. Picnic tables and fire ring was available at our site. The pier was pretty nice and we enjoyed watching the geese. There is a dump station just outside the exit across the street from park office. No full hook ups on our site. There looked to be some really nice sites right off the water, overlooking the lake. Not much shade where we were at even though I reserved a spot with shade, it only covered about half of our rig.

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.

Doris CG, Wichita Mnts, OK: This park was a pleasant surprise. The hiking was splendid and much better than expected. The visitor center deserves at least an hour of time. Fabulous. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 4 for the scenery, and bathroom cleanliness. General layout of campsites is a bit of a minus.
Price 2023: $ 11 for non electric w interagency pass

Security: Not at night Usage during visit: Full during spring break Site Privacy: Open sites. Some back up to each other. Our site, 9 backs up to #7. Site Spacing: varies - the map in photos is pretty representative Pad surface: blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: A bit noisy during this spring break week. Outside Road Noise: None. Some campsites back up towards the campground access road. I would rather have one of these sites than any inner loop site I saw. Through Traffic in campground: No Electric Hookup: E loop Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: Yes, near the pit toilets.
Generators: Allowed Bathroom: New and clean pit toilets in most loops . Whoever cleans the pit toilets has high cleanliness standards. . . E-loop has flush toilets. The sinks and toilets were very clean . Showers: Near E Loop. Fairly clean after a busy weekend. Pull Throughs: I didn’t see any Cell Service (AT&T): No bars at Campground. 2 bars outside of visitor center Setting: In an oak Forest. Recent Weather: 70s downtown 30s Solar: Yes, but when trees leaf out, the solar will still be available in most sites but not as great.
Host: Not in all loops Rig Size: E loop has some larger rigs. Sites: I don’t particularly like the sites on the inside of the loops. Water view sites are circled on the map. I would be happy with these. Best sites in Loop A: 1, 2, 5, 10, 11, 13, 15. E63 is the only site I liked in the electric loop. A 7&9 are not good sites as far as privacy from each other.

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.