Best Tent Camping near Milburn, OK

We reserved in area D (tent camping no electric) for 2 nights. We got in the first night around 8 and it was pouring rain. So we did not stay the night. We returned early the next morning and were able to set up camp. They have concrete picnic tables, fire rings and the area we were in had a bathhouse. Stalls had a toilet, sink and shower area. The sites were pretty close together. Our neighbors were very friendly but I like having a little more space. Overall it was a good time. Just not as secluded as we are used to and the rain kind of put a damper on things.

Of the campgrounds around the water, this one is perhaps one of the more busy. When visiting we noted numerous boat trailers just waiting for their owners to return to them. Despite it being so busy it was pretty quiet as a whole. 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.

Sites are well priced at $14 which wasn't bad considering how the campground was set up. Despite it being a primitive camp and only having vault toilets it was surprisingly comfortable feeling and does have water spigots around. It is also one of the smaller campgrounds at the Lake of the Arbuckles so during summer it can fill up quickly.

The site I checked out here had a picnic table and fire ring and was fairly even. There was a nice grassy pad which was ideal for tent camping like I enjoy.

I lot of people, as I mentioned before, take advantage of the lake from this campsite area so it is pretty noisy during the day at some of the sites and getting in the water can be a bit hard when its super busy because the boats really kick up the waves and there is no designated swimming area, however a bit further away it wasn't to bad. Nighttime, pretty quiet.

TIPS:

• These sites are not reservable so it is first come first serve. Arrive early during busy times of year to ensure your space.

• 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 so if you are hauling anything which does not fit guidelines to the water, you might want to reconsider doing so here.

The Blue River is beautiful. The camping is free but you must have an Oklahoma fishing license rather your fishing or not to camp there. There is around 80 campsites nestled in the woods along the bank of this beautiful clear river. It is primitive camping. There is no electric, water faucets, picnic tables, or grills. The bathrooms are primitive as in no flushing toilets. No showers. Hiking is great but watch out for snakes on the ground along trails. I saw a few. There are many snakes such as rattlesnakes and copperheads. I havent saw water moccasins maybe because the water is too cold. River PFHA is owned and managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

We visited Rock Creek on a Girl Scout family camp outing. The area is nice--lots of tree cover, which is essential in OK's hot summers and early falls. You are able to scavenge your own firewood and kindling; however, there are places in town to purchase.

The restrooms are clean, and the campgrounds are mostly clean. Leave no trace, y'all! Pack in, pack out! There are extremely convenient trash and recycling bins throughout the area and campgrounds. This is probably an issue because the area is large, with a lot of traffic, and not enough rangers (read: babysitters) to clean up after all the bodies coming in and out.

Rock Creek isn't as close to Little Niagara and the Travertine Nature Center as Cold Springs, but it's a short drive or a couple miles' walk. The springs do not disappoint. They are refreshingly cool and perfect to play in when walking on the trails. The spring on the Antelope Springs trail is drinkable. The kids filled up their water bottles where the water was coming out of the rock.

We saw some wildlife--deer, turkey, and owls.

There are other multi-use trails, such as biking, off Rock Creek and through other campgrounds, though we didn't get to check them out.

Don't forget: kids can take part in the FREE Junior Ranger program through the Travertine Center. Upon completion of a super easy and informative booklet, kiddos are sworn in as junior ranger and receive a patch and a badge. Pretty sweet deal, if ya ask me.

Noteworthy: Originally, we had reserved a group spot in Cold Springs, but I made the mistake of thinking it included two campsites in a loop when it only included one. Pay attention to that one, folks. The person on the awesome group campsite that I thought we had reserved made the same mistake. The reservation will list the loop, including the campsites in the loop. That doesn't mean you get all the sites.

Options to pay are online through recreation.gov or at the onsite kiosks. Convenient!

All in all, though it is a popular spot in OK, it's beautiful and cost effective. We will return as scouting groups and weekend family getaways. Though, I will be more careful regarding site selection.

My first impression of this campground was a little fear.... but let me explain....

When I pulled into this campground it looked like a festival had set up shop right inside the gate with dozens of tents in a clearing. It was a little overwhelming and I was afraid that with the closure of one of the local camps, I felt the overflow had come mostly to this camp and that it was not going to have an ounce of privacy.

But... turns out that it was just a Boy Scout group in the group camp which is positioned right inside the gate. So my fear of overcrowding subsided and as I traveled a bit deeper into camp I noticed it wasn't to bad, in fact there were tons of places because this campground has over 100 sites, spread over several loops. This gave me not only a great confidence that I could find something perfect, but also something removed from the sounds of the populated group camp and enjoy a little time away from it all.

Sites at this camp vary, there are both pull through and back in sites. The strange however, was that online on Receation.gov (where you typically book any sites located on government lands) this campground is known only to be a "group camp". However clearly there are individual sites, and you can access these through the kiosk just inside camp.

The site I selected had a strange configuration for parking, you park beside the spot, but in a large truck it seemed to be a bit in the way of the road, in my car it would have by far been a bit better fit. I was positioned on a corner which meant I had a lot of space and my campsite had both a picnic table and fire ring with attached grill in addition to the lantern post. Overall minus the parking the site was pretty ideal with big shade trees and a pretty even place to set up a tent.

I did notice around camp not all sites are created equally, while my site had a nice even space not he table top some of the sites still were utilizing the older tables which were warped from weather.

TIPS:

• If you aren't a group wait til you get here to select a site because online there doesn't seem to be a good reservation system for regular campers.

• If you are a rig which uses solar, the sites on the furthest loops might be a better fit, the first loop of camp is pretty tree covered.

On this turn out of the Lake there are three campgrounds, this being the most Tent friendly of the three. There are spaces equipped with electrical connections or primitive sites in an open area which are comparable for tents. Both of these sites allow a wide open feel close to the shore line with plenty of room to move around comfortably.

After entering Tipp’s point you first find the day use pavilion and vault toilets. Just beyond that on the left is parking for the open tent area which has scattered grills and a couple of community picnic tables set in the open area. This is ideal for groups that are larger or just the person who wants to dry camp.

to the right are a group of non-primitive sites for RVs and tents. While these are closer together they are not as cluttered feeling as the sites at both the cover or elephant rock. Beyond this point are more RV sites, a shower house and playground.

This campground when I visited was the least used of the three on this turn out. While there were probably a dozen or so campers in the firSt part of the section if was very wide open feeling. The water levels were pretty high and had encroached upon some of the sites near the shower house while higher level sites remained safe.

TIPS:

• If staying in this section in the open camping tent area you might want to bring a fold out table. There are only a couple in this area for group use and to eliminate having to share better safe than sorry.
• Bring shower shoes. this should be a given but the showers here aren’t terrible but aren’t something you would want to be barefoot in

This campground is situated on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Murray. Because of this, there are some great lakeside campsites just steps from the water and no campers on either side of you. The downside is the lakeside campsites are set up on the eastern side of the peninsula and parking is N/S with about 20’ between campers. The campground road runs down the middle of the narrow peninsula with trees on the western side of the road (no sunset views unless you walk to the point). Because of this configuration, it requires parallel parking (like a pull through site but literally parked on side of road). The site I reserved (Site 21) was a mere 3 ft from the road. Not too big of a problem, except that I’m a light sleeper and cars/trucks/RV’s, trucks pulling trailers, motorcycles etc. noisily and regularly drive right by and especially at night this was a problem for me. During the day I was more concerned for the families with kiddos that were scootering and riding bikes in the street.

The location of this campground is great in proximity to other things in the Park. The Buckhorn trailhead is right in the campground, so easy access to hiking. Trails are well marked and not too difficult. Campground is closer to the Lodge and access back to the main road into the small “town” for supplies. Because the campground is on a peninsula the campground host said that there tends to be a breeze. When I was there a severe storm hit and I can attest to this location being primely located for wind! 

Note: my understanding was this campground accommodates rigs 30 feet or smaller, but I did see larger RV’s pull in and set up.

Summary:

• Site: No 21 level concrete pad with 30 amp electric and water hook up/no sewer, picnic table, fire ring and BBQ grill

• Shower facilities on site, but closed when I was there due to Covid-19

• Dump site available

• Boat landing and pier in campground

• Little gazebo at the end of the peninsula in campground (nice for watching sunsets)

• Good sized sandy swim area with designated parking

• Tent camping area with large parking lot. However, the sites weren’t very private

• Bike/walking trail to 2 other campgrounds

• Cons: I felt like I was camped on the side of a road. For this reason, if I were to return, I would chose a site in the area with back in camping. Although these sites aren’t on the water and are closer together, they are at least set off of the road and would be quieter. 

Lake Murray SP has campgrounds with nicer sites, but Tipp’s Point would do in a pinch.