Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Mountain Park, OK

This RV park is right off the main thoroughfare, next to the local Walmart. There is even a path to the Walmart parking lot at the edge of the park.

Wifi was down for our one night visit, due to severe weather that knocked out a wire/cable in town.

Sites are mostly grass. We got a pull through for our visit. Sites are a mix of long-term stays and overnight stays. Our picnic table was apparently a shared resource, as it was used by the site next door residents in front of our RV.

There is a small pool, but we did not use it. There is also a playground on site and a pet area.

This park was turned back over to the state in 2020 and is exactly how I remembered it from the 80’s. Tucked down in southwest Oklahoma in the Wichita Mountains, it’s a small park but has LOTS of options. There are RV and tent Campgrounds, cabins, a very modern lodge with 96 rooms, group pavilions, and a dormitory. There’s a full restaurant, ORV trails, hiking trails, a river and a lake. Something for everyone.

We stayed in the Mountain View campground which has concrete pads and didn’t have to level our rig at all. Electric and water and steps to the flush bathroom that has a shower in it. It backs up to the lake berm and has a view of one of the mountains. Not much cover but we didn’t need it as it was cloudy during our stay. LOTS of stickers. Beware especially if you have long haired dogs.

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.

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

The Wichita Mountains is the park we frequent the most. It's only about an hour and a half from Oklahoma City and has really wonderful tourist center, trails, and campgrounds. The scenery of The Narrows, Charon's Garden, Elk Mountain, and the Holy City are wonderful. Doris Campground will fill up quickly on weekends, so reservations are suggested. Join 'Friends of the Wichitas' for exclusive tours of the private areas of the park and access to stargazing and wildlife events. Drive up Mount Scott for beautiful views of neighboring Lake Lawtonka, and wonderful sunsets.

Incredible scenery and wildlife.

We were in site 47-B, which is an area that is near the lake and has electrical.  This particular site has the lake just a few steps from the camp.  These are electrical only sites.  And the water available at the campground was not potable and has been this way since 2017 per a sign.  During reservation, it was noted that bathrooms were not operational, and only self contained RVs were allowed.  That said, there were tent campers when we were there.  Note there is no cellular service in the campground.

We found the sites to be very quiet and spread out.  There are many great sites along the lake edge beyond our loop, but these offered no electrical.  Longhorns were evidenced in our area.  We enjoyed driving over to Prairie Dog town and spending time laughing at their antics.  Since our last visit, their area has really grown and continued to spread out.  We also enjoyed visiting the Environmental Education Center for its trails and pier, as the Center was closed due to COVID.  I think our favorite area is around Rush Lake for its views and waterfalls.  Don't miss the views from atop Mt. Scott.