Best Equestrian Camping near Norman, OK

We had a great stay in Lake Thunderbird State Park near Norman Oklahoma. The park has 11 campground areas situated around the 6000 acre centerpiece lake with many tent, RV sites and some of those have full hook up; our choice was the Little Ax campground on the southern end just off Oklahoma 9. In addition to water activities the park offers hunting, horse rental and boarding, equestrian trails, hiking, mountain biking, nature trails, a nature center, and an archery range. Our lakefront site#37 was nice and shaded with a gentle lake breeze offering a concrete pad, water, 30/15 amp electric, concrete table, lantern holder, fire ring and grill at site. The campground has an entry station, camp host, picnic shelters, playground, bathhouse and laundry, beach area, common fire pit, Verizon 4 bars, dump station, trash receptacles, interior roads are paved, with many sites waterfront. RV sites are close quarters. Tent sites are amazing...pads, concrete table, fire ring, grill, water spigot dispersed, waterfront sites. The town of Norman has all the amenities: shopping, dining, groceries, fuel and yes, Walmart. The area is home to local wineries and breweries and also the hometown to actor James Garner. WARNING: Oklahoma State Parks charge a daily parking fee per vehicle of$10 in addition to the camping fee and they enforce it...just saying from experience...read the information carefully! 13101 Alameda Dr, Norman, OK 73026 GPS- 35.234940,-97.219224 for the Little Ax Campground.

Campground C area offers many pull through RV sites and some back-in RV sites, all with electric & water hook ups. There is also equestrian RV sites with pens, tent camping with shared water spigots, primitive tent camping and a dump station. There are miles of equestrian trails. Hiked down one and the trail was very peaceful and beautiful. It had recently rained a lot, so I had a thick layer of red mud on my shoes from the hike, but glad I hiked it. There are bathrooms with showers, a swim beach, a volleyball court, pavilions, a boat ramp, and plenty of wildlife. Lake is calm & shallow, so it is best for small boats and kayaks. There were plenty of flies due to the time of year and the presence of horses, so a good fly swatter and a fly trap is recommended. Found a small cemetery on the drive to the campsite with some very old grave sites. In all, it was a great place to escape from the real world and relax.

Thunderbird has a lot of camping. Our favorite is Little Axe. You can reserve spaces (which Is fabulous) and because you have to pay $5 just to get in (if you aren't camping), there is less traffic and it is quieter. Other sites have loud parties and such… Little Axe is nice for families and quieter groups. Also, it's a peninsula by the dam, there's a quiet cove for fishing, good beaches and lake access, a play gym for kiddos and clean bathrooms. Bonnie, the camp host, and Ron (I think) are lovely and attentive. I absolutely love this site… As far as camping in Norman this is my favorite. If you're camping in Norman, try here. We've been in every season and it is always beautiful.

Primitive - $8.00

Water & Electric - $15.00 *Senior (65 and over) - $12.00

Water, Electric & Sewer - $20.00 * Senior (65 and over) - $17.00

Pavillion (cove 3) - $25.00 ($10.00 deposit)

Coon Hunter Lodge - $50.00 ($65.00 deposit)

(enclosed pavillion with small kitchen, no bunks)

Boating - One Day/$5.00

(any type of watercraft)

Boating - Yearly/$25.00

Equestrian daily rate - $3.00

Equestrian trails yearly - $30.00 (Jan 1 - Dec 31)

Monthly Camping Fees (Nov 1 - Mar 1)

$400.00 per month (water, electric service only)

$500.00 per month (full service - water, sewer, electric)

Pavillion (cove 1) - $75.00 (6:00a.m. to 10:00p.m,)

Pavillion (Cove 1) - $25.00 (up to 3 hours)

Visiting this campground so was expecting similarities between it and the Guthrie Lake campground as they are both maintained by the City of Guthrie. But I was pleasantly surprised as the road turned to packed rock and dirt and started to get more and more remote in appearance. I noticed equestrian crossings and trails and also signs marking arc access points before entering.

When arriving to the lake itself traffic splits off into one way lanes. You pass a house like structure which serves as a paystation for entry, though when I visited no one was there to accept my money and I didn’t see a self pay area.

The boat ramp and fishing pier is the first thing you see when entering the park with large parking and easy water access. There are a few picnic tables at this point to enjoy the day use space. Just beyond that a swimming “beach”. This was a little perplexing to me because there was less than a foot of red dirt sand then water which was marked as appropriate. The beach itself was tiny but it was nice to see they had created a space unique to swimming in the area for safety. No also noticed an abundance of naked signs about life jacket safety which I thought was great!

As you continue to drive away the more commercial day use area there are 7 campsites each with large parking areas, grills, fire rings, picnic tables and plenty of room to spread out in a tent or RV. These sites do not have hook ups but what they lack there they make up for in lake views. Each site had a clear view of he lake and water access only a short distance from your parking area.

Restrooms are only port a potty units and with recent winds some of these had been knocked over or damaged by tree limbs, so that is something to consider.

I really liked that this location by far seemed more established than the other city maintained option and also had more privacy overall.

Tips:

• Call ahead if you want to stay here on a weekend since there are limited sites and reserve in advance

• Check weather before traveling, it is very common for bad weather to roll through this area and with all of the trees you want to make sure you are safe.