Best Tent Camping near Pauls Valley, OK

We spent the first weekend of March 2020 here and it was beautiful, even as the trees were still dead. We stayed in 52C, which has standard electric, 30amp.

We tent camped and it was beautiful!

Pros: -Reasonably clean comfort station (minus the normal daddy long legs) -Beautiful location on the lake and viewable from many sites -Easy to book online through the Recreation.gov app -Lots of trees for privacy and shade -The ranger made frequent drives through the loop for added safety and security -Campsites in C are all on a gravel pad, making it easy to setup

Cons: -Comfort station is quite a walk from some sites, including 52C - way too far to walk after dark. -Many sites looked tiny, may be too small for larger tents

• Sites might be difficult to back in a large camper due to tight turns.

Tips:

• For many sites, you must book ahead through Recreation.gov -We were not able to find much firewood or kindling around, but Sulphur has a super Walmart for firewood and anything else you need.

Lake Murray is a large state park which is an easy drive north from the DFW area, so I stay in the SP frequently, but never at this campground. It’s located a bit off the beaten path on the South end of the park. It’s also a smaller campground which accommodates smaller RV’s. Also, there is boat ramp, but it is not large and has little parking, plus it’s not located down the road that leads to the campsites. This means there isn’t constant traffic and power boat noise. 

The campground is tucked into a cove of Lake Murray and is down the road from the dam.  There are some very nice walk in tent camping sites where you could walk down to the rocky lake edge and swim. There are also a few drive in tent sites. However, be aware that when I stayed here in spring of 2020, there is no bath house or toilet facilities. There was a nice playground and a little picnic area right on the lake.

The RV sites are scattered around a circular road and there are several right on the lake. These are the best in my opinion. One of them (site 17) is labeled “premium” and I would pay the extra $ to snag this site. 

• Site 14 - Water/Electric 50 and 30 amp, no sewer (dump on site)

• gravel pad, mostly level, has a tree on awning side so couldn’t deploy my awning, but really unnecessary because the site was nicely shaded

• Cement picnic bench, BBQ, fire ring

• Walk down from site to water with rock ledge to sit a chair on and dangle feet in the lake!

• Site is private on 1 side with forested creek/water run off area, but neighbor is fairly close on other side

• ***No bathhouse (gutted - see photo)

• Little cons: no trailheads within the campground, but Tucker Tower is a bike ride or hike over the dam and the trailhead to Ski Jump Campground the the Lodge connects here. (8.5 miles). Also Dump station at the campground is easy access, however the exit up the somewhat eroded gravel hill may require some maneuvering for larger rigs.

Definitely check out Tucker Tower when visiting and Lake Murray SP Nature Center is very well done! I’ll return again for the always good hiking and try to snag the premium site or site 9.

UPDATE 5/2021 - Marietta Landing Campground is being revamped.

This is a tent camping area only state park that is on the banks of Lake Thunderbird. There all types of water sport activities are at the lake; there is a marina available on the lake and all other services and gods are available within a thirty minute drive. Being a tent camping area only, there is typically not as much pressure and tent campers get to have more of a "quiet" setting. The area experiences heavy use during holiday weekends and the first weekends of summer but typically drops off after that time. Summer temperatures will be hot and humid so prepare to enjoy the water.

For tent camping only, no electric hookups, no water hookups, there are toilets with running water but no showers and pets are allowed.

We stayed at the point for 3 nights. Very nice well kept camp sites for rv camping as well as tent camping. Clean bathrooms and showers. It is however not within walking distance of the trails and nature center. Which is a must see beautiful area with trails and natural springs and waterfalls ..

Stayed in site 27 for one night passing through. Last minute stop and several sites available. Beautiful sunrise and sunset over the lake. Sites close together and a bit loud, but we were there on a Saturday night. Walk-in tent sites looked great.

Each site is thoroughly bounded with retaining walls, making them perfectly flat. Driveway lengths vary dramatically, so check the details! Shower house has two decent push button showers. Dumpsite is clean and accessible, water pressure is average, 20/30/50 plugs at each site. Superb for tent camping, walk-in sites are ideal. RV pads are asphalt. Reservations required. Generally a great campground.

This campground rocks. It is camping made easy. The views are the best I have seen around the lake and this park area is much cleaner than others. The fire ring is awesome as it is waist-level and has a grill. Definitely worth the 21 bucks. The best tent campsites are 17-20

I didn’t have many sites to choose from online and really lucked out! Overall the everything was well maintained, the campground host at the time was very friendly, and so was everyone else around. I was tent camping, but it seemed like at least 2/3 of the people had some kind of and RV so there are a lot of lights on all night, but nothing too obtrusive. Bathrooms were very clean and showers had hot water. There was also a nice beach for swimming.

some of the sites are tent sites with no area to pull up to with a car. you have to park in a lot. and they tell you you can’t stay in your van unless you’re in an RV site. to avoid this just stay in a pull up tent spot. $16 is a lot a night for the basic spots. think i saw a cougar so be mindful at night. hot af but the lake is cooling. good shade. bathrooms and showers have AC!

This was the first time we camped in Loop C, which is reserve only. It was in January, so the Loop was about 1/3rd full with mostly RVs. Loop D, first come, first serve, had less campers. RV sites have water & electric & tent sites have shared water. The restrooms were very nice, clean and heated. We stayed at site 81C, which was a challenge to back into because of trees that were close to drive. The pad was fairly level & the picnic table/fire pit pad was separated from the RV pad. I could only imagine how secluded this site would feel with vegetation on the trees. This loop also had many tent sites and all the tent & RV sites are well sized & spaced. Some RV sites closer to the water look like they would be a challenge to level, but most sites have fairly level pads & all sites have very level picnic/fire pit pads for an area that has some generally steep slopes. There was only one lake view RV site in Loop C, 56C, that had the hookups on the side that pointed the front door towards the lake, but all had a gorgeous view from the picnic/fire pit pads. Absolutely love the Chickasaw National Recreational Area because of the many activities this park offers & its history.

My son and I spent 2 nights tent camping at the Buckhorn Campground at Lake of the Arbuckles.  We camped at Site 064 Loop C and it was very convenient to the restroom and showers.  Also, the Camp Host was right next to us.  But, there were no safety concerns.   Boating on the lake was also nice.  We took a Jet Ski and did some wakeboarding and it was not very crowded. All the campers we talked to were very pleasant and friendly.  I would highly recommend this campground.

Lake Thunderbird is always a go to fun spot! We spend most summer days here swimming and relaxing. There are so many great spots for putting up a hammock and enjoying the great outdoors. We stayed at Hog Creek Campground for our Questival 2017 challenges at a tent site. There were a ton of deer, fox, squirrels, and other wildlife to help us complete our quest challenges. The park ranger was very helpful in finding us a last minute late night camp site.

We stayed in Loop C, site 48. Had to book about a month in advance, and didn’t have but 3 spots to pick from. Camp site was clean, and although far from the C comfort station, it was a short walk to the D comfort station.

Site had a picnic table, fire pit and lantern hook, with a nice flat area for any tent camping. We were in a teardrop, so the 2 parking spots made it really easy to back the teardrop in and park next to it. Campsites are pretty close together, so you can definitely hear your neighbors, but the trees do provide lots of screening. Easy walk to the lakeshore for some shoreline fishing, and campground itself is a quick 10-minute drive from town and the main park area.

Definitely a beautiful area of Oklahoma, and an easy campground to stay at. Would recommend to anyone.

Showers and toilets were under construction so a car ride was required to reach the next closest. Tent sites were overgrown with grass and ticks were abundant. Signage was not good. Good luck finding your site if you arrive after dark. Lots of traffic once it got dark with people circling to look for their sites. Boat traffic in the lake plays loud music late into the evening. Voices carry throughout the campground. Be aware that the park address might be far from your camp site....check your area before plotting your course.

Was passing through the area and needed a place to land since I couldn’t find any BLM out this way. I paid $16 for a tent site at Hog campground, which had a fire ring and picnic table. Pulled in at night so it took me a while to find it but all tables note the campsite which helped. Bathrooms were meh, but worked. Didn’t use the showers but they aren’t free. They are quarter showers. Clean site and felt safe. Had 2 bars of LTE AT&T service.

We found a nice secluded tent site, despite it being fall break weekend. There are many campgrounds at Lake Murray to choose from. We chose this site which was conveniently located near a nature trail with a beautiful lookout point, as well as a hiking trail. Did not use the restroom facilities, but judging from the nature center, lodge and other park facilities I am sure they were nice. The recently built lodge is beautiful. The staff we met were friendly and helpful. Seems like a very nice and well rounded park even if you aren’t planning any lake or water activities. dog friendly. We will be back!

Was able to spend a night at Buzzards Roost campground while visiting Lake Murray State park.  Our tent site was at the point and provided us with great views of the marina, and Tucker Tower.  There is plenty of parking and the tent pads were nice and level with plenty of space for larger tents.  Each fire pit had it own grate that provides a cooking surface over the fire; however, must were damaged but still usable.  Bath house is a little older but the amenities were nice.  There are 4 showers that are available with great pressure and temps.  All but a few campsites were on the water so it makes it easy to put in a small water craft or even pull a larger boat up to your site.

Great bass fishing here! The dams were cool to see. It was easy to walk in and get a permit for camping and fishing. Friendly staff. The tent site was good. Nothing special but nothing wrong with it. My wife found it a bit boring but she isn't as into fishing as I am. She just enjoyed the water. She went swimming and said the water was nice. There were some people skiing on the lake. I had the best luck for bass in a little inlet near McCloud Rd. There is a playground and picnic pavilion which would be good for families. The areas around the lakes are wooded and pretty natural.