Best Tent Camping near Poteau, OK

We had a great time tent camping here on Labor Day Weekend. Beautiful park with grassy tent sites. Nice hiking trail. Bathrooms could stand to be updated. There is a marina where you can rent canoes and kayaks and buy supplies. There is a mini golf course too. The absolute best part of this park is the splash pad. It was the best splash pad we’ve been too. They had a cool slide and we had a blast.

We took our first trip there Oct 4 & 5 2020 and really enjoyed it. The drive to the park is wonderful with great spots to take in the views as you drive to the top. We even spotted a bald eagle at one stop.  

The Lodge is very modern and the welcoming staff were very polite and helpful. We asked if a 15amp site for tent camping was available but they had to move us after determining that they didn't give us a site with a pad. There aren't many tent sites at all, especially with electric/water and only 5 primitive and 1 walk-in. 

Due to COVID many activities weren't available but we did enjoy one trail. The restaurant wasn't that great but it served the purpose for one of our meals. I would still go back and recommend to friends or family.

We stayed at RV site #3 on Quarry Island. The concrete pad was perfectly level and took no time to set up. There were 5 RV sites with full hook ups on isle, even though #4 and # 5 are so close to each other that slide outs could bump into each other, and 2 very nice RV sites with only water and electric on the isle. There was also a lot of tent camping, flush and vault toilets, dump station, pavilion, 5 cabins, picnic tables with grills, boat ramp and swimming anywhere you wanted except for 150’ of the boat ramp. The ranger station was on the isle, so traffic was high at check in. There were 2 hiking trails that looked very nice, but never hiked because we were kayaking. My parents stayed in cabin #4 on the isle and my brother tent camped at Wister Ridge. The view from both of their places was breathtaking and his tent site was well shaded with maple, oak and pine. Fishing was very good and wasn’t a whole lot of boat traffic. There is also primitive camping which looked very nice, except for a couple of sites where the campers didn’t clean up too well behind themselves.

Pros: Beautiful area and amazing views. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. Plenty of options for accommodations and outdoor activities. The Heavner Ruinstone and Spiral Mounds are close. Tons of wildlife areas and we even spotted a bald eagle. The campgrounds and cabins were very clean.

Cons: RV sites can be very crowded and not well spaced, especially at Victor Landing. The Wards would be the least crowded for RVs. The booking website is not very good and not very accurate. The cabins bed was not very comfortable, the shower was small and flooded the bathroom while using and the kitchen light and living room ceiling fan was on one switch, so there was no way to have the fan going without the light on. Not all RV sites have picnic tables.

Primitive Tent Camping with family. It was okay for a one night tent camping experience. I wouldn't recommend staying longer than that in the primitive camping area.

There are two section to this area. The northern one is labeled “below the dam tent sites”, the southern one is labeled “below dam”. The southern one is a just a cluster of pull in camping sites next to the fishing area. There’s a short walk to the bathrooms. You can get to the water by walking down the rocks. The northern side is a bit greener but 3-8 are very small sites jammed close together. There isn’t much room, if any, for a tent. Sites 1 & 2 are further back and much more spacious and pretty. There’s a water spigot here but no bathhouse. You would need to drive to the south lot.

It’s a smaller campground which is great. Tent sites are near the river. It was quiet at night. The staff was very helpful as well.

Hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, and swimming among rolling wooded hills and rocky cliffs, plus cave tours, nature center, special events year-round (tractor show!), canoe & bike rentals, horseback tours, and lots more extras. They have rustic tent sites, full RV, and small cabins to rent. We stayed in the tent sites, which had great shade and decent privacy. Restrooms need to be updated (as of 2014), but we didn’t mind. While this is a very built-up campground with many activities and is relatively crowded, it does not feel like a theme park since all the activities are tied to nature. Great place and perfect to bring less experienced campers.

Tent camping had no facilities and is by a busy road. All camp sites were nothing but lose dirt. It didn’t help that a biker gang was staying in the cabins right next to our camp ground. Guess it was just bad timing.

Rented a tent site day before through the state website with no trouble, quiet as there weren’t many campers there that night where we were. Beautiful view of the lake in the morning.

It was great. I took my boys, 8 and 18 year old. Very quiet and felt secluded even though the campsites were about 75% full. Tent camped with electrical hook-ups which I wasn't expecting. I think it was only$14 a days. Went hiking the next day on the trails around the lake and mountain

We stayed at Bobcat tent camping and loved it the spots were spaced enough apart where you are not on top of other campers the spots were very clean also the front office is great at helping out if you want to move spots last minute I will say we had no service at all so be prepared for that :)

I love Robbers Cave. It’s one of my most favorite places to camp. There are over 40 miles of hiking trails and the views are incredible! I prefer to camp away from people and toilets don’t matter, I tent camp around Lake Wayne Wallace or Eagles Nest. Watch the trails bc you could end up on the horse trails and be very sad lol.

The views of this campground are amazing, however, the campground left much to be desired. The bath house and spots are fine for RV's but when we tent camp it gets crowded at this site and lacks privacy. The campground for the most part is one single road with many camp spots on each side. The Ozark Highland Trail does pass close by and the Lover's Leap trail is pleasant with some amazing views.

Hiked some of the trails here today. Good trails, fairly well marked, until the very end. No service in the woods of the trails, but T-Mobile reception through the campgrounds.
Nice looking lake, clean bathrooms, easy access to trash cans. Campsites with grills, rv camps all looks really nice. Can't wait to book a tent site after what I've seen!

This State Park is really designed just for the hotel, which is incredible. However, the campground really should be avoided. There is a small area to camp with one restroom in the center. It is incredibly crowded to stay in a tent and really should just be considered for a drop in if you have an RV. You should also look at reservations during peak seasons as the limited availability will make this park fill up fast. If you tent camp, I would suggest Cedar lake about 30 minutes away in Oklahoma with many more options to set camp. The pluses of this park are the views from the hotel and "Lovers Leap" but the overall hiking is something less than desirable as the trails are limited unless you choose to go the long route of an out and back of the Ouachita trail.

We came to Heavener Runestone Park with three families and nine young children and had the BEST time! Totally worth the drive from Tulsa. The park is beautiful and secluded, very clean and well kept. It has some really fun little themed touches in keeping with the Viking Runestone. The history around the Runestone is so interesting, the kids loved hearing about the Vikings. The hiking was beautiful and just challenging enough to be fun while accessible for little kids. Bathrooms were clean and easily accessed from our tent sites. The views were spectacular. Out of the three cliff tent sites I would say only 1 was safe for kids, 2 and 3 were too close to the cliff (beautiful views though). The playground was really fun and right by site 1. It’s a big site so we put four tents and 15 people on that site comfortably, it also has a covered pavilion which helped us in the rain and a brief storm. The park hosts were incredibly kind and welcoming. One last note, you do need to bring your own drinking water in. We had such a great time and would totally recommend the park for adults or families. My only complaint was the persistent barking dog on the private residence by the entrance to the park, including late at night.

This was my first visit to Mulberry River Outdoor Adventures, and it won't be my last. The property is more set-up for RV and ATV use but the tent site/s are surprisingly secluded. I need to talk about the property owner. He is incredibly friendly and accommodating. He greeted us with his precious dogs and hung out with us until we were settled in, telling us all about the property, trails, and nearby waterfalls. If you want a full and fast weekend, he can point you in the right directions, even take you there on his buggy. Or if you are in need of a quiet, relaxing escape by the water he will let you be. The RV'ers were friendly when we crossed paths.  This seems like the Cheer's of campsite. Everyone know everyone and strangers are welcome.  Very laid back.  My partner and I were the only tent campers that weekend (for a slow, quiet escape) so we chose the"island" tent site, which is maybe 100' from the water.  Wish I had brought hammocks to utilize the swing contraption on the shore (see pictures).

Bonuses: 

1. If the Labradoodle likes you she will swim with you.  

2. I am walking mosquito bait and was only bitten twice!

3. The nicest "outhouse" I've ever encountered. Cedar paneling, full shower, and hot water!!

I've stayed here a couple of times the night before starting my hike on the Ouachita Trail.  The OT is a 200+ mile trail and this is park is the Western Terminus.    The park has tent and RV sites.   The tent sites are level and clean.  

The bathrooms and showers are very clean. It is a great place to grab a shower after a few days hiking.  The showers have plenty of hot water and the water comes out a good rate to make it easy to knock off that trail dirt.

For a small daily fee you can park your car here for the duration of the hike.   I have left my car here several times with no issues.