Matthew E.
Scout
ScoutOuachita National Forest Cedar Lake Recreation Area
This is my favorite spot to camp
With so many trails that you can access just by walking out of the camp site. This is my favorite spot to camp in Oklahoma
Best Equestrian Camping near Red Oak, OK
Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground provides dedicated facilities for horse owners near Red Oak, Oklahoma. The campground features multiple tent and RV sites with water and electric hookups. Guests can access 30-amp service throughout the facility, with clean showers and toilets available on-site. The bathrooms and showers were the nicest many visitors had seen at equestrian campgrounds and were well maintained during peak seasons. Trails connect directly from the camping areas, allowing riders to access miles of bridle paths without trailering horses between locations. The campground offers reasonable rates for overnight stays and accepts reservations for both weekday and weekend visits throughout the year.
Ouachita National Forest surrounds the campground, providing extensive trail systems for horseback riding through varied terrain. Riders can navigate trails ranging from beginner to more challenging routes with small water crossings in seasonal creeks. The campground's location offers good trailer access with sufficient parking for vehicles of various sizes. Water access points for horses are available along several routes, though riders should confirm seasonal availability before planning extended excursions. Cedar Lake Equestrian Camp operates year-round, enabling horse enthusiasts to experience different trail conditions across seasons. Weekend reservations are recommended during peak periods as the campground's proximity to quality trails makes it popular among regional equestrians seeking overnight accommodations with direct trail access.
Best Equestrian Sites Near Red Oak, Oklahoma (12)
1. Robbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park
62 ReviewsWilburton, OK16 milesWebsite+1 (918) 465-2565$32 / night
"Stayed in the Equestrian campground with access to miles and miles of trails. It was wonderful and some of the best hiking I have done in quite a while. The hikes along the lake edges were great."
"Campground was alongside the highway, however the highway divides the state park, sites up the hill are farther away from the highway."
2. Cedar Lake (Oklahoma)
13 ReviewsHodgen, OK26 milesWebsite+1 (918) 653-2991$15 - $40 / night
"If you want to hike, there are more hiking trails and equestrian trails than you could actually accomplish even in fourteen days. The GPS points are all over the map."
"We completed this campout with another family and this is our favorite campout in Oklahoma. The large pines, the facilities and the hiking is wonderful. Cedar lake is beautiful."
3. Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground
6 ReviewsHodgen, OK25 milesWebsite+1 (501) 321-5202$10 - $23 / night
"This was mine and my mom's favorite place to camp in Oklahoma. The campground is heavily forested with pine trees and there are some sites right off the lake."
"I’ve lived in OK for 30+ years and didn’t know of Cedar Lake in the Quachita mountains near Heavener, OK. It’s incredible!! Clean site, right in the national forest."
4. Billy Creek
7 ReviewsMuse, OK27 milesWebsite+1 (501) 321-5202"The ATV trails are around camp and the noise from the machines buzzing by can be a lot, but it wasn’t a busy weekend so not too bad."
"This was such a cool place and a perfect distance away from everything. There were plenty of options for camping spots but also plenty of people there that you don’t feel completely alone."
5. Sallisaw-Fort Smith West KOA
14 ReviewsSallisaw, OK37 milesWebsite+1 (918) 775-2792"They also have normal cabin rental and tiny home rentals that were perfectly positioned around campground and fishing pond. My only complaint would be that the sites are really compact."
"Also hiking trails. Also some tent sites. There is a whole new section for Class A and large 5th wheel campers now."
6. Long Lake Resort
1 ReviewPoteau, OK25 milesWebsite+1 (918) 647-8140$35 - $40 / night
"Buffalo, horses and awesome amounts of fish! We stayed here in a duplex cabin and could just fish right out our back door. They have hiking trails and 2 private lakes."
7. Ouachita National Forest Cedar Lake Recreation Area
1 ReviewHodgen, OK25 milesWebsite+1 (501) 321-5202"With so many trails that you can access just by walking out of the camp site. This is my favorite spot to camp in Oklahoma"
8. Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground
1 ReviewHodgen, OK25 milesWebsite+1 (501) 321-5202"Super close to the Talimena Scenic Drive and Horse Thief Spring and plenty of ATV/UTV trails. The park hosts were amazing and came to check on us throughout our stay."
9. Potato Hills Central Campground
Be the first to review!Clayton, OK26 milesWebsite+1 (918) 569-4131$20 - $150 / night
10. Boondockers Landing
2 ReviewsBig Cedar, OK42 miles$30 / night
"This is as near perfect as you can get!"
Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near Red Oak, OK
2 Photos of 12 Red Oak Campgrounds
Equestrian Camping Reviews near Red Oak, OK
108 Reviews of 12 Red Oak Campgrounds
Kelly Z.
RangerCedar Lake Equestrian Campground
Great campground
This was mine and my mom's favorite place to camp in Oklahoma. The campground is heavily forested with pine trees and there are some sites right off the lake. It has a very nice bathroom facility with showers. Normally when we would go (in the fall and spring) it was not very crowded. Lots of great hiking trails nearby and the scenic Talimena scenic drive is beautiful, especially in the fall.
Teresa T.
LegendRobbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park
I stayed for almost 10 days
Stayed in the Equestrian campground with access to miles and miles of trails. It was wonderful and some of the best hiking I have done in quite a while. The hikes along the lake edges were great. There are horse trails id have loved to have done but it was time to move on. Of all the campgrounds, and there are many in the park, the Equestrian is the best if you want to hike.
- Vanessa M.Legend
Robbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park
Pleasant
Campground was alongside the highway, however the highway divides the state park, sites up the hill are farther away from the highway. We stayed on a site that was basically parallel with the main highway, however the trees offer privacy and noise reduction. There is water access and many trails that are available. Some campgrounds are closer to the state park's main geological feature which are the caves that infamous bank robbers used. This state park offered what I would consider typical of Oklahoma state park trails. They are poorly marked, more challenging than advertised, and not appropriate for certain types of activities. Generally when in Oklahoma I prepare for the worst to avoid a negative experience, and it works well for me. Horses do access some of the trails so horse flies are prevalent in those areas, I recommend bug spray.
We do intend to return to this area to camp again in the future.
Melanie W.LegendRobbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park
Summertime fun
Robbers Cave State Park is located in the scenic, hilly woodlands of the Sans Bois Mountains of southeast Oklahoma. It is located 5 miles north of Wilburton, Oklahoma, on State Highway 2. Park amenities include camping areas modern to primitive, beautiful lodge, cabins, swimming pool with splash pad, 4 small lakes, streams, a nature center, picnic areas and miles of hiking, cave and equestrian camping andtrails. The office is also a store that sells camping supplies, worms, beer, ice, charcoal, candy, pop, ice cream etc. You can rent kayaks, canoes, bikes and Golf carts for running around by the hour or a golf cart for a whole day for $40. They have fun things to do for all ages such as walking tours, canoe tours, making fishing poles out of cane and then fishing with it. The hay ride is fun. It stops to let you off to see the oldest living pine tree in Oklahoma and stops at artesian water free flowing spout to get a cold drink of sweet water. The hay ride cost $4. There's camping up by the office, down by the lake and stream or primitive camping off hiking trails in the mountains. It gets very hot in the day but the nights are great. So if your hiking be sure and take plenty water. There is all kinds of hiking easy to hard. The lake was not as clean as it was the last time I was there. They have a huge flock of geese that have made Lake Carlton there home this summer. I saw a pair of Bald Eagles and deer. I saw adorable twin fawns. The heat was a little too much for me this trip so I stayed in the lodge. It's is very nice with the most beautiful view of the mountains. Star gazing is awesome. The people that work at the park are very nice. The town of Wilburton is only 5 miles away.
Kyle H.
GuideRobbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park
Our First Camping Voyage into Oklahoma
Our first Oklahoma camping trip lead us to Robbers Cave State Park in the southeastern portion of Oklahoma. It is located on more than 8,000 acres in the San Bois Mountains. The parks claim to fame is outlaws such as Belle Starr, the Dalton Gang, and Jesse James used it as a hideout from the law. This was going to be our first full week of vacation spent in the popup, and our first camping trip outside of Missouri. We selected Robbers Cave State Park for two reasons it’s distance was a little over 4 hours away, and the number of amenities it offered for our 4 year old on our extended outing.
The first thing this park did was challenge my perceptions on what the Oklahoma landscape is. This is a park is located in an old growth pine forest, located in the rocky terrain of the Sans Bois Mountains. The park is split in half by Hwy 2 with the east side of the park consisting of the RV campgrounds, cabins, and Belle Starr Lodge. The west side of the park includes Lake Carlton, the equestrian camps, swimming pool, miniature golf, and nature center. This layout was negative in the fact that we could not walk between two sides with my son because of the distance and elevation change, you could rent golf carts if you would like. The positive was that it kept traffic down in the campground from the day use visitors of the park. We booked site 23 in the Old Circle Campground, when booking on the Oklahoma state park website there are no photos of the sites, only short descriptions…sometimes. I will let you know there is a youtube video that someone made driving around the old circle campground. I used this to take a look at our site after booking it. Site 23 was a pull through site with full hookups located only about 5 feet off the main campground road. This could be a problem if the park was busy and there is a lot of traffic. Lucky for us we were camping through the week and this was not an issue. The site then on the opposite side held our own little secluded spot surrounded by pine trees down a slight slope from camper. We had a fire circle, picnic table, grill, and lantern post. We loved this site for this very reason. I will post pictures of both sides of our site below so you can get a visual. The bathroom and shower house is located in the middle of the old circle loop. The structure is very old and very dated stone structure, where you might find frogs sitting on shower curtains, spiders, and lizards (Those are just the ones that I witnessed). There is a newer shower house located outside of the Whispering Pines campground, next to the campground office and store. If you go to the newer one to take a shower make sure you have some quarters, or some dollar bills, because the showers cost money. Four quarters will get you 6 minutes worth of shower time.
When we were not at camp we spent most of our time exploring the west side of the park. We spent two afternoons swimming in Lake Carlton. The designated swim area has a very rocky drop-off for an entrance, but once out it was very nice swimming. There is a concrete pier that is located along the swim ropes that you can climb up and jump off of. Besides swimming you could rent peddle boats, canoes, and paddle boards to go exploring. There was a pool with two water slides and a splash zone, it is $5 dollars to enter for the entire day. My son also got to play miniature for the first time at the course located next to the pool. One word of warning the golf course is very dated with carpet ripped or completely missing in spots. This did not slow us down at all, it just needs a little work. They also sell shaved ice at the miniature gold building.
The Oklahoma Park staff were very knowledgeable, friendly, and willing to answer any of my questions. Also when you get to camp they will give you a schedule of all the events that are going on throughout the week you are staying. We did a hayride that lead us through the park to the stables where there is a petting zoo, we saw the second largest pine tree in Oklahoma, and drank water from anartesian well. They also had a campfire with stories and smores one night, a cane pole fishing class, and even a tour of Lake Carlton by canoe. Just make sure you have cash because each item does cost money.
The last thing we did before leaving Robbers Cave State Park after our three night stay was to go and search for the outlaws in the cave ourselves. I will give you a spoiler alert, the hiking trail to the cave is steep and rocky with big drop-offs, so be careful with small children. It is a ¾ of a mile trail that my son absolutely loved. He was trying to find the robber that was hiding out. The hike was worth every hair raising nervous parent moment.
It is a consensus with my family that we will need to return to this park again. It has so much to offer, and we did not even touch on the many miles worth of trails to hike or go for a horseback ride on. We look forward to our return to continue the exploring and searching for the elusive robbers.
- Teresa T.Legend
Cedar Lake (Oklahoma)
Fabulous
This place genuinely is amazing. If you want to hike, there are more hiking trails and equestrian trails than you could actually accomplish even in fourteen days. The GPS points are all over the map. Essentially, come down to Cedar Lake. And there are two group campgrounds, a spot called shady lane equestrian, campground, and then the campground right on the water, they're all terrific. Most nights there wasn't anybody here. I spent four nights in the equestrian, campground and two nights in shady lane absolutely terrific.
- Neil T.Legend
Robbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park
2nd Visit - will again given the chance
Our first visit was in November and the fall color was stunning.
Early March for this visit and definitely winter scapes...but still beautiful.
Trout fishing just steps away from camp and we had the whole campground to ourselves for the night.
The afternoon hours did have some rambunctious local teens, but they kept to themselves. Can’t blame them - I’d have hung out here in my teens too if I lived close.
Just up the road on the main lake they are building a new restaurant overlooking the lake. They are getting a new office and other upgrades too.
Kayak rentals and horse rides nearby. Plus lots of hiking.
Jennifer D.RangerRobbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park
Beautiful place to get away
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.
Guide to Red Oak
Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground serves as a central hub for riders exploring the Ouachita National Forest region near Red Oak, Oklahoma. The campground sits at approximately 800 feet elevation within pine-covered hills that characterize this southeastern Oklahoma terrain. Winter temperatures typically range from 30-60°F, while summer months can reach 90-100°F with high humidity.
What to do
Hiking around Cedar Lake: The 2-mile perimeter trail provides an accessible option for all skill levels. "There is a trail that goes around the entire perimeter of the lake. Each site has a tent pad, picnic table, grill, lantern poles, fire pit, parking spot and small counter-like food prep area," notes Amelia S. from Cedar Lake (Oklahoma) Equestrian Camp.
Horseback riding on dedicated trails: Several equestrian routes connect directly from the campgrounds. "This is such a great park, one of the best I have ever been to for equine camping. Horses are very happy here, just remember to bring your coggins paperwork," advises Kent B. from Robbers Cave State Park.
Fishing at stocked lakes: Trout fishing is available steps from some campsites. "Trout fishing just steps away from camp and we had the whole campground to ourselves for the night," reports Neil T. from Robbers Cave State Park.
What campers like
Well-maintained facilities: The Cedar Lake campgrounds receive consistent praise for upkeep. "The campground is always really well kept as well which I appreciate. The campsite spots themselves are pretty big in size and are separated by trees and bushes. Feels very private," explains Ashley W. from Cedar Lake (Oklahoma) Equestrian Camp.
Forest atmosphere: Tall pines create a distinctive camping environment. "The setting is absolutely beautiful with tall pines, rolling hills and a gorgeous lake. Saw a ton of wild turkeys and two cottonmouth snakes," reports Amelia S.
Peaceful setting: Many campers note the quiet atmosphere. "Campgrounds were incredibly peaceful and quiet. There is running water and bathrooms which were relatively clean," mentions Amelia S.
What you should know
Limited supplies nearby: The remote location requires advance planning. "The closest store/town is about 45 minutes so be sure to bring everything you need with you," warns Kristi B. from Ouachita National Forest Cedar Lake Equestrian Camp.
Wildlife awareness: Be prepared for encounters with native species. "Saw a ton of wild turkeys and two cottonmouth snakes," notes Amelia S.
Reservation considerations: Some campgrounds get booked quickly during peak seasons. "Weekend reservations are recommended during peak periods as the campground's proximity to quality trails makes it popular among regional equestrians," mentions a reviewer.
Tips for camping with families
Fishing opportunities: Kids can enjoy bank fishing at several locations. "We brought our kayaks and had so much fun hitting the lake in the morning. It does get busy as the day goes on, especially in the summer on the weekends," reports Ashley W.
Swimming areas: Several lakes offer designated swimming zones. "We spent two afternoons swimming in Lake Carlton. The designated swim area has a very rocky drop-off for an entrance, but once out it was very nice swimming," explains Kyle H. from Robbers Cave State Park.
Scheduled activities: Check for ranger-led programs. "When you get to camp they will give you a schedule of all the events that are going on throughout the week you are staying. We did a hayride that led us through the park to the stables where there is a petting zoo," shares Kyle H.
Tips from RVers
Site selection for privacy: Look for sites with natural dividers. "The sites are well spaced and even on busy weekends you aren't really ever bothering anyone," notes Tom K. from Boondockers Landing.
Hookup availability: Most equestrian sites offer water and electric connections. "The RV area looked new because all of the power boxes had 50/30 and 120 outlets and breakers which is super cool. All of the sites had sewer and water connections too," reports Cynthia H. from Long Lake Resort.
Level sites: Many campgrounds feature relatively flat camping spots. "Asphalt and gravel sites. Clean bathrooms. Water and electric only. Gorgeous 3 mile hike around the lake," shares Jennifer O.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian
campsite near Red Oak, OK?
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Red Oak, OK?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Red Oak, OK is Robbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park with a 4.2-star rating from 62 reviews.
What is the best site to find
equestrian camping near
Red Oak, OK?
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Red Oak, OK?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 equestrian camping locations near Red Oak, OK, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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