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 Spiro, OK
Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground provides dedicated horse facilities in the Ouachita National Forest near Spiro, Oklahoma. The campground features multiple sites designed specifically for equestrians with their horses and trailers. Campers have access to spacious pull-through sites that accommodate large horse trailers and RVs. The bathrooms are clean with hot water showers, making it comfortable for extended stays. While no specific horse corrals are mentioned in the data, the equestrian-focused camping area allows riders to bring their own containment systems. The campground is heavily forested with pine trees, creating a natural setting for horses and riders. Trails are accessible directly from the campsite, allowing riders to hit the trails without needing to load horses and drive elsewhere. The fire rings include grill tops for cooking meals after a day of riding.
Located about 45 minutes from the nearest town, Cedar Lake offers a remote horse camping experience where riders can enjoy peace and quiet. The park connects directly to multiple trail systems suitable for horseback riding, including a relatively flat 2-mile trail that circles the lake. The Talimena Scenic Drive is nearby, providing additional riding opportunities with beautiful mountain views. The campground is particularly beautiful during fall when the leaves change color, creating a picturesque setting for trail riding. Park hosts regularly check on campers during their stay, ensuring both horses and humans have a positive experience. Campers should come prepared with all necessary supplies as the remote location means no quick trips to stores for forgotten items. The campground undergoes regular maintenance to improve facilities, with occasional closures for repairs to systems like septic tanks. Most sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis, though reservations can be made online for certain spots.
Best Equestrian Sites Near Spiro, Oklahoma (10)
1. Sallisaw-Fort Smith West KOA
14 ReviewsSallisaw, OK17 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."
2. Devil's Den State Park Campground
88 ReviewsWinslow, AR43 milesWebsite+1 (479) 761-3325$20 / night
"I stayed in Campground E, one of 5 campgrounds in the park, not including the equestrian campground or the walk in tent sites off of Campground A."
"The trails are great and our campsite had a path right down to the river. The water hookup was a bit tricky, it leaks all over the place until you turn it all the way."
3. Long Lake Resort
1 ReviewPoteau, OK16 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."
4. Robbers Cave State Park — Robbers Cave State Resort Park
62 ReviewsWilburton, OK45 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."
5. William O. Darby RV Community
2 ReviewsBarling, AR19 milesWebsite+1 (479) 242-0799$22 - $25 / night
"Contacted owner late in the evening looking for a spot after a 9hour drive. This place had everything and the bathhouse was just like taking a shower at home!"
6. Cedar Lake (Oklahoma)
13 ReviewsHodgen, OK34 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."
7. Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground
6 ReviewsHodgen, OK32 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."
8. Chicken Creek
6 ReviewsBunch, OK36 milesWebsite+1 (918) 487-5252$16 - $50 / night
"Store outside gate. Gates going in locked at 10:00 p.m. and open at 6:00 a.m."
"We had a great spot located 200 yards from the lake. Also had the boat dock just on the other side of us. Great place to stay, friendly staff!"
9. Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground
1 ReviewHodgen, OK32 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."
10. Ouachita National Forest Cedar Lake Recreation Area
1 ReviewHodgen, OK32 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"
Recent Equestrian Camping Photos near Spiro, OK
3 Photos of 10 Spiro Campgrounds
Equestrian Camping Reviews near Spiro, OK
194 Reviews of 10 Spiro 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.
Cheri H.LegendDevil's Den State Park Campground
It was ok, I wasn’t super impressed
I had heard so many great things about this park but I was not that impressed. The sites are fairly close together. There’s no signs warning that if you are in a large RV you shouldn’t come in on a certain highway. They do have equestrian trails and a campground to accommodate campers with horses. They have a lot of hiking trails. There are cabins and a pool.
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.
Guide to Spiro
Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground provides specialized facilities for horseback riding campers about 45 minutes northeast of Spiro, Oklahoma. The campground sits in the pine-forested hills of the Ouachita National Forest at an elevation of approximately 800 feet. Access roads can be narrow and winding, with gravel surfaces that may require careful navigation during wet conditions.
What to do
Trail riding access: Cedar Lake Recreation Area offers a relatively flat 2-mile trail circling the lake that connects to longer trail systems. According to one visitor, "The trail around the lake is flat and easy but other more difficult trails aren't far away."
Fishing opportunities: Cedar Lake provides accessible fishing spots directly from campsites. One camper at Cedar Lake (Oklahoma) Equestrian Camp mentioned, "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."
Wildlife viewing: The forested setting attracts diverse wildlife including birds and mammals. A camper noted, "Saw a ton of wild turkeys and two cottonmouth snakes" during their stay at Cedar Lake, highlighting the natural encounters possible while maintaining appropriate caution.
Hiking options: Multiple trail systems of varying difficulty levels branch out from the camping areas. One visitor to Cedar Lake Recreation Area shared, "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."
What campers like
Pine forest setting: The tall pines create natural privacy between sites. A camper at Cedar Lake mentioned, "The setting is absolutely beautiful with tall pines, rolling hills and a gorgeous lake."
Site amenities: Campsites include practical features for comfortable stays. One visitor noted, "Each site has a tent pad, picnic table, grill, lantern poles, fire pit, parking spot and small counter-like food prep area."
Peaceful atmosphere: The remote location provides quieter camping experiences. A camper at Cedar Lake North Shore shared, "This is our all time favorite camping spot. It's wonderful in the fall when the leaves are changing, the days are cooler, and the nights are perfect for gathering around a camp fire."
Camp host availability: Attentive camp hosts enhance the experience. One visitor remarked, "At the time we went they had a camp host that met you, took you to your site, and checked in on us several times during our three night stay. She was really friendly, helpful, and our two boys thought she was the best when she gave them Smokey the Bear pins!"
What you should know
Facilities maintenance: Bathrooms and showers undergo periodic maintenance. A visitor noted, "Cedar Lake is going to be closed for few weeks during Fall of 2019 for maintenance and repairs. I would be sure and call office before traveling there in hopes of camping!"
Remote location preparation: Limited access to supplies requires advance planning. One camper at Long Lake Resort advised, "Buffalo, horses and awesome amounts of fish! We stayed here in a duplex cabin and could just fish right out our back door." The resort offers additional accommodation options when equestrian camping requires more amenities.
Reservation options: Most sites operate on both reservation and first-come systems depending on season. A visitor noted, "We reserved our campsite on line but many were available on a first come first serve basis."
Firewood availability: Sources for firewood can be limited. One camper shared, "It was difficult to get fire wood. The campground didn't have any available but a local stated we could call a guy who would deliver some - we didn't have cell service so that wasn't an option. We drove about 30 mins to the closest 'town' to get firewood from a gas station quick stop."
Tips for camping with families
Swimming access: The lake offers swimming areas suitable for children. One visitor to Robbers Cave State Park mentioned, "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."
Activities scheduling: Planned ranger activities provide educational opportunities. A camper noted, "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."
Kid-friendly trails: Easier hiking options accommodate younger campers. A visitor shared, "There is a really fun trail that runs right around the entire lake, and it's a little over two miles. Nearly all natural terrain throughout the hike which makes it especially nice."
Weather preparation: Temperature fluctuations require appropriate clothing. One camper advised, "When we lived in Oklahoma we would camp out regularly in March, bring jackets and stuff to keep warm because it is still very chilly, but warm enough during the day for some nice hiking."
Tips from RVers
Site selection: Choose sites based on access needs and privacy. A visitor to Sallisaw-Fort Smith West KOA noted, "Decent lots. Many are shaded. Several things for kids including a pool."
Hookup details: Electric and water connections vary by campground section. One RVer mentioned, "All of the sites had sewer and water connections too."
Leveling requirements: Some sites require additional equipment for stabilization. A camper noted, "The sites were level, and were Pull-Thru so we didn't even unhook."
Road conditions: Interior roads affect ease of maneuvering larger rigs. One visitor stated, "The road was really large rock that is very bumpy and uncomfortable to wheel over."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian
campsite near Spiro, OK?
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Spiro, OK?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Spiro, OK is Sallisaw-Fort Smith West KOA with a 4.6-star rating from 14 reviews.
What is the best site to find
equestrian camping near
Spiro, OK?
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Spiro, OK?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 equestrian camping locations near Spiro, OK, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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