Best Tent Camping near Stringtown, OK

I found this campground through a US army core website, and the details at that website did not turn out to be very accurate. Both loops at Pat Mayse East Campground showed to have bathrooms, which I assumed meant flush toilets and sinks, since the map also had an icon for vault toilets and this was not used. Both loops actually do have vault toilets and no running water. The campground seems set up pretty well for RVs; there were a lot of rv hookups for water and electric. There are also basic tent sites, picnic tables and metal fire rings. Water spigots are placed throughout so access is not difficult. You have your choice of sunny areas or more forested. Some spots are tightly packed in, but others are on the outside of the loop and seem like they'd be pretty quite. I wasn't overly impressed on the whole.

We reserved in area D (tent camping no electric) for 2 nights. We got in the first night around 8 and it was pouring rain. So we did not stay the night. We returned early the next morning and were able to set up camp. They have concrete picnic tables, fire rings and the area we were in had a bathhouse. Stalls had a toilet, sink and shower area. The sites were pretty close together. Our neighbors were very friendly but I like having a little more space. Overall it was a good time. Just not as secluded as we are used to and the rain kind of put a damper on things.

The Blue River is beautiful. The camping is free but you must have an Oklahoma fishing license rather your fishing or not to camp there. There is around 80 campsites nestled in the woods along the bank of this beautiful clear river. It is primitive camping. There is no electric, water faucets, picnic tables, or grills. The bathrooms are primitive as in no flushing toilets. No showers. Hiking is great but watch out for snakes on the ground along trails. I saw a few. There are many snakes such as rattlesnakes and copperheads. I havent saw water moccasins maybe because the water is too cold. River PFHA is owned and managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Amazing and Great for trail riding 

Sites: 26 family with electric and water 

          35 equestrian with hookups 

            3 equestrian tent sites no hook ups 

            1 day use shelter with electric 

Reservations only: 877-444-6777 or recreation.gov 

No camp host Flush and pit toilets, showers, drinking water, trash, picnic table, dump station, boat ramp, dock 

Great for horseback riding, fishing, hiking, fishing, hunting, and boating. Beautiful rolling hills with mature trees. Great shade especially in the equestrian area. Well maintained. Wonderful lake views with amazing sunsets. 

LNT 

BTYFI 

Travel safe.

We camped at McGee Creek State Park over Memorial Day weekend. We camped at tent hill #3. The thing we really liked about this particular site was that there are only 4 tent sites here, so it’s secluded and nice and quiet. There is very little traffic driving by as well. What we didn’t like is that there is only a pit toilet and no water faucets. There is a real bathroom with a shower about a 10-15 minute walk away. The bathroom was pretty typical of a state park. There is an area that has some lake huts for rent as well. They don’t have bathrooms but the are heated/cooled.

There is another area about 1.5 miles away called Buster Height campground. This is where the swim beach and another boat dock is. There is also an RV area and a bunch of tent sites. Most of these tent sites are pretty small and crowded together. If you have a big tent or don’t like being near others, you might want to consider tent hill if it’s available.

On the other side of the lake (about a 25-30 minute drive) is the natural scenic recreation area. There are a ton of hiking trails that lead to backpacking campsites, equestrian camps and there are boat in sites as well.

Overall a pretty decent park but definitely not one of our favorites.

 When I arrived at the location to which my GPS directed me, I was a little concerned that there was just a building with bathrooms and three large dumpsters off to the side.

If I had a been brave enough to drive my little Mustang down the gravel path that was on the opposite side of the road leading away from the restrooms, I would have found waterfront campsites along the Blue River, large boulder, formations to climb, and beautiful views.

What I did, though, was continue down the road I had a been on and found a large dirt parking lot. There were fire pits and designated camping set up along one side of the parking lot, which seemed a little weird.

There was a gravel road on the opposite side of the parking lot that led to the RV camping and a couple of tent sites along that road, so I chose one. The campsite was secluded with several paths that lead down to the river. 

What I found to be the best part of this area was Hughes Crossing! It’s a waterfall that you can drive over. I did not attempt this in the mustang, but watched several trucks easily pass over.

Not only is there a beautiful little waterfall that also substitutes as a bridge, but the area is perfect for swimming. There is a bit of green algae, but it is otherwise clear and refreshing.

The only downside was the amount of trash that people had left. I think I might make it a new goal to try to carry out at least one or two grocery bags worth of other people’s trash so that I can hopefully leave places better than I found them.

McGee creek State Park is a beautiful state Park. It has beautiful campsites nestled along the lake shore. Their campsites can accommodate big RVS. The lake is beautiful. The fishing is great from boat, shore or covered fishing dock. I love swimming and kayaking in the cool water. They also have campgrounds for people with horse. The lake is surrounded by the kiamiche mountains. There is no lights around the lake except at the park. Star gazing is amazing. The lake has 2 dams. The park has beautiful hiking trails going through the Pines. If you like to hike you can choose the type of hiking you want to do from just a few minutes hike or carry gear for camping in the forest. You have to sign in when you go hiking back country. I went hiking in the winter and because I took a trail that was new to me I was 5 minutes late getting back to the Ranger Station and when I came out of the Forrest their was a search team assembling. Very embarrassed but it felt good to know if I had been lost or injured they would have found me. The state Park also have 8 camping huts that are air condition and heated that have a fireplace, screened in porch that you can relax and look out over the lake. They are nestled in the Pines along the shore at Potapo Hill.They are unique. They were built back in the 40s I believe by WPA. The huts have a set of bunk beds, picnic table, heat and air, fireplace, fireplace, barbecue grill. The huts do not have bathrooms in each hut but have shared bathrooms outside that are clean and kept up. The huts are not equipped with refrigerator, cook stove or bed linens. So if I'm going for a few days or longer I take a mini fridge, hot burners for cooking. Basically this is camping with the luxury of having a roof over your head with the comfort of heat and air without bugs bitting. The huts have plenty of room for 2 queen size air up mattresses. They also give good discount for vets, military and disabled.