Best Glamping near Sulphur, OK

We stayed here for 2 weeks over Labor Day 2020. It is a secluded, large property far away from any road noise so it is very quiet. All sites have FHU 30/50 amp. Sites are either grass or some gravel. Our site, 25, was shady, grassy and level with room for us to park our car next to our MH. The owners are pleasant and helpful. When we arrived they were on vacation but they had a woman watching the park. She told us to pick any site. Our Verizon was 2 bars of 4G and I was told that AT&T is sketchy here. There is plenty of shopping in nearby Ardmore. There is 1 set of showers, a laundry room and 3 community fire pits. There are no dog runs but it seems nobody pays attention to the“Pets must be leashed and under control” rule. In my opinion this is one of those places where“Resort” is a misnomer. No picnic tables, cable, WiFi. Pool or other amenities associated with other RV Resorts. If you are in the area, especially for Lake Murray, you don’t need those other conveniences and enjoy peace and quiet this is a good place for you. Website is www.shangri-larvresort.com

General: Buckhorn is one of six campgrounds in Chickasaw NRA (Central, Cold Springs, and Rock Creek are located in the Platt historic district closer to the town of Sulphur. These are best for tent camping with no hookups. Guy Sandy, The Point, and Buckhorn are located on or near Lake of the Arbuckles) with a total of over 400 sites. I am not sure why we chose Buckhorn, but it was possibly due to a Dyrt review and we were not disappointed! Some are reservable, some have water and electric, and some are walk-in. If you enter the park via the town of Sulphur, make sure you stop at the visitor center for a map and information. There is no fee to enter the park.

Site Quality/Facilities: Buckhorn has four loops, two of which were closed when we were there in early May. We reserved site 56 in the C Loop, which had a view of Lake of the Arbuckles. The sites are large, spaced a good distance apart and wooded, providing privacy. Our site (but not all of them) had a large picnic table, water, electric, lantern hook, bbq grill, and fire pit. There is an amphitheater between the C and D Loops, but I am not sure when/if programs will resume.

Bathhouse: The restrooms were very clean, and the good surprise was showers, a rarity in National Park Service campgrounds. The shower is clean, solar heated and operates on a timer. The water was immediately warm and although I did not time it, I had sufficient time to shower and wash my hair, and not feel rushed. There are plenty of hooks and a bench plus an outlet for a blow dryer. Only one spider made an appearance! Soap dispensers in the bathroom and air dryers (I bring my towel).

Activities/Amenities: There is a nature center, two springs, some small waterfalls, and a 2.9- mile paved path around Veteran’s Lake (you would need to drive to get to these areas from Buckhorn). There are also multi-use trails closer to Buckhorn which are used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Fishing appeared to be popular as we saw several boats by some of the sites. Swimming is also allowed but I would imagine this would be in the summer when it is warmer. No to fleeting cell service on Verizon although we did have cell closer to the town of Sulphur in the Platt Historic District.

It was very quiet and peaceful when we stayed here on a weekday in early May with only about 20% occupancy. For $11($22 for non-seniors), this campground is an excellent value, and I would absolutely return.

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.

One big issue with this park is the distance to the actual lake itself. You will need a cart or be ready for a hike to the beach area as it is quite a ways from the campground. that is an issue for us as my wife is disabled and needs a walker and we have no cart. But, lucky for us we were in the B section and decided one of the days we were there to attempt the picnic walk. Well worth it, even with a walker we managed to make it down to the waters edge within 15 minutes and its an easy gradual walk. Bring a picnic basket. tables to sit at or on the waters edge.

As for the rest of the camp, most amenities due to winter months and covid were shut down. Did see people enjoying the hot tub. The roads in many of these TT campground in the loop around Dallas do need attention so take your time going through them. We did need to use the laundry and they had ample enough machines and the basic price which was 1.50 and 1.75. The sites are nice, many shaded but snug not of other campers but trees. Some have fire pits, some do not. As with more and more campgrounds these days many annuals throughout the park.