Searching for a tent camping spot near Wister? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Wister, Oklahoma's most popular destinations.
If you are one of those folks who prefers a different, more rugged camp experience, primitive camping is allowed almost anywhere in the Ouachita National Forest unless there is a sign stating otherwise, or it is a wildlife food plot. Located throughout the Forests are areas that have been campsites for many years. These are located along roadsides, trails, mountain tops, or near streams. Camping at dispersed locations have additional responsibilities: "Leave No Trace" so others can have a similar backcountry experience, pack out any trash or litter, scatter campfire ash around so it doesn't pile up, and leave the area better than you found it. Please filter water before drinking! Beware of stream crossings after heavy rains. Please read the Dispersed Camping guidelines before heading out.
Pack it in; pack it out. Trail open to foot traffic only for 55 miles. 137 miles is now open to both mountain bikes and foot traffic. Segments opened to mountain bikes are from the western boundary of the Ouachita National Forest in Oklahoma to the Big Cedar trailhead on Highway 259, and from the Talimena Scenic Drive east of Queen Wilhelmina State Park to trailhead on Highway 7, north of Jessieville, Arkansas.
Horses, pack animals, and vehicles are prohibited. Portions of the trail tcross wilderness areas. To preserve the trail’s beauty, please camp at least 100 feet from the trail. Seasons of use: Open year-round. Weather is most favorable from autumn through spring.
Tenkiller State Park is known as Oklahoma's “heaven in the hills.” The sparkling blue waters of Lake Tenkiller offer water enthusiasts an abundance of recreational opportunities between 130 miles of shoreline and 13,000 surface acres. The park’s plentiful amenities make it a favorite destination for all ages.
Tenkiller State Park in Vian is a haven for all water sports including water skiing, fishing, boating, tubing and scuba diving. Outdoor facilities include a volleyball court, basketball court, two playground areas, four group picnic pavilions and 172 picnic tables. An outdoor swimming pool is available seasonally at the park and includes a water slide and splash pad. Additional amenities include a community building, three hiking trails and the Driftwood Nature Center.
Lake Tenkiller is considered one of the best places in the state for scuba diving, as its waters are clear from eight to 28 feet. Tenkiller Scuba Park is a diver's dream, with a sunken airplane fuselage, school bus, helicopter and two boats to explore underwater. In some areas of the lake, divers can see the remains of homesteads and artifacts left behind from before the lake was formed. The Fisherman's Point Area provides access to a swim beach, dive park, and boat ramp. The lake's underwater terrain ranges from mildly sloping hills to rock cliffs, and the water goes up to 160 feet deep in places. With an Oklahoma fishing license, divers can try their luck at spear fishing for non-game fish. Two diving pro shops, Gene's Aqua Pro and Nautical Adventures, are located on the lake and offer training, certification and equipment rental.
Tenkiller State Park offers RV and tent sites scattered between 10 campgrounds. Online reservations must be made for the RV and tent campsites. Primitive campgrounds include Bluff View, Eagle Point, and Hickory Flats with Day use area's at Fisherman's Point, Goose Neck Bend North and South . RV campgrounds with 30-amp electric and water hookups include Blue Jay Knob and Flying Squirrel. The Shady Grove and Fox Squirrel campgrounds both offer full hookups, with 50-amp electric service. A total of seven comfort stations with restrooms and showers are available in the park, and there are two on-site waste dump stations.
In addition to the tent and RV campgrounds, Tenkiller State Park guests may choose from 38 cabins, ranging from one to three-bedroom styles. All the cabins, except for the three-bedroom models, are duplexes. Cabins are equipped for the maximum number of guests with linens, full kitchens, heat, air conditioning and satellite television. In addition, some cabins are pet friendly. There are a total of 22 one-bedroom cabins, 14 two-bedroom cabins and two three-bedroom cabin.
Tenkiller State Park features two multi-use trails and one nature trail. The Tenkiller Multi-Use Trail is a handicap accessible paved trail 1.5 miles in length. Also located on-site, the Pine Cove Marina offers fuel, snacks and boat rentals, as well as the floating Clearwater Café.
Tenkiller State Park also has The Driftwood Nature Center and a full time Naturalist on staff. There are daily activities Memorial Day through Labor Day. Through the winter months weekend events and activities are planned. To see what is happening at The Driftwood Nature Center call 918-489-5641 or email: leann.bunn@travelok.com
Jack Creek Recreation Area is located in a picturesque setting alongside towering rock bluffs and flowing waters. The area was constructed in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) and displays several unique, historic facilities. There is a short trail that climbs a couple of hundred feet to a recently restored rock overlook vista that offers a panoramic view of whispering pine trees and colorful fall vegetation. Jack Creek offers day use and a primitive campground at no cost. Also from Jack Creek Recreation Area is a trailhead for the Hole-In-The-Ground Mountain Hiking Trail and Sugar Creek Hiking Trail. Hole-In-The-Ground Trail is not a loop trail and extends approximately four miles in length. The Sugar Creek Hiking Trail extends approximately three miles connecting Jack Creek to Knopper’s Ford Recreation Area. Click here for more information.
Tenkiller State Park is known as Oklahoma's “heaven in the hills.” The sparkling blue waters of Lake Tenkiller offer water enthusiasts an abundance of recreational opportunities between 130 miles of shoreline and 13,000 surface acres. The park’s plentiful amenities make it a favorite destination for all ages.
Tenkiller State Park in Vian is a haven for all water sports including water skiing, fishing, boating, tubing and scuba diving. Outdoor facilities include a volleyball court, basketball court, two playground areas, four group picnic pavilions and 172 picnic tables. An outdoor swimming pool is available seasonally at the park and includes a water slide and splash pad. Additional amenities include a community building, three hiking trails and the Driftwood Nature Center.
Lake Tenkiller is considered one of the best places in the state for scuba diving, as its waters are clear from eight to 28 feet. Tenkiller Scuba Park is a diver's dream, with a sunken airplane fuselage, school bus, helicopter and two boats to explore underwater. In some areas of the lake, divers can see the remains of homesteads and artifacts left behind from before the lake was formed. The Fisherman's Point Area provides access to a swim beach, dive park, and boat ramp. The lake's underwater terrain ranges from mildly sloping hills to rock cliffs, and the water goes up to 160 feet deep in places. With an Oklahoma fishing license, divers can try their luck at spear fishing for non-game fish. Two diving pro shops, Gene's Aqua Pro and Nautical Adventures, are located on the lake and offer training, certification and equipment rental.
Tenkiller State Park offers RV and tent sites scattered between 10 campgrounds. Online reservations must be made for the RV and tent campsites. Primitive campgrounds include Bluff View, Eagle Point, and Hickory Flats with Day use area's at Fisherman's Point, Goose Neck Bend North and South . RV campgrounds with 30-amp electric and water hookups include Blue Jay Knob and Flying Squirrel. The Shady Grove and Fox Squirrel campgrounds both offer full hookups, with 50-amp electric service. A total of seven comfort stations with restrooms and showers are available in the park, and there are two on-site waste dump stations.
In addition to the tent and RV campgrounds, Tenkiller State Park guests may choose from 38 cabins, ranging from one to three-bedroom styles. All the cabins, except for the three-bedroom models, are duplexes. Cabins are equipped for the maximum number of guests with linens, full kitchens, heat, air conditioning and satellite television. In addition, some cabins are pet friendly. There are a total of 22 one-bedroom cabins, 14 two-bedroom cabins and two three-bedroom cabin.
Tenkiller State Park features two multi-use trails and one nature trail. The Tenkiller Multi-Use Trail is a handicap accessible paved trail 1.5 miles in length. Also located on-site, the Pine Cove Marina offers fuel, snacks and boat rentals, as well as the floating Clearwater Café.
Tenkiller State Park also has The Driftwood Nature Center and a full time Naturalist on staff. There are daily activities Memorial Day through Labor Day. Through the winter months weekend events and activities are planned. To see what is happening at The Driftwood Nature Center call 918-489-5641 or email: leann.bunn@travelok.com
Camp at an animal lovers paradise! Gates Nature Preserve allows you to pitch your tent beside a petting zoo. Meet exotic reptiles and farm animals while spending a night in the forest of Eastern Oklahoma. When you're not playing with animals, Gates Nature Preserve is an outlet to the outdoors! This campsite sits beside the Tenkiller Ferry Lake which is great for water sports and only 5 miles from Tenkiller State Park. It is also less than 7 miles from Greenleaf state park which gives you access to the Arkansas River, Webber Falls Reservoir and Greenleaf Lake. This campsite is equipped with picnic tables, a fire pit, and a bathhouse with potable water and showers. Bring your own tent, food, and firewood.
$25 / night
This recreation area is part of Eufaula Lake
Scout
This campground is only about a year old and everything seems to still be in good shape. Online reservations were simple, even on the day of arrival. Most sites are concrete pads and even the gravel sites have a concrete pad for the picnic table. Campground is adjacent to the Arkansas River (thus the name) and less than 2 miles from the Fort Smith National Historic Site. The bathrooms were clean and secured by door combination though the showers only had a curtain to close.
Scout
After driving 4 hours to one of our favorite campsites in this area we arrived to find it closed until May 2025. No explanation why. We have camped here in winter several times before. Disappointing!
Scout
Site is still charging campers full price for extended camping(14days) was told showers and restrooms available then suddenly they closed the facilities without notice. Was helping disabled person and his family who is currently homeless with the campsite and he now needing to look for somewhere else to go because there is nowhere for them to shower or use the restroom when needed.
Scout
We really enjoyed this campground. Lots of room to roam, Plenty of access to the water for boats (multiple ramps) or wading/swimming. Plenty of sites to choose from some shaded, some by the water. A few full hookups but not many. Most spots are just electric and water. Clean restrooms/showers. One newer area of the campground has new private shower rooms. We have been back a couple of times with all the kids and grandkids. Overall a nice corp of engineers park.
Scout
I sort of threw darts at a board to where I would be camping next, and Applegate Cove was my destination this time. The campground is fairly small, but each lot is well maintained. The ground was a bit hard to drive tent stakes into, but I'm attributing that to the weather and season until I visit again and disprove that. There's a small walking loop down to the Arkansas river which left me a gorgeous view of the sunset, unfortunately I also visited during a fishing competition which brought quite a few people, making it a bit of a noisy area during the day as they were using the campground boat slip and dock to cast off from. You can also hear river barges during all hours, though personally I slept through all of the supposed noise. My only real complaint was that one of the bathrooms was in considerably worse condition than the other and you could smell it up to twenty feet away, which after learning I took the extra minute to walk to the nicer one. The shower was good and hot, no complaints there. All in all, I'm pretty happy with how my stay went, and there's very little I disliked about the campgrounds.
GuideFantastic park to bring the kids and ride the bike trails or fish. Several pavilions and playgrounds. Clean campground. NO SEWER at campsites which is the only reason for the 4 stars. We stayed 7 days and had to move to pump out twice during our stay, so it was slightly inconvenient. Other than that, we loved it and will be back for shorter visits!
Traveler
This spot I found already had a man built fire ring made from rocks. Small peaceful pond and is right off the Deadman South Trail.
GuideA little older of an area. Stayed in site B10. Close to level. We have a 36' 5th wheel, tow vehicle, plus another vehicle. Easy entry into site and large enough for all vehicles. Asphalt with concrete patio. There is a picnic table and fire ring. 50/30/20A We can kind of see the river from this site. Very roomy sites in the woods with plenty of shade. Mostly dirt ground. Older but clean restrooms. We didn't use them. There are single person combined toilet and shower rooms at the front of park. There are mountain bike/hiking trails all over, even a little bike park with ramps and jumps. Playground and boat ramp. No sewer hookups, but there is a dump station. Lots of mosquitoes in the evening. Although some sites need maintenance and the restrooms are old, this is a nice park. We stayed 2 days and would definitely stay again.
GuideOlder Park. Renovations are being done... Pads, 10 ft picnic tables, playground... Right off the lake with awesome scenery. Couple who manages the place is really nice and helpful. Would stop here again.
Scout
It's a beautiful spot surrounded by big rocks. The only complaint is the restrooms are quite dirty, and the shower doesn't have cold water.
Traveler
21 RV spots available around a small, family lake. Water and electric hook ups and clean dump station. Small park/play area and two large pavilions. Hiking trail located at the back of the park. Lake is great for fishing and kayaking. Not a major boating or water sport lake. First come first serve spots. Camp host is helpful and friendly. Calm and quiet stay
Legend
Coordinates: 35.02531, -93.88228. Located just off of Girard Road (Forest Road 20) - a maintained gravel/dirt forest road. This road is mostly a single track - narrow with some minor erosion in a few places. A lifted 4x4 vehicle is NOT needed to drive to the site. The dispersed site is located 1.3 miles south of the turnoff to Jack Creek Recreation Area. This site is set off from the forest road on a narrow undesignated dirt track which is easy to miss. It is a small site with enough room for one vehicle - truck camper size and smaller. The site is mostly level on a dirt surface with a rock fire ring. It is mostly shaded, although solar recharging may be possible during the afternoon with solar panels being placed on the access track in front of the site. Tent and hammock camping are possible. Received a strong T-Mobile 5G signal here. Except for some peace and quiet, there is nothing remarkable about this particular campsite. However, is is located in the Jack Creek area of the Arkansas Ouachitas. This area has a few nice swimming holes and hiking trails which one can drive to. OHV recreation is also possible in the area.
ScoutWith so many trails that you can access just by walking out of the camp site. This is my favorite spot to camp in Oklahoma
Scout
We drove slowly back and forth along the road exactly where the coordinates lead us to but there is no vehicle access to the forest there. It’s completely overgrown
Traveler
I don’t have many nice things to say about this campground. The bugs were out of control. The bathroom was out of order and a porta potty was set up beside it. The site we chose,#3, was the best site. We found some good trees to set up our hammocks with a view of the forest. 1 and 2 were ok, 4-9 were downright terrible. Basically a parking spot with a picnic area. All the sites were close together. The check in process consisted of a guy in an unmarked vehicle driving up and striking up a conversation without identifying himself. Check out works the same. If you have a boat or tv this park may be nice but I wouldn’t camp here. The hike around nearby lake Alma was the highlight of our trip.
TravelerThe river and creek merging was so beautiful! It was a beautiful drive there. But whoever was there before me trashed it out. It’s sad.
RangerStayed here over a non drill weekend, and the whole place was deserted. Nice spot on the end with trees and the fishing pond. Must be self contained, no bath house. Conveniently located near Fort Smith AR.
Scout
This is not a campsite anymore. Code enforcement will call cops and have you trespassed!
Traveler
Site 51 was the best view. Long but narrow paved spot. We couldn't back all the way up because the tree was too low, but the spot was long enough where it wasn't an issue. The water spicket was about 80 ft away, and unfortunately we didn't have an adapter for the 30 amp. Otherwise this was a great stay with a beautiful sunset over the water. Be mindful of a couple trees overhanging the way in, but we were able to get through without issue hitting any. We have a 13.5 ft tall and 45 ft long fifth wheel. Mosquitoes were pretty bad so be prepared.
Scout
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! Would stop here again when passing through!!
Legend
Beautiful and lush and QUIET. I love it. Asphalt and gravel sites. Clean bathrooms. Water and electric only. Gorgeous 3 mile hike around the lake. I hear it’s a fishing lake but we don’t fish. Enjoyed the scenery and peace. Would come again and again. Don’t forget the ice, there’s nothing close. Site 33 looks to be my fav.
Guide
Was headed to Lake Fort Smith but area was booked so we stopped here and was pleased with our stay. Spaces are quite small but it has become the norm everywhere. Site A2 had fire pit, grill, picnic table was pretty level even with gravel. Fishing pond, dog walk area, propane station all on property for reasonable rates. Bathouse was clean and stocked. Only complaint was these little red mites. I looked them up and they are harmless but they were numerous and made us uncomfortable. I was especially concerned for our 2 dogs. I believe this is an old KOA under private ownership. They have done a great job updating the place. Jules at the office was also very pleasant and helpful.
RangerWe stayed at this newish RV campsite for an overnight. It is located right along the river and is close to other attractions like Fort Smith and the US Marshall’s Museum (literally down the block). Our kids enjoyed the playground, outdoor gym, and pickleball - it was too cold to swim. There is only one bathhouse, but it was clean. The front office has a small store and the staff was nice. There are several restaurants within a mile. There was a gate at the front. There is a walking trail along the river so if your campsite faces it, there is plenty of people walking along that trail.
GuideYou have to reserve your site in advance via Recreation.gov.
The park is adequate but nothing fancy. The restrooms /shower facility was clean.
Good bicycle park. Minimum 2 night stay when I reserved it (Friday Night). I only needed 1 night but paid for both - $26/night.
I didn't stay the second night because of my schedule, not because of the park. Good basic stay for the money. It was safe and clean.
GuideI did not stay at this campground (I was driving the scenic byway), but I stopped for "scouting purposes". It seems very nice, the vault toilet was locked? But otherwise, a well kept dry campground with many sites and good views. Also, the pricing on here is incorrect; USFS website says $8/night for singles, $14/night for doubles (can't beat those prices honestly). Will stay if I pass this way again!
Scout
We had an absolutely wonderful first trip to Marval. However, we won the cabin decorating contest during the Halloween festivities this year and forgot to pick up our certicate for a two night stay in a deluxe cabin. We called when we were only one hour away and were reassured they would keep this for us and we could call to book our next stay at Marval. I called today to do so and was told by the general manager Stacy that I was given the wrong information by her staff and that maybe had I called within a week to rebook or turned around to get the paper certificate this would have been honored. I am extremely disappointed in this response when I was reassured that we did not need to turn around to get the certificate. I am also very disappointed in the way I was dismissed on the phone and told there was nothing she could do to make this right.
Guide
This park is awesome for multiple reasons. The lodge is fantastic, great food and great views with a friendly welcoming staff. The views (worthy of mention again) are top notch, with some incredible sunsets. The mini train and mini golf were closed for the season but it looked like a great time. The bath house was clean, warm (it was cold AF outside), and had great water pressure. The town of Mena was a short scenic drive away, with a brewery and a couple restaurants worth checking out.
Now, the reason for the downgrade to 4 stars. The campsite layout is…weird. It’s like most of the sites were designed for a motorcoach to drive into, not for a travel trailer to back into. For example most of the camp amenities are on the utility side of the trailer when backed in, as opposed to the party side. Some of the sites are reeeeeally close together, as others have mentioned. I might even go so far as to say that if we would have kept our original site it might have garnered a 3 star review. The back rows have the amenities on the rear of the rv, which I actually kinda liked. Yes there is no sewer…but it’s a state park that’s expected.
Wister, Oklahoma, offers a variety of tent camping options that immerse you in the beauty of nature, perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking for a peaceful getaway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Wister, OK?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Wister, OK is Holson Valley Vista with a 4-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Wister, OK?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Wister, OK, with real photos and reviews from campers.
