Best Equestrian Camping near Yukon, OK

We had a great stay in Lake Thunderbird State Park near Norman Oklahoma. The park has 11 campground areas situated around the 6000 acre centerpiece lake with many tent, RV sites and some of those have full hook up; our choice was the Little Ax campground on the southern end just off Oklahoma 9. In addition to water activities the park offers hunting, horse rental and boarding, equestrian trails, hiking, mountain biking, nature trails, a nature center, and an archery range. Our lakefront site#37 was nice and shaded with a gentle lake breeze offering a concrete pad, water, 30/15 amp electric, concrete table, lantern holder, fire ring and grill at site. The campground has an entry station, camp host, picnic shelters, playground, bathhouse and laundry, beach area, common fire pit, Verizon 4 bars, dump station, trash receptacles, interior roads are paved, with many sites waterfront. RV sites are close quarters. Tent sites are amazing...pads, concrete table, fire ring, grill, water spigot dispersed, waterfront sites. The town of Norman has all the amenities: shopping, dining, groceries, fuel and yes, Walmart. The area is home to local wineries and breweries and also the hometown to actor James Garner. WARNING: Oklahoma State Parks charge a daily parking fee per vehicle of$10 in addition to the camping fee and they enforce it...just saying from experience...read the information carefully! 13101 Alameda Dr, Norman, OK 73026 GPS- 35.234940,-97.219224 for the Little Ax Campground.

Visiting this campground so was expecting similarities between it and the Guthrie Lake campground as they are both maintained by the City of Guthrie. But I was pleasantly surprised as the road turned to packed rock and dirt and started to get more and more remote in appearance. I noticed equestrian crossings and trails and also signs marking arc access points before entering.

When arriving to the lake itself traffic splits off into one way lanes. You pass a house like structure which serves as a paystation for entry, though when I visited no one was there to accept my money and I didn’t see a self pay area.

The boat ramp and fishing pier is the first thing you see when entering the park with large parking and easy water access. There are a few picnic tables at this point to enjoy the day use space. Just beyond that a swimming “beach”. This was a little perplexing to me because there was less than a foot of red dirt sand then water which was marked as appropriate. The beach itself was tiny but it was nice to see they had created a space unique to swimming in the area for safety. No also noticed an abundance of naked signs about life jacket safety which I thought was great!

As you continue to drive away the more commercial day use area there are 7 campsites each with large parking areas, grills, fire rings, picnic tables and plenty of room to spread out in a tent or RV. These sites do not have hook ups but what they lack there they make up for in lake views. Each site had a clear view of he lake and water access only a short distance from your parking area.

Restrooms are only port a potty units and with recent winds some of these had been knocked over or damaged by tree limbs, so that is something to consider.

I really liked that this location by far seemed more established than the other city maintained option and also had more privacy overall.

Tips:

• Call ahead if you want to stay here on a weekend since there are limited sites and reserve in advance

• Check weather before traveling, it is very common for bad weather to roll through this area and with all of the trees you want to make sure you are safe.

Stay with some friends here for a festival in Oklahoma City. The campground was easy to find and very close to Oklahoma City but it was dirty and the fire in the fire pit was still going from the people that have been there the night before.

This campground offers lots of sites with water views. There is a swimming beach and boat ramp as well as a dock to fish off. Very easy to get to from Oklahoma City.

I’ve stayed here twice now, and I love the rural, rougher campsites. This area is much more wooded than Thunderbird, and the views of the lake are obstructed by trees, so don’t expect to get a lake view in front of your tent. Payment sucks, as you have to shove money into an envelope at the entrance and is just a hassle. The City of Edmond could improve this by allowing reservations online just like the Oklahoma State Parks.

Nice campspots as we are passing through Oklahoma, near Norman and restaurants/grocery stores. Quiet with decent shower and bathrooms.

The spot we found was level, but has pulled into the spot next door first and it was not very level. You can't beat the price for $26 a spot for electric. They also don't tack on non-resident fees like some states wish is appreciated. Tourism brings additional money into the state. Thank you!

Looking for a nature centric camping experience? This isn’t your place.

Need a place convenient to the Lazy E Arena, Guthrie or Edmond to base out of of? This could be your spot.

Need an easy on/off overnight spot in central Oklahoma? This could work for that, too.

Not scenic, but clean, level spots. On-site store and propane are handy. Spots aren’t roomy, but I’ve been packed in tighter at other places. All spots look to be pull-through.

Lazy E is only 4 miles away.

Chicken Shack is very close and has great fried chicken. A bigger convenience store and gas station is close as well.

In Guthrie check out Missys Donuts for the best donuts and in Edmond, Texlahoma BBQ is consistently awesome.

This park is nestled in the red rock hills of close north central Oklahoma with its curved and tree-filled landscape hiding awaiting adventures and treasures to be discovered! The landscape’s curves, twists and turns produce moments of discovery including natural springs abundant with icy cold, clear water flowing from rocky walls and gurgling streams as one winds through pathways of wild wooded areas.

Options for all levels of outdoor-lovers include the lodge, with hotel-type accommodations, restaurant and outdoor seating area to the more adventurous Tipis for those who want to experience a more “close encounter” with nature!

Certainly something for everyone including the good sized lake with recreation for the whole family!

There are three main campground parks around the lake. Spring Creek and Scissortail Parks are off 15th. Central Park is off the 2nd Street entrance.

Spring Creek and Scissortail were both full, so we ended up at the Spring Creek Park.

In Spring Creek, there is primitive camping in Bobcat Campground and King Snake Campground. We stayed in the Cottonwood Campground which had a mix of camping types. 

We stayed in an RTT, so all of the spots were easy access for us, but I saw some big rigs and setups with boats, so it looked like it was easy to park for most anyone.

The spaces were ample sized and most all of them had enough trees surrounding them to offer decent privacy. They all had had fire pits, grills and picnic tables. They all looked pretty level.

Restrooms and showers were passable, but not much better than that.

The campground was pretty full, but pretty quiet. No problems with noise.

Lots of trash cans around, but they were all full or overflowing. Most of the campsites had some lingering trash around. Definitely could have been cleaner.

My son had a ball and this place isn't far from home, so we will probably checkout the other campgrounds on 15th the next time we are there.

In addition to easy setup and getting around, the other thing that makes this great for new campers is that the city of Edmond is just a few miles away for a full list of stores and restaurants. Or head east on 2nd (66) and go to Pop's in Arcadia for a burger and a selection of over 500 sodas.

And finally, lots of Oklahoma hospitality in case you do have problems or need a hand.

I love a good lake side camping site, nothing better than being able to set up with a great view and the sound of the wakes rolling in with the breeze when in my tent. But what happens when your perfect setting becomes your worst nightmare?

On a recent trip to Oklahoma I got a good glimpse of just what that would be like as a slightly unexpected rain flooded this campground miserably. Driving through the RV loop waters were right up to some of the pull throughs, tables in some areas were underwater and this was the better of the camps. The tent sites were nearly all effected by the flooding because of their location and even the road was cut off and closed.

Now is this typical of the camp? No. But however this is a scary reality you must consider when choosing your site at this or any lake. I have many times experienced overnight rains unexpectedly, however usually choose a site slightly elevated from the waters, however at this camp many of the sites are level to the water and more susceptible to rising waters.

As a location as a whole, it was nice and facilities were very well maintained, but because of the issues with flooding I would not want to imagine the stress low laying campsites could hold.

Prices are reasonable, the staff was friendly and the lake was large (larger of course because of rains…lol) but all in all this has a lot of features which make for a great location.

TIPS:

• If reserving online, look carefully at the map for your site, choose something a little further back from the water, you will still have a great view but will avoid possible fear of unexpected rainfall.
• Check out the sites just up from the camp on Route 66 including POPs (a multimillion dollar retro style cafe and gas station boasting over 700 different types of soda) and the Round Barn, a staple of the original Route 66.

I took my Girl Scout troop of Brownies and Juniors here the last weekend of April. I got there early on Friday so I could get enough campsites for us, since the sites are first-come, first-served. I think this is important because there aren't too many that are away from the RV campgrounds or that have shade. The grounds are pretty clean for a state park and with the resources they have available. We stayed in Beaver Den, which is near the bathrooms with a shower. There is a fantastic red cedar set back into the tree that the girls loved climbing and a little hill they spent plenty of time scaling.

Campsites have picnic tables, a grill, and a fire pit with a grate. The loops are small, so the water is close.

The park ranger was awesome. He drove by several times to ensure everything was fine. He let me know in the future to call the ranger on duty to see if the group campground would be available (because it is also first-come, first-served). They also give a 50 percent discount if they have a service project for scout groups, which is awesome. They came and talked to the girls about a service project and the importance of wearing a life jacket.

Something to pay attention to is that they charge by the tent, not by the campsite. Both Travel.ok and the signage at the park indicate it is $14 per campsite with no more than two tents per site.

Our girls did two horseback rides at the stables. Jennifer & Bre are awesome! There is a small petting zoo with a very spunky goose, some goats, a bunny, and a duck. The ride was fun and relaxing. The girls also want to play mini golf. The general store gave us a discount for being Girl Scouts, but I don't know if that's standard practice.

There are easy hiking trails for little kids and inexperienced people. We also went do the natural spring, which the girls enjoyed and hunted for crawdads.

The lodge has free Oklahoma state park passport books and stickers for kids. If you are familiar with the national park passport books then you'll want to snag one of these.

All and in the staff from the lodge, the stables, to the rangers, and general store all went above and beyond to make our stay great!

Our dog was attacked Sunday 5/28/2023! The irresponsible owner and dogs are still on the property. The manager told us that is was “between us and them”. Also, there is an employee that lives on site that as far as I could tell does nothing but gets drunk and then drives his pos beat up truck through the campground like an idiot. Spins his tires and slings gravel everywhere. So if walking your pup “at your own risk” or having your expensive rig and/or tow vehicle slapped with gravel sounds like a good time to you then this place is right up your alley. Just do yourself a favor and take your money elsewhere.