Rock Creek Campground — Chickasaw National Recreation Area

My first impression of this campground was a little fear.... but let me explain....

When I pulled into this campground it looked like a festival had set up shop right inside the gate with dozens of tents in a clearing. It was a little overwhelming and I was afraid that with the closure of one of the local camps, I felt the overflow had come mostly to this camp and that it was not going to have an ounce of privacy.

But... turns out that it was just a Boy Scout group in the group camp which is positioned right inside the gate. So my fear of overcrowding subsided and as I traveled a bit deeper into camp I noticed it wasn't to bad, in fact there were tons of places because this campground has over 100 sites, spread over several loops. This gave me not only a great confidence that I could find something perfect, but also something removed from the sounds of the populated group camp and enjoy a little time away from it all.

Sites at this camp vary, there are both pull through and back in sites. The strange however, was that online on Receation.gov (where you typically book any sites located on government lands) this campground is known only to be a "group camp". However clearly there are individual sites, and you can access these through the kiosk just inside camp.

The site I selected had a strange configuration for parking, you park beside the spot, but in a large truck it seemed to be a bit in the way of the road, in my car it would have by far been a bit better fit. I was positioned on a corner which meant I had a lot of space and my campsite had both a picnic table and fire ring with attached grill in addition to the lantern post. Overall minus the parking the site was pretty ideal with big shade trees and a pretty even place to set up a tent.

I did notice around camp not all sites are created equally, while my site had a nice even space not he table top some of the sites still were utilizing the older tables which were warped from weather.

TIPS:

• If you aren't a group wait til you get here to select a site because online there doesn't seem to be a good reservation system for regular campers.

• If you are a rig which uses solar, the sites on the furthest loops might be a better fit, the first loop of camp is pretty tree covered.

We visited Rock Creek on a Girl Scout family camp outing. The area is nice--lots of tree cover, which is essential in OK's hot summers and early falls. You are able to scavenge your own firewood and kindling; however, there are places in town to purchase.

The restrooms are clean, and the campgrounds are mostly clean. Leave no trace, y'all! Pack in, pack out! There are extremely convenient trash and recycling bins throughout the area and campgrounds. This is probably an issue because the area is large, with a lot of traffic, and not enough rangers (read: babysitters) to clean up after all the bodies coming in and out.

Rock Creek isn't as close to Little Niagara and the Travertine Nature Center as Cold Springs, but it's a short drive or a couple miles' walk. The springs do not disappoint. They are refreshingly cool and perfect to play in when walking on the trails. The spring on the Antelope Springs trail is drinkable. The kids filled up their water bottles where the water was coming out of the rock.

We saw some wildlife--deer, turkey, and owls.

There are other multi-use trails, such as biking, off Rock Creek and through other campgrounds, though we didn't get to check them out.

Don't forget: kids can take part in the FREE Junior Ranger program through the Travertine Center. Upon completion of a super easy and informative booklet, kiddos are sworn in as junior ranger and receive a patch and a badge. Pretty sweet deal, if ya ask me.

Noteworthy: Originally, we had reserved a group spot in Cold Springs, but I made the mistake of thinking it included two campsites in a loop when it only included one. Pay attention to that one, folks. The person on the awesome group campsite that I thought we had reserved made the same mistake. The reservation will list the loop, including the campsites in the loop. That doesn't mean you get all the sites.

Options to pay are online through recreation.gov or at the onsite kiosks. Convenient!

All in all, though it is a popular spot in OK, it's beautiful and cost effective. We will return as scouting groups and weekend family getaways. Though, I will be more careful regarding site selection.