The Shady Grove — Tenkiller State Park
Reviewed May. 7, 2020

Boater’s Park

Tenkiller is a nice little park for camping, but it is a great park for boating and fishermen. The park is very large and spread out over a large area along the shore of Tenkiller Ferry Lake. The lake is beautiful and it is a very popular lake for scuba diving due to the clear water and frequent certification classes given there. The marina is extremely large as many locals from the Tulsa area visit the lake on the weekend. The park itself leaves much to be desired. It is overgrown, and generally appears somewhat neglected. However, in fairness, we visited during the COVID crisis and most everything was not accessible. I have been told by many that the nature and cultural center on site are great. From what I could see, the pool area also looks very nice. There is a disc golf course on site, which I wish was more common than it is. The camping at the park is primarily geared toward tent campers, and the premier Lakeview sites are all reserved for tent campers. The rv sites are generally within three areas, Blue Jay Knob, Shady Grove, and Fox Squirrel. While it is nice and there is sewer in Fox Squirrel loop, it is wide open and minimal trees. It is also furthest away from the lake. We stayed in Shady grove (#84) and I believe it is either the best or one of the top 3 sites in the whole park. With that said, I also like the Blue Jay Knob area as well bc it is elevated above the lake, the views are fantastic and the sites seem to have more green space for kids. The bathhouse in that area is also preferable to others. The cell service was great and there is WiFi at the nature center. Also noteworthy is the fact there is a great restaurant at the marina in the heart of the park and another (Big Daddy’s right on the Dam Highway) right at the entrance to the park. The bait and tackle shop at the marina is also fantastic. Overall, it’s a nice little park for weekend camping, but a phenomenal park for a fisherman or anyone wanting to be on the water for several days. Despite the beautiful water and scenery, I wouldn’t want to plan a trip that was longer than a few nights. Its definitely not the best place I’ve camped, but it’s a solid park

  • Review photo of The Shady Grove — Tenkiller State Park by Donny S., May 7, 2020
  • Review photo of The Shady Grove — Tenkiller State Park by Donny S., May 7, 2020
  • Review photo of The Shady Grove — Tenkiller State Park by Donny S., May 7, 2020