Doris Campground

Great spot to see some wild life and check out the Witicha mountains.

Doris is in the middle of Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, there is zero cell phone service but we got our Starlink to work perfectly. We stayed in 40c which had no hookups but was an enormous site with lots of privacy. Fairly level site, concrete table, huge fire pit and grill. Spots are very well maintained and this site backs up to Lake Quanah Parker. Little Baldy trail can be hiked directly from the campground. New shower and bathroom house.

100% will be back. Fantastic educational visitors center. You MUST drive up Mt Scott but it’s scary. Wonderful short hikes.

Free roaming bison, longhorns, wild Turkey, etc.

Camped in site 36, loop C, mid-May. Large campsite; lots of trees. Short path behind site leafs to Quanah Parker Lake. No connections. Water pump nearby; water was good quality. Restroom/shower house located at beginning of loop. Other restrooms were closed for renovation. The restroom/shower house is old & needs updating. Campsite was clean. Firewood available near campground entrance. Excellent hiking opportunities nearby. Separation between sites in this loop is good but little privacy. Campground host was friendly & helpful. Enjoyed staying in this old campground & exploring the refuge. Little to no AT&T and T-Mobile service.

Firewood is available. Clean campsites.

Nice campground. Good shade, large lots with cement picnic table, fire pit, and charcoal grill. We did not have electric or water at our unit but we were near the bathrooms/showers. Great to be right in the heart of the wildlife refuge. Easy access to all of the trailheads by car. Saw a ton of wildlife including all of the big game. The maps of the refuge aren’t all that great they could definitely be updated. Would definitely stay here again.

We had a great couple of days camping here. Campground was quiet and shaded, sites were decently spread out each with table and fire ring, bathroom/shower house could use some TLC - locks on stalls were broken, floor pooled with shower water, showers good enough but no temp control - one was scalding hot, 2 were cool (which was nice in near 100 degree heat), toilets worked. The area is gorgeous with plenty of trails to explore, vistas to enjoy and waters to fish.

The area is quite pretty, but the campground is worn down and needs maintenance. Our picnic table and bench were both cracked and crumbling. The fire pit in 19 needed replacing. The pit toilets near loop C did not have doors and were totally filled up. The showers were hot and there was always toilet paper. We arrived Saturday afternoon and left Tuesday and the bathroom was never cleaned...not the floor, toilets, sink or showers. Best to bring shower shoes.

Some ran their generators all night. Never saw the camp host.

Nothing marked in bathroom if that water was safe or not. The outside faucets were marked as boil notice.

I would not return to this campground.

Doris Campground, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, OK

Site 26 

• Reservations only through Recreation.com Varying costs but $8 gets tagged on by Recreation.com. I miss the days of paying by cash in person. 
• The Good: •Beautiful surrounding area                                                                                             •No Cell service                                                                                                             •Abundant Wildlife                                                                                                       •Great hiking trails                                                                                                         •Very scenic                                                                                                                   •Great local history                                                                                                      •Great gravelbiking/mountain biking trails                                                           •Several nearby historical landmarks 
• The Bad:                                                                                                                             •Still no potable water(Mid-Oct 2021)                                                                           •No showers                                                                                                                 •Online Reservations only                                                                                                 •No cell service                                                                                                         •Doorless pit latrines                                                                                                   •Occasional road noise                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Heavy cloud cover and a light mist welcomed us for the night and did not relent until after noon the following day. The night life was busy and vocal from dusk to dawn. Bull elks bugling, mule deer snorting while running through our site, either the free roam longhorn or the bison called out to each other, the coyotes yipped and yapped, and the raccoons tried their best to scrounge up a feast. Early evening and early morning traffic noise is minimal but can be heard in the campsites. 

Only a random artillery boom was heard in the distance.

Prairie dog villages are a great way to spend some time enjoying their comedic antics and tight family structure.

Trails abound, both from within the campground and nearby. We walked a few in late afternoon and the bull elk bugled relentlessly…obvious signs of rut. We did not realize how close to a lone bison we passed until we heard a noise and looked back. How a large beast could go unnoticed in the low scrub was amazing.

We were fortunate to secure a midweek campsite but the weekend was sold out.

Temps were in the high 40’s overnight but climbed during the day to 70’s with a beautiful breeze.

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center was still closed. Both in June and October it was closed with varying explanations why. If you go onto FWS.gov it still has it closed from November 2015-January 2016…so that certainly isn’t current.

Would I camp here again? Yes, However, I will research when school kids have Fall Break and avoid that weekend because it does sell completely out.

Electric sites with some shade. There is plenty of wildlife. We saw Turkeys, deer, longhorn in the campground loop. Just outside the loop we saw Buffalo. Only down side was the trash around the site.

Incredible scenery and wildlife.

We were in site 47-B, which is an area that is near the lake and has electrical.  This particular site has the lake just a few steps from the camp.  These are electrical only sites.  And the water available at the campground was not potable and has been this way since 2017 per a sign.  During reservation, it was noted that bathrooms were not operational, and only self contained RVs were allowed.  That said, there were tent campers when we were there.  Note there is no cellular service in the campground.

We found the sites to be very quiet and spread out.  There are many great sites along the lake edge beyond our loop, but these offered no electrical.  Longhorns were evidenced in our area.  We enjoyed driving over to Prairie Dog town and spending time laughing at their antics.  Since our last visit, their area has really grown and continued to spread out.  We also enjoyed visiting the Environmental Education Center for its trails and pier, as the Center was closed due to COVID.  I think our favorite area is around Rush Lake for its views and waterfalls.  Don't miss the views from atop Mt. Scott.

Must be self contained to stay right now. Campground host very helpful. One of the best I’ve ever met. Campsites are nice and spacious not a lot of campers during the week. Campsite overlooking the lake. Wildlife is everywhere. We watched turkeys, prairie dog and longhorn steers. There is so much beauty in this place. We enjoyed the hiking. Especially at Quanah Parker Dam. We loved learning about the cannonball architecture. We loved the reproduction of Jerusalem. Everything about this place is fantastic. I can’t think of one negative thing to say. I don’t know what the views from Mount Scott were like. There was a weather phenomenon that pushed the clouds down so you could barely see in front of your face. White knuckle moments for sure driving up and down in those conditions.

Campground was closed. Beautiful drives and hikes, we had to spend the night and explore more. Boat ramp is public, and offers a nice walk up call in the morning (by fishermen).

I absolutely love camping and hiking here. I prefer the semi-primitive sites as it’s a bit more private. The view is lovely and there’s a lot of trails to choose from. If backpacking is more your speed get a wilderness permit and check out some of the more remote parts of the park. If you’re looking for an easy day hike check out the Elk Trail.

A truely interesting park. The Wichita mountains give you a sense that you can almost feel the native Indiaans. Mysterious & spiritual aura that surrounds you. We were in an electric loop with maybe a dozen other sites. Being from themidwest, not use to the barron granite mountains & scrubby little oaks. Deer & turkey were odten strolling thru our campsite, undaunted by our presence. No cell service. No water, as the recent freeze broke water pipes that weren't repaired yet. Covid shut down the bath houses.

Our loop had 30 amp, not sure is 50 was available else where ornot.

Very nice park with some dislikes. Tables & fire rings were to the rear of the site, not along the side. Also constantly windy. Very!

What is there to say? Power, bathrooms, showers, and absolute beauty surrounds you. It's only a short drive from DFW. YOU WONT REGRET IT!

Super simple to make a last minute reservation and check in quickly. No hookups at my $24 site. Pricey for dry camping IMO but felt safe, which is a priority for me. Fire rings and bathrooms/dumpsters. Saw some HUGE longhorns and bison on the open range and that was great. No service whatsoever Verizon or T-Mobile.. do not recommend if you have remote workdays!

Absolutely wonderful camping and hiking!! Lots of camping spots - and most were well distanced for plenty of privacy. Due to COVID all spots require pre-registration online and only self contained vehicles are permitted (all bathrooms are closed). There is no service in the park, but about 2 bars next to the Visitor’s center (which is also closed), so be sure to reserve a spot before you get close to the park. Some sites are dry and some have electric hookups. No water available due to an ongoing E. Coli issue. The camp host was really nice and stopped by both nights we were there. There were lots of hikes and we are looking forward to coming back for an extended stay. For hiking, we loved 40 foot hole (nice waterfall) and Little Baldy for sunset. Wish we had been here a couple weeks earlier because I bet the trees would have been at peak fall foliage color. We saw long horns and bison several times, but unfortunately didn’t see any prairie dogs. We heard this park is mostly used by locals (~80 miles from Oklahoma City), and not many long distance travelers hear about it. Also heard there are great mountain biking trails.

This is an awesome place to visit for the day or weekend! It’s only about 3 hours from the Dallas area and is very scenic. Lots of wildlife and fun trails to hike! The campground fills up quick so get there early.