We’ve camped at Tenkiller State Park once before and stayed in Shady Grove (rv area). This time we camped in Blue Jay on top of the hill. There was an issue with the power on the side of the loop we were on and we were not informed before we got there. They did offer to let us stay and refund our money which was nice. Thankfully, the weather cooled down at the time of our stay. The pool was not open when we went this time and it didn’t look like it would be opening any time soon. We stayed in site 131 ( water and electric only) and it was nice. We had tree line behind us and shade for some parts of the day. We don’t have a boat but we have kayaks and we went and put in on the north side of the lake and went out to goat island. The nature center and the gift shop are both small but nice. There is a walking path through the park and we hiked the overlook trail which is just outside the park. If you have small kids it might be more convenient to stay at one of the campgrounds closer to the pool and park.

This campground was mostly clean and pleasant for a short weekend trip. We did find a lot of cigarette butts all over our site but other than that it was pretty clean. We camped next to some friends which worked out well because our picnic table was very close to the other people camping next to us. The lake has a little swim beach and the water is a bit dirty like most lakes in Oklahoma. There were bathrooms and showers nearby and they were some of the nicer bathrooms that we have come across. There isn’t a lot of shade so be aware of that. We didn’t get a chance to kayak while we were there because it was extremely hot and then we had a storm roll in but the lake seemed pretty nice for kayaking and other small boats.

We camped in Turkey Circle in the lake part of the park. The campground was a bit tight but it was pretty quiet. We stayed in #10 and it was right next to the road but thankfully there isn’t much traffic in the circle. We had a slight view of the water from the back of our site and it was a quick walk or drive down to the lake. We really enjoyed our time exploring the park and all it had to offer. We were able to hike,kayak the lake and the river, swim and there is also a train and mini golf within the state park. Our campground was part of the Carson Creek area and was a short drive to Hochatown. There is an animal rescue and a mining attraction for kids in Hochatown. There is also a really cute shop called Hochatime that has some nice quality shirts. We are already planning our next trip and are looking at Acorn, Cypress, and Fern for campground options. They are all closer to the river area and closer to the activities within the park.

This was our first camping trip in Oklahoma and we stayed in the shady grove rv campground. There are a few sections for Rvs and I think this is one of the nicer ones. We had decent shade and it was nice and peaceful. The bathhouse nearby was locked up and practically abandoned so the nearest bathrooms were up on the hill at another campground. The lake is big and beautiful and very busy. We don’t own a boat but we kayak and while it’s a nice lake it is a bit overrun by the bigger boats. The pool was open for registered guests only and that includes people who are camping. The pool had a nice area for the kids with a slide and my kids really enjoyed it. They can’t wait to go back, mostly for the pool. We stopped at the Pine Cove Marina and it was nice and had some drinks and other small things that you might need for camping.