[TedH71]

Bought a tent and am trying to bring the wife into the camping outdoors lifestyle :-) was thinking state parks first. Any suggestions? Also would like to go camping in the mountains. Any ideas? We will have two small children with us.

[Goodpasture]

In Oklahoma from Wichita?

I think my first trip would be to lake Murray near Ardmore. Beautiful lake, beaches, good fishing, showers, playgrounds for the kids, close to civilization if you need groceries, restaurants, or adult entertainment of some sort.

Secondly I would look at Lake Ft Gibson near Tahlequah. Sequoyah State Park has several tent camp sites, again you have nice beaches, fishing, playgrounds, showers, etc like Murray. Sequoya also has a really nice lodge where you can go for trail rides, rent canoes and boats, etc. It is also close to a lot of day trip things....the Cherokee Nation historic buildings are close, as is Old Ft Gibson, the Batfish in Muskogee....there is just a whole lot to do and see in the region.

Also both are half to 3/4 of a days drive from Wichita which means if you leave home early, you can have camp set up before dark and still have time to get to walmart for those things you forgot to bring.

[nevergoingback]

Greenleaf State Park is very kid friendly. Great nature hikes, fun pool. Natural Falls is amazing. I highly recommend these two state parks.

[Lily0fthevalley]

I took a slow camping trip around Oklahoma several years ago, stopping at all the small parks and attractions. Of that whole trip my 2 favorite places were Chickasaw National Recreation Area near Sulphur in the east central part of the state and Alabaster Caverns Alabaster Caverns State Park, an Oklahoma State Park in the West.

In fact I've been thinking how much I'd love to go back to both places!

Have fun - Most of Oklahoma is still beautiful and unspoiled.

[ou_norman]

Check out Oklavision.com - has some truly stunning videos of our state parks. I think the Wichita Mtns and Arbuckles are pretty easy to get to from Wichita, about 4-5 hours.

[prerunner1982]

I would not recommend Keystone lake...

I agree with Greenleaf and Sulphur.

I also recommend Magee Creek Res between Atoka and Antlers.

[teakboat]

Go to Robbers Cave State Park. You can thank me later. Or else as has been said, Greenleaf is really nice. There are quite a few other nice places in Oklahoma.

[Versatile]

McCurtain county to the east of Brokenbow is pretty wild and wolly. Awfully quiet and not much to do and of course you might lose kid or two! lol. Probably you should listen to the other people.

[Capt. Dan]

I will be fishing Beaver Bend State Park east of Broken Bow this summer. If I stumble upon 2 scraggly,lost lookin rug rats wandering the woods, I'll call the OP!

[okcali]

Originally Posted by Capt. Dan

I will be fishing Beaver Bend State Park east of Broken Bow this summer. If I stumble upon 2 scraggly,lost lookin rug rats wandering the woods, I'll call the OP!

We stayed in a cabin at Beavers Bend State Park and it was the BEST place to camp in Oklahoma. I am from NE Oklahoma and it was so unique from home! The waters were clear, and the forrest was so thick! Great for hiking! If you decide to try it out, you must go on the talimena byway on your way home. I believe they have a few bears down there. Someone also said that in the river north of the lake they had a few alligators, but not in the actual lake. Not sure? There was a town that hosted a bigfoot festival too. It was called Hochatown I believe. It was a great experience and an AWESOME way to test out your tent. Anyways the whole area down there is so different from the Tulsa area. Everyone was so friendly and it was so layed back and country. (Also, the residents speak with such a deep accent, which was fun to hear.)