Choose Eufaula Lake for your next RV camping destination in Oklahoma, and you'll have picked not just a beautiful place to pitch camp, but be going to the largest lake in the state. Eufaula Lake's serpentine shoreline is six hundred miles long, and it covers a total surface area of over one-thousand acres, so cancel any idea you had of walking all the way around it. This immense reservoir formed when the US Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Canadian River in the mid-1960s, and not only did they improve flood prevention in the area, they created one of Oklahoma's prime sites for recreation.
There are multiple marinas at the lake which attract boating fans by the score. There are endless opportunities to practise your favorite water sport or just chill out on one of the - more than a few - beaches along its shores. If angling is your favorite pastime, then you'll be in seventh heaven at Eufaula Lake, where the fishing for striped bass is second to none. Hike the trails in the Lake Eufaula State Park, play disc golf, go mountain biking or visit the Deep Fork Nature Center, you won't be short of things to do at Eufaula Lake, and that's a fact. There are six COE campgrounds distributed around the lake's perimeter, and some are better located or better equipped for certain activities than others. Check them out before making a reservation to make sure you get the right one for you.
The sheer size of Eufaula Lake means the Corps campgrounds there are at some distance from each other. The two campgrounds on the lake's western shore can be reached through the town of Eufala. The two located on the lake's eastern shore are accessed from Porum, while for the north campground, you'll need to head through Checotah and for the south, Enterprise. To get to any of them, after deciding which is the best for you and making the reservation, it's a case of forward planning the journey before you set out.
Whichever one you're headed to, you'll find it's pretty much main highways and well-maintained county roads all the way. From Oklahoma City, it's around a two-hour drive to Eufaula Lake but add on an extra forty minutes to an hour if you're pitching up on the east side of the lake as you'll need to make a slight detour. If you've been over in Arkansas camping at the Ouachita National Forest, allow around three and a half hours for the trip, and that's the same if you're motoring up from Dallas, Texas, in your rig.
The Belle Starr Campground at Eufaula Lake is located along the mid-east section of the reservoir and can be accessed via the town of Texanna on the E 1160. It's a large campground with over one-hundred campsites for RVs. The pitches are all standard electric, and there are water hook-ups for public use on the campground. Most of the pitches are pull-ins shaded by tall trees and have individual picnic tables. The campground sits on a small peninsula jutting out into the lake, so many of the campsites also have superb lake views or are right on the waterfront.
The shoreline area where the campground is situated is lined with beaches, so Belle Starr is ideal if you want to swim and bask in the sun's rays or go fishing while camping. There are general use fish cleaning stations throughout the campground as well as the usual amenities of restrooms, showers, and dump stations. The Belle Starr Campground at Eufaula Lake operates on a reservations system during the peak season from April to September and a first-come-first-served basis during the month of October.
The Brooken Cove Campground is situated near Eufaula Dam on the most eastern branch of Eufaula Lake and can be reached through the town of Enterprise or Whitefield on the OK 9 and OK 71. The site operates with previous reservations from April to September, but accepts walk-ups throughout the month of October. The campground is lakeside and has over seventy, standard electric campsites for RVs with fire rings, grills, and picnic tables.
The Brooken Cove Campground has great beaches and good swimming access to the lake. It's a good campground for boaters or anglers too as there's a boat launch ramp and a marina nearby. On-site facilities are limited to showers, restrooms, and a playground.
The Gentry Creek Campground is a small Corps campground located in the more northern area of Eufaula Lake that can be accessed via Checotah on the OK 266. Gentry Creek has a more extended open season and receives campers until the end of November. Due to its restricted size reservations are required both during the peak season from April to September and during the off-peak season months of October and November.
There are twenty-six, paved back-in campsites at the campground that are a mix of non-electric and standard electric in a woodland setting on the shore of the reservoir. The campground's amenities are semi-primitive with only showers, restrooms, and a boat ramp.
Eufaula Lake is a paradise for boating activities, whether you're paddling a canoe or navigating a motorized craft. You can launch your vessel from any of the numerous boat ramps, marinas, or the seasonally operated Porum and Ladybird Landings.
If water levels in the lake are low, a popular pastime for boaters on Eufaula Lake is to sail out to see the tip of Standing Rock. Once an iconic landmark on the Canadian River, the massive rock is now mostly submerged beneath the reservoir waters.
Held at Eufaula Lake around the beginning of August, the Southern Plains Festival is Oklahoma's biggest wakeboarding event. The three-day festival sees wakeboarders from all over the country converge on the lake to practice their sport. It's a fantastic spectacle to watch as well as participate in and really draws the crowds, so if you're interested in attending, book your campsite well in advance.
Add a carnival atmosphere to your RV vacation at Eufaula Lake by attending the festivities celebrated annually in Eufaula City at the end of July. It's a four-day party where you can watch the parades as they march along the streets of Downtown Eufaula, then head to the nearby fairgrounds for some rodeo-style entertainment. There are cook-offs, amusement rides, arts, and craft exhibitions plus lots of live music and best of all – lots of free hog sandwiches.
The Highway 9 Landing Campground is on the southern section of Lake Eufaula and can be reached either via the OK 9 southbound from Eufaula or the OK 9 westbound from Whitefield. The campground is a popular one for boating activities and gets booked up well in advance. Its regular peak season, if you're lucky enough to get a pitch, is from April to September with spots being allocated on a first-come-first-served basis in October.
The Highway 9 Landing Campground has over eighty campsites for RVs, which are both non-electric and standard fifty amp. Although amenities at the campground are semi-primitive, the site has a good sand beach for swimming nearby, a boat ramp, and showers.
The Ladybird Landing Campground is located on the southern section of Eufaula Lake and can be easily reached from Porum on the OK 71. The medium-sized site has just over fifty pitches for RV camping available for reservation from March until the end of November.
The campsites at Ladybird Landing are a mix of standard electric and non-electric with an on-site water hook-up available for general usage. Amenities at the campground include showers, restrooms, a boat ramp, and a playground. What makes this campground a favorite with RV campers at Eufaula Lake is the site's shorefront, west facing position. It means you get to watch the sunset over the lake every day of your stay.
You'll find the Porum Landing Campground located in the mid-eastern area of Eufaula Lake. It can be reached by heading to the town of Porum and taking the westbound Texanna Road from there. The campground is medium-sized, with fifty campsites in waterfront positions along the shore of the lake. Reservations are required during the peak season, but during October and November, you can just arrive as a walk-up.
The campsites are a combination of non-electric and standard, and there's a water hook-up on-site as well as an electric hook-up for use by campers on primitive pitches. There are communal showers, though no restrooms. Porum Landing Campground is popular with fisherfolk as it has a boat ramp and fish cleaning stations. The quiet site is great for families too, as it has a swim beach and a large playground.
There are some big fish in Eufaula Lake so if you're planning on going fishing while you're there, make sure you take some heavy-duty tackle. A common catch from the reservoir is striped bass weighing in at forty pounds or even more. They're a challenge to reel in but it's rewarding when you eventually land one. If your bass breaks the line and slips back into the depths, don't worry, you'll have the chance to hook some sandfish, black bass or crappie as well.
There are hiking trails all around the shores of Eufaula Lake and in the Eufaula Lake State Park. Take the Bluebird Trail, and you'll be on the right track for some wildlife spotting while walking through the countryside. For a sedate stroll on a tree-lined paved path through the meadowlands, try the interpretive and ADA compliant, Crazy Snake Trail. Don't miss taking a look around the Deep Fork Nature Center while you're in the vicinity.
While you're RV camping at Eufaula Lake, take the time to visit Eufaula City. Stroll through the downtown area and you'll be surprised by the numerous historical buildings, antique and curiosity shops, and art galleries. If you're there on a Saturday, pop into the Eufaula Area Museum for a mosey around. The museum is relatively new but already building an interesting collection of artifacts pertinent to Eufaula's history.
