Hulah Lake near the rural town of Copan is a three and a half thousand-acre reservoir situated in the low-lying prairies of Oklahoma. If you've been traveling around Tulsa and need a few days in the outback of Oklahoma, jump behind the wheel of a rig and go RV camping at Hulah Lake. There in the wilds of the Osage Nation Reservation, you'll find an awesome place to spend some time.
Hulah Lake was formed when the US Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Caney River as a flood prevention method for the region. The area covered by the reservoir waters was previously an Osage Nation farming community known by the name of Hulah which means eagle in the Osage language. The lake is bordered in part by the Wha-Sha-She Park, a former state park now managed by the people of the Osage Nation, several public access areas, a state game management area, and a waterfowl refuge.
If you enjoy kayaking or canoeing, you'll find the calm open waters of Hulah Lake perfect for a quiet paddle around. There's good fishing too and first-class hunting opportunities in the nearby WMA. Around Lake Hulah there's spectacular countryside to explore and whether you go to the Natural Falls State Park to photograph the waterfall or to the Osage Hills State Park for a hike or swim, you'll be guaranteed some revitalizing, back-to-nature time. Discover more about the area's history by visiting some of its diverse museums from the Price Tower in Bartsville to the Osage Historical Museum in Pawhuska. You'll find they're all a totally fascinating glimpse into Oklahoma's bygone days.
Anyone heading in the direction of Hulah Lake from Tulsa will have a straight run northwards along the US 75 until they arrive at Copan. From Copan, it's a ten-minute drive along the OK 10 to get to the lake. The OK 10 goes right into Wha Sha She Park, where signs point to the campground. From Oklahoma City, Hulah Lake is an uncomplicated drive along the US 44 to Tulsa, followed by the US 75. It's a trip that'll take around three hours in total.
If you've been RV camping over in Missouri at the Mark Twain National Forest head in the direction of Springfield on the MO 60, then take the US 44 as far as Miami. That's Miami, Oklahoma, not Miami, Florida. From Miami, you can get onto the OK 10 to the lake. It's a decent run with no road problems but be prepared for five hours plus behind the wheel.
The campground at Hulah Lake is located within the boundaries of the Wha Sha She Park. There are over sixty gravel-surfaced campsites with electric and water hook-ups for RVs. There's no sewage hook-up but the site has a dump station.
Pitches are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis with camping fees and assistance being provided by volunteers from the Osage Nation who manage the park. While the campground doesn't have any amenities, many of the campsites are along the shore of the lake so have great views across the water plus picnic tables for enjoying some outdoor dining.
The Washington Cove Campground is located on the shores of Copan Lake which is a fifteen-minute drive east from Hulah Lake. The campground has over one-hundred campsites for RVs with standard electric hook-ups. RV pitches are distributed throughout a wooded area around the lake so are reasonably private and shaded. Each campsite has a picnic table, barbecue, and fire ring. The campground has good facilities including showers and flush toilets, dump station, and sports fields as well as a playground for younger campers. For anyone towing their boat, they'll find a boat trailer parking, boat dock, and ramp at the campground. The Washington Cove Campground at Copan Lake is open from April through to the end of October and reservations are required. The campsites are suitable for RVs up to seventy-five feet and the campground is pet-friendly.
Hulah Lake and the Hulah Lake State Waterfowl Refuge provide the ideal locations in Oklahoma for bird watching. Focus your binoculars, and depending on the season, you could see migrating geese and ducks as well as American pelicans. The lake is also a winter refuge for bald eagles, and for the chance to spot one of those, it's well worth putting up with a nip in the air.
Make a trip into Bartsville to take a tour of the historic Price Tower. The art-deco-style skyscraper was built in the late 1950s and is an iconic, two-hundred and twenty-foot high landmark of Oklahoma designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The first two floors of the building now contain the Price Tower Arts Center which displays both permanent and temporary exhibitions. Take a sixty-minute tour which takes you into the architect's office on the nineteenth floor or dine in the fifteenth floor restaurant to see the views from the top.
Hike through the forest of the Natural Falls State Park to discover the natural treasure concealed there. Cascading down a cliff face into a catchment pool, shrouded by trees and shrubbery, is a magnificent seventy-seven-foot waterfall. It's a cool spot and if you want to spend time admiring it, you can, as there are an observation deck and picnic shelter at the base of the falls.
Hunting at Hulah Lake is restricted to the sixteen-thousand plus acres of the Hulah Lake State Game Management Area near Pawhuska. That's a lot of space for stalking quarry and it's spread out over tallgrass prairies and black oak ridges. If your luck is in, you could find turkeys, quail, deer, and rabbits or even a bobcat or coyote within your range.
Make a day of it at the Woolrac Museum and Wildlife Preserve. You'll need to as there's a lot to see. Browse the exhibits in the Western Art and History Museum where there is everything from paintings to firearms and Native American pottery, then head outside to drive through the animal preserve. Observe the bison, elk, ostriches, donkeys and pygmy goats through your vehicle window as they freely roam the four-thousand-acre grounds of the ex-ranch.
The day doesn't end there. Continue with seeing history come to life in the Mountain Man Camp with live re-enactments of the fur trading days, take a hike around the preserve's many walking trails or visit the Animal Barn before taking a well-deserved break for a drink and snack at the Buffalo Haunt Concession Stand.
There are several museums close to Hulah Lake dedicated to preserving the history of the Osage Nation and Osage County. The Osage County Historical Society Museum in Pawhuska has exhibits on the pioneering days, the oil industry, and memorabilia from WW1 and WW2. The Osage Nation Museums celebrates the history of the Osage people with collections of artifacts, art, and photographs.
