I am super pumped to start sharing my review notes for some of my favorite campgrounds I have visited over the years. And, I’m kicking off with a cool mid-century modern makeover at the formerly known “Western Hills Lodge” on Ft. Gibson Lake in Hulbert, OK.
If you grew up in NE Oklahoma, you probably remember visiting Western Hills, now Sequoyah State Park, as a kid. Ft. Gibson Lake is a great boating, watercraft, and fishing destination with 225 miles of shoreline and amazing sunsets that you can see in the photo above. They have one of the State Park system’s largest lodges with 104 rooms and 45 cottages. And the recent remodel is straight out of an episode of Mad Men. Super sleek interior, a great zero entry swimming pool, and in-house restaurant. They have meeting rooms for group functions and conferences. There is a cool bunkhouse that can sleep over 20 with its own kitchen facilities and I am thinking about snagging this one for an off-season winter wine tasting event with my other Girl Campers later this year. And the Sequoyah Group Camp has a dining hall with full kitchen and 10 A-frame cabins that sleeps 98.
There are loads of amenities and activities to partake in: hiking, guided horseback trail rides, nature center activities, golf and disc-golf, fishing, and a nice exercise trail.
SSP has both RV and tent camping options. The Creek, Choctaw, and Paradise Cove areas offer tent camping. RV camping includes full hook-ups at the Choctaw and Seminole camgrounds with water and electric service only at Cherokee. My group recently camped at Seminole and the grounds are super clean and manicured. With gorgeous views of the lake and a gentle slope down to the water’s edge which was perfect for the kayaking gals. The Cherokee loop was a lot bigger and had a large clubhouse that I wanted to use. However, we had so much flooding last year, the grounds looked a little sad and the access road to reach that loop was really bumpy and in poor shape. And sure enough, there was a huge downpour on one of the nights we camped that caused the lake levels to rise just enough that park officials had to evacuate Cherokee loop in the middle of the weekend. I am sure they will get it back looking spiffy and clean soon since the wet season is behind us!
My Top Five Fave Things About Sequoyah State Park:
- Distance from Tulsa for a quick getaway at only 45 miles from the center of town to the campground office.
- That Lodge and the retro cabins are so stinking cute and something about them takes me back to my childhood and fun summertime memories.
- The Seminole RV loop with a gentle walk down to the water, super camp hosts, manicured grounds, loads of trees and shade, plus a large covered shelter perfect for groups or families.
- Several hiking trails through the lovely State Park grounds and don’t forget your tick/bug spray!
- Ft. Gibson Lake summer sunsets – who can resist?
Hope you will give this one a try and if you have already been there, please share your photos and comments below!
