CAMPANAC.Powered by public lands intelligenceMore Than Just Parks

U.S. Forest Service · Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area · OK

Cedar Lake (Oklahoma)

1Heads up1 fire 49 mi away

Wildfire

Lake fire · 49 mi away · 105 acres · 50% contained · updated Oct 16, 2026

Fires: NIFC/IRWIN via MTJP wildfire tracker · Oct 16, 2026

Reservable, and full this SaturdayEvery one of the 45 sites on offer is taken this Saturday, and the record lists no site held back for a walk-up. read 15:52 UTC

We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →

Watch for a cancellation Book on recreation.gov ↗

Right now: Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 15:52 UTC
A night: $15–$40Across the site types the agency prices
Sites: 11794 on recreation.gov

Photos · Bill Jackson

70 ftLongest rig

1,020 ftElevation

960 ftWater · an unnamed pond

8.8 miSW of Heavener, OK

63%Tree cover

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 12 notices

In the agency’s own words

Cedar Lake is located in southeast Oklahoma, in the pine and hardwood-forested mountains of the Ouachita National Forest. The campground is situated on the shores of the scenic lake, a popular destination for boating, fishing, horseback riding and hiking. Keep reading

Recreation

The campground is a popular starting point for the Winding Stair Mountain Equestrian Trails, a system of over 70 miles of marked horseback riding trails. Hiking, swimming, boating and fishing on Cedar Lake are popular activities. A swimming area, boat ramp and fishing piers are available within the recreation area. A hiking trail traverses around the the perimeter of Cedar Lake offering varied views of the lake and its tributaries. The Talimena Scenic Byway is located within 10 miles of the campground, offering mountain top views of the valleys around Cedar Lake and historic sites along the way. The Talihina State Park, the western terminus of the Ouachita National Recreation Trail (OT), is located 21 miles from the Cedar Lake Campground. The OT extends across the Forest for 192 miles, the longest continuous trail system on the Forest. Kelly Branch Rifle Range is located 10 miles from the recreation area. Cedar Lake Campground offers a wide variety of camping opportunities, from campsites with electric and water at the campsites, basic campsites with no electric or water at the campsites and tent sites. Cedar Lake Equestrian Camp is one of the largest equestrian campgrounds in the Southern Region with amenities such as electrical/water connections and corrals at the campsites.

Facilities

The campground offers a variety of sites, including equestrian, group and family sites. Shady Lane (SHRV) sites have electric and water hookups; Sandy Beach sites have electric and water connections; North Shore family sites are basic campsites with community water spigots scattered through the area and no electrical connections. Most equestrian sites have electric and water connections at the campsites. Picnic tables, grills, campfire rings and lantern posts are provided, as are flush toilets, warm showers and drinking water. Picnic pavilions are on-site. Horse corrals are located within the equestrian area.

Natural Features

Cedar Lake covers 86 acres and is situated at an elevation of 900 feet. Fall foliage season usually occurs from the last two weeks in October to the first two weeks in November. The Ouachita National Forest covers 1.8 million acres in central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. The forest encompasses 700 miles of trails, 43 vistas, six wilderness areas and the highest elevations between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Rockies.

Nearby Attractions

Talimena National Scenic Byway is located 10 miles from the campground. Ouachita National Recreation Trail (OT), western terminus trailhead is located at the Talihina State Park, 21 miles from the campground. Heavener, Oklahoma, Heavener Runestone Park is located 14 miles from the campground.

Charges & Cancellations

Refunds may be requested for the following: Death Medical emergency Storm event Mechanical

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

What the agency tells you

Rule

Campers with horses must reserve sites in the equestrian loops only (HCLE and HCMR)

Rule

All horses must have proof of current Coggins test

Rule

Maximum outboard allowed on lake is 7.5 horsepower

Everything else this campground posts · 9

Rule

If a reservation holder does not show up by 2:00 p.m. the day after their scheduled arrival date, the reservation is cancelled and the site is open for 'walk-ins.'

Rule

Check out the forest's campground description for specific information to Fish Your National Forest

Rule

Click here for more information on the Ouachita National Forest

Rule

Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.

Rule

Reservations must be made at least 10 days in advance of arrival.

Rule

No off road vehicles are allowed in the recreation area.

Rule

All dogs must be on a leash at all times while in the recreation area.

Rule

Vehicles must be parked on paved or gravel surfaces at all times. Additional parking is available at the bathhouses.

Rule

Quiet hours are 10:00 pm to 6:00 am, no generators may be used during quiet hours.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Source: recreation.gov facility notices, quoted verbatim · Sep 9, 2026

Tents and rigs

Sites: 117 · 4 tent-only, 2 group, 53 equestrian
Hookups: 64 electric, 80 water, 4 sewer
Longest rig: 70 ft
Paved pads: 114 of 117
Accessible sites: 5
Pets: Allowed at 64 of 70 sites
Campfires: Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade: Every site

Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets: Flush Toilets; “…and lantern posts are provided, as are flush toilets, warm showers and drinking water. Picnic pavilions…”
Showers: Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind; “Picnic tables, grills, campfire rings and lantern posts are provided, as are flush toilets, warm showers and drinking water.”
Drinking water: Yes; “…sites are basic campsites with community water spigots scattered through the area and no electrical…”
Dump station: Yes; recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
Boat ramp: Yes
Camp host: On site; recreation.gov lists “Host”
Stay limit: 14 nights; recreation.gov facility rule maxStay

Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Water, toilets and showers: read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

On the water: Lake, Beach; Accessible Swimming; Biking; Boating; Fishing; Hiking; Horseback riding; Picnicking; Swimming
Night sky · 7th darkest of 106 in OK: Bortle 3

Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Full this Saturdayread 15:52 UTC

How full the weekend is nationally.

1 campground has sites open within 30 miles, read 15:39 UTC. See them

OpenBooked

Every one of the 45 sites on offer is taken this Saturday, and on four midweek nights after it as well. read 15:52 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t

Booking window6 months outBookable now through April 16, 2027. Today at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 17, 2027.recreation.gov

Max stay14 nightsthe facility record

A night$15–$40plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule

A weekend$38–$88DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above

If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservation; this campground publishes its own terms toorecreation.gov’s schedule

Runs itU.S. Forest ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record

Watch for a cancellation

Watch this campground

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Where there’s room this weekend Book on recreation.gov ↗

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 19

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Forest Service

A night, per site$15–$40

Equestrian Nonelectric$15

Standard Nonelectric$15

Equestrian Electric$20

Standard Electric$20

Shady Lane Electric W/Sewer$25

Equestrian Electric Double Site$40

Group areas, a night$35

Rates for the season the campground is in now, Jan 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026.

The booking feerecreation.gov

Reservation fee, booked online$8

One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.

Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.

What a stay costs

One nightDerived$23–$48

A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$38–$88

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $15–$40 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov

Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10

Cancellation fee$10

Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night

No-show$20 + your first night

“Refunds may be requested for the following: - Death - Medical emergency - Storm event - Mechanical” · this campground’s own terms

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 6

Sign price: recreation.gov facility rate schedule, quoted as the agency publishes it · Sep 10, 2026

Booking fee, change fee, cancellation fee, no-show: Rules and Reservation Policies, Recreation.gov, the published fee schedule, curated by hand into lib/reservation-fee-schedule.json (9 rows, each carrying its own verbatim sentence). The publisher states these policies were last updated September 2019. · Sep 9, 2026

This campground’s own terms: recreation.gov facility cancellation policy for this campground, quoted verbatim. Recreation.gov states that policies listed for specific locations supersede its site-wide policies. · Sep 9, 2026

The two totals: Derived by CAMPANAC by adding the agency’s own published nightly rate to recreation.gov’s own published reservation fee. Both components are cited above; the addition is ours and is shown only where every component is known. · Sep 9, 2026

Who keeps the booking fee: Recreation.gov facility policy text, Dead Swede Campground (facility 234221) · Not on the national policy page. This is agency policy text recreation.gov publishes on individual campground pages; this site holds it verbatim on 45 active campgrounds (campground_rules.cancellation_description, scripts/load-facility-rules.mjs). · Sep 9, 2026

The contract: Reservation Gods: Who Stole Our Campsites and Sold Them Back to Us, More Than Just Parks, April 2025 · Apr 1, 2025

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Open within 30 miles this weekend · 1

Sites the agency is offering this Friday and Saturday that nobody has taken, nearest first. read 15:39 UTC

Little Pines CampgroundOuachita National Forest · 25 mi · 2 of 18 site-nights open

Open this weekend: recreation.gov availability · derived by CAMPANAC: site-nights the agency offered this weekend that nobody has taken, within the radius, closures removed by the closure rule · Oct 16, 2026

recreation.gov availability, read 15:52 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

118 records · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 75 mapped sites

60 ftbetween you and the next site, typically

93%of tent sites sit clear of electric or RV sites

Most roomNORTH SHORE 058 185 ftLoop HCMR 002 171 ftNorth Shore GC 2 155 ftNORTH SHORE 055 140 ftLoop HCLE E020 117 ft

Least roomLoop HCMR 003 13 ftLoop HCMR 004 13 ftSANDY BEACH 034 26 ft

Source: Derived by CAMPANAC from recreation.gov per-site coordinates (nearest-neighbor distance) · Oct 12, 2026

All 118 records

98 of 118 records located

Standard18Tent only4RV / electric17Group2Equestrian34Type not stated23

025 E001 E002 E003 E004 E005 E006 E007 E008 E009 E010 E011 E012 E013 E014 E015 E016 E017 E018 E019 E020 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 010 011 012 013 014 015 GC 1 GC 2 049 050 051 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 060 061 062 063 064 065 066 067 068 069 070 071 072 026 027 028 029 030 031 032 033 034 035 036 037 038 039 040 041 042 043 044 045 046 047 001 002 003 004 006 007 009 010 012 017 018 019 020 021 023 024

Aerial · Esri World Imagery

Sites: recreation.gov (RIDB), coordinates as published · Aug 23, 2026

Imagery: Esri World Imagery

SleepsTakes aUp to

Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 98 of the 118 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 90 of the 118 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.

Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.


CEDAR LAKE (OKLAHOMA)	025	type not stated	47 ft	30 amp			368 ftCedar Creek	184 ft
HCLE	E001	equestrian electric	65 ft	30 amp		62 ft	1,306 ftCedar Creek	94 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E002	equestrian electric	60 ft	30 amp		62 ft	1,297 ftCedar Creek	135 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E003	equestrian electric	60 ft	30 amp		69 ft	1,243 ftCedar Creek	211 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E004	equestrian electric	60 ft	30 amp		59 ft	1,198 ftCedar Creek	275 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E005	equestrian electric	55 ft	30 amp		59 ft	1,147 ftCedar Creek	334 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E006	equestrian electric	65 ft	30 amp		60 ft	1,075 ftCedar Creek	435 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E007	equestrian electric	55 ft	30 amp		60 ft	1,031 ftCedar Creek	494 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E008	equestrian electric	60 ft	30 amp		60 ft	986 ftCedar Creek	555 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E009	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp		100 ft	989 ftCedar Creek	627 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E010	equestrian electric	40 ft	30 amp		63 ft	1,130 ftCedar Creek	544 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E011	equestrian electric	65 ft	30 amp		63 ft	1,116 ftCedar Creek	509 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E012	equestrian electric	60 ft	30 amp		71 ft	1,180 ftCedar Creek	434 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E013	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp		71 ft	1,229 ftCedar Creek	365 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E014	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp		66 ft	1,284 ftCedar Creek	283 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E015	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp		66 ft	1,346 ftCedar Creek	237 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E016	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp		72 ft	1,387 ftCedar Creek	168 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E017	equestrian electric	50 ft	30 amp		96 ft	1,481 ftCedar Creek	184 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E018	equestrian electric	50 ft	50 amp		110 ft	1,412 ft	251 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E019	equestrian electric	50 ft	50 amp		110 ft	1,322 ft	341 ft	$20–$40
HCLE	E020	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp		117 ft	1,213 ft	455 ft	$20–$40
HCLF	001	equestrian electric	32 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLF	002	equestrian electric	34 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLF	003	equestrian electric	34 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLF	004	equestrian electric	32 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLF	005	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLF	006	equestrian electric	34 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLF	007	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLG	001	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLG	002	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLG	003	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLG	004	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLG	005	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLG	006	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCLG	007	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCMR	002	equestrian nonelectric	45 ft			171 ft	897 ft	469 ft	$15
HCMR	003	equestrian nonelectric	45 ft			13 ft	844 ft	608 ft	$15
HCMR	004	equestrian nonelectric	55 ft			13 ft	845 ft	621 ft	$15
HCMR	005	equestrian nonelectric	55 ft			101 ft	945 ft	666 ft	$15
HCMR	006	equestrian nonelectric	45 ft			95 ft	1,087 ft	596 ft	$15
HCMR	007	equestrian nonelectric	45 ft			95 ft	1,114 ft	611 ft	$15
HCMR	008	equestrian electric	40 ft	30 amp		54 ft	1,206 ft	505 ft	$20–$40
HCMR	009	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp		54 ft	1,258 ft	470 ft	$20–$40
HCMR	010	equestrian electric	35 ft	30 amp		55 ft	1,354 ft	366 ft	$20–$40
HCMR	011	equestrian electric	55 ft	30 amp		55 ft	1,349 ft	406 ft	$20–$40
HCMR	012	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp		51 ft	1,423 ft	292 ft	$20–$40
HCMR	013	equestrian electric	50 ft	30 amp		51 ft	1,462 ft	287 ft	$20–$40
HCMR	014	equestrian electric	45 ft	30 amp	yes	87 ft	1,464 ftCedar Creek	167 ft	$20–$40
HCMR	015	equestrian electric	40 ft	30 amp	yes	87 ft	1,400 ftCedar Creek	94 ft	$20–$40
HCMR	016	equestrian electric	37 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCMR	017	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCMR	018	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCMR	019	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
HCMR	020	equestrian electric	36 ft	30 amp					$20–$40
North Shore	GC 1	group standard area nonelectric				54 ft	464 ft	185 ft	$35
North Shore	GC 2	group standard area nonelectric				155 ft	310 ft	201 ft	$35
NORTH SHORE	049	standard nonelectric	35 ft			78 ft	258 ft	257 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	050	standard nonelectric	47 ft		yes	78 ft	182 ft	214 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	051	standard nonelectric	35 ft			73 ft	85 ft	227 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	053	standard nonelectric	35 ft			49 ft	130 ft	225 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	054	standard nonelectric	35 ft			49 ft	88 ft	236 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	055	standard nonelectric	30 ft			141 ft	112 ft	147 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	056	standard nonelectric	50 ft			59 ft	125 ft	251 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	057	standard nonelectric	23 ft			59 ft	148 ft	262 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	058	standard nonelectric	50 ft			185 ft	256 ft	90 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	059	standard nonelectric	23 ft			44 ft	148 ft	252 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	060	standard nonelectric	30 ft			49 ft	101 ft	299 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	061	standard nonelectric	23 ft			44 ft	133 ft	277 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	062	standard nonelectric	35 ft			53 ft	199 ft	240 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	063	standard nonelectric	35 ft			53 ft	251 ft	203 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	064	standard nonelectric	70 ft			59 ft	475 ft	167 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	065	standard nonelectric	40 ft			59 ft	512 ft	225 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	066	standard nonelectric	45 ft			52 ft	488 ft	155 ft	$15
NORTH SHORE	067	type not stated	45 ft				494 ft	204 ft
NORTH SHORE	068	type not stated	40 ft				392 ft	224 ft
NORTH SHORE	069	type not stated	35 ft				320 ft	200 ft
NORTH SHORE	070	type not stated	45 ft				327 ft	141 ft
NORTH SHORE	071	type not stated	35 ft				359 ft	101 ft
NORTH SHORE	072	standard nonelectric	40 ft			52 ft	439 ft	103 ft	$15
SANDY BEACH	026	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		97 ft	244 ft	366 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	027	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		53 ft	204 ft	287 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	028	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		65 ft	200 ft	237 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	029	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		43 ft	193 ft	148 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	030	standard electric	55 ft	50 amp		43 ft	175 ft	147 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	031	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		60 ft	210 ft	125 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	032	standard electric	55 ft	50 amp		78 ft	140 ft	221 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	033	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		78 ft	121 ft	282 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	034	standard electric	50 ft	50 amp		26 ft	217 ft	341 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	035	standard electric	25 ft	50 amp		78 ft	162 ft	458 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	036	standard electric	25 ft	50 amp		71 ft	131 ft	536 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	037	standard electric	25 ft	50 amp		71 ft	94 ft	607 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	038	standard electric	25 ft	50 amp		72 ft	101 ft	667 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	039	standard electric	50 ft	50/50 amp		26 ft	203 ft	322 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	040	tent only nonelectric	25 ft			47 ft	290 ft	273 ft
SANDY BEACH	041	tent only nonelectric	25 ft			57 ft	373 ft	197 ft
SANDY BEACH	042	tent only nonelectric	25 ft			57 ft	350 ft	141 ft
SANDY BEACH	043	tent only nonelectric	25 ft			47 ft	284 ft	229 ft
SANDY BEACH	044	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp		70 ft	220 ft	182 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	045	standard electric	40 ft	50 amp	yes	60 ft	268 ft	94 ft	$20–$25
SANDY BEACH	046	type not stated	55 ft	50 amp			395 ft	275 ft
SANDY BEACH	047	standard electric	45 ft	50 amp		53 ft	257 ft	269 ft	$20–$25
SHRV	001	type not stated	62 ft	30 amp			242 ftCedar Creek	248 ft
SHRV	002	type not stated	58 ft	30 amp			180 ftCedar Creek	270 ft
SHRV	003	type not stated	54 ft	30 amp			132 ftCedar Creek	264 ft
SHRV	004	type not stated	45 ft	30 amp			97 ftCedar Creek	255 ft
SHRV	006	type not stated	57 ft	30 amp	yes		152 ftCedar Creek	149 ft
SHRV	007	type not stated	56 ft	30 amp			181 ftCedar Creek	185 ft
SHRV	009	type not stated	48 ft	30 amp			147 ftCedar Creek	274 ft
SHRV	010	type not stated	46 ft	30 amp			1,321 ft	393 ft
SHRV	012	type not stated	52 ft	30 amp			209 ftCedar Creek	336 ft
SHRV	017	type not stated	51 ft	30 amp			358 ftCedar Creek	559 ft
SHRV	018	type not stated	34 ft	30 amp			404 ftCedar Creek	541 ft
SHRV	019	type not stated	25 ft	30 amp			440 ftCedar Creek	482 ft
SHRV	020	type not stated	51 ft	30 amp			427 ftCedar Creek	392 ft
SHRV	021	type not stated	57 ft	30 amp			373 ftCedar Creek	380 ft
SHRV	023	type not stated	45 ft	30 amp			362 ftCedar Creek	283 ft
SHRV	024	type not stated	53 ft	30 amp			320 ftCedar Creek	213 ft
		day use		20 amp	yes

The agency files 1 more record here that isn’t a site for the night. It files it as day use. It’s in the table above, marked for what it is, and it isn’t counted as a site.

Price: Derived by CAMPANAC: each site takes the per-night rate this campground publishes for the site’s own site type (recreation.gov rate schedule). recreation.gov publishes no per-campsite fee, and a site whose type carries no published rate is left blank rather than called free · Sep 11, 2026

25 of 118 listed

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

Coordinate34.75861, -94.69444

The mapSee it on the map

The driveDirections ↗

The phone918-653-2991

The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Also near hereCedar Lake Recreation AreaWinding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area · 1.4 mi

Winding Stair Campground (OK)Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area · 3.2 mi Billy Creek Recreation AreaOuachita National Forest · 5.1 mi

Little Pines CampgroundOuachita National Forest · 25 mi Little Pines Recreation AreaOuachita National Forest · 25 mi

Shady Lake Campground30 mi

Getting there

From Poteau, OK, take U.S. Highway 59 south approximately 22 miles to Holson Valley Road (10 miles south of Heavener). Turn right (west) onto Holson Valley Road and travel approximately 2.5 miles. Turn right (north) onto Cedar Lake Road and travel 1 mile to the camp boundary.

From Talihina, OK, take U.S. Highway 271 east toward Poteau for 11 miles. Turn right (east) onto Holson Valley Road and travel 19 miles to Cedar Lake Road. Turn left onto Cedar Lake Road.

Directions: Driving directions as the agency wrote them · Sep 9, 2026

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Overnight41°Partly Cloudy

Saturday63°Sunny

Saturday Night40°Clear

Sunday68°Sunny

NWS forecast for Hodgen, OK

Source: National Weather Service, TSA forecast office · Oct 17, 2026

Typical weather

Typical October night 48°F, day 73°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical January night 28°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

100°32°20°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: MENA, AR (USC00034756), 26 miles away and 132 ft higher

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, monthly normals · Sep 8, 2026

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send

Roadless country, and what’s coming for it

Roadless

Rich Mountain5,030 acres · 9 mi · inventoried roadless area

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Source: USFS Inventoried Roadless Areas via MTJP Roadless Map · Jul 29, 2026

Who answers for this land

Cedar Lake (Oklahoma) is in Oklahoma’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Josh Brecheen (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Source: U.S. Census district boundaries and the MTJP Congressional Public Lands Score

Who can change it · 3

Write to somebody who can change it

Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.

The member who votes the moneyJosh BrecheenU.S. Representative · Oklahoma’s 2nd district
Open their contact form ↗Their record →
Your senator, on the same appropriationAlan ArmstrongU.S. Senator · Oklahoma
Open their contact form ↗
Your senator, on the same appropriationJames LankfordU.S. Senator · Oklahoma
Open their contact form ↗

Read the draft, or change the wording

For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.

To Josh Brecheen

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Cedar Lake (Oklahoma), Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area, Oklahoma

Dear Josh Brecheen,

I’m a constituent in Oklahoma’s 2nd district. I tried to camp at Cedar Lake (Oklahoma), Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area, Oklahoma, and couldn’t.

recreation.gov lists 94 of the 117 campsites the agency files at Cedar Lake (Oklahoma), and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 45 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked.

1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cedar Lake (Oklahoma) keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule.

I’m not asking you to run Cedar Lake (Oklahoma). I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund.

The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them.

Sent about Cedar Lake (Oklahoma) (Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area, Oklahoma) via campanac.com

To Alan Armstrong

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Cedar Lake (Oklahoma), Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area, Oklahoma

Dear Alan Armstrong,

I’m a constituent in Oklahoma. I tried to camp at Cedar Lake (Oklahoma), Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area, Oklahoma, and couldn’t.

Sent about Cedar Lake (Oklahoma) (Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area, Oklahoma) via campanac.com

To James Lankford

Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.

Subject Walk-up camping at Cedar Lake (Oklahoma), Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area, Oklahoma

Dear James Lankford,

I’m a constituent in Oklahoma. I tried to camp at Cedar Lake (Oklahoma), Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area, Oklahoma, and couldn’t.

Sent about Cedar Lake (Oklahoma) (Indian Nations National Scenic And Wildlife Area, Oklahoma) via campanac.com

How we know this · 4

Contacts: Contact forms from @unitedstates/congress-legislators · Sep 9, 2026

The figures in these drafts: Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress (CRS Report RS20643) · Updated December 4, 2025 · “The ship’s final procurement cost was $13,316.5 million (i.e., about $13.3 billion) in then-year dollars.”

The figures in these drafts: Salary Table 2026-GS, Incorporating the 1% General Schedule Increase, Effective January 2026 (U.S. Office of Personnel Management) · Effective January 2026 · “Grade 5, Step 1: $34,799 (annual rate, before locality pay).”

The figures in these drafts: Update to Civilian Position Full Fringe Benefit Cost Factor, Federal Pay Raise Assumptions, and Inflation Factors used in OMB Circular No. A-76 (OMB Memorandum M-08-13) · March 11, 2008 · “the civilian position full fringe benefit cost factor needs to be adjusted downward, from 36.45 percent to 36.25 percent”

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from

Right now: recreation.gov is offering sites on 30 of the next 30 nights, which isn’t something a closed campground does.

Sites on recreation.gov: recreation.gov’s own month availability payload for this facility, asked for October 2026, November 2026 and July 2027. It names 94 of the 117 campsites the agency files here, and every one of them carries an answer either way. A campground nobody has read carries no answer at all, never a no. · Oct 11, 2026

Elevation: USGS 3DEP elevation point query at this campground’s coordinate · Sep 7, 2026

Tree cover: NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC), one 30 m cell at this coordinate, taken as the median across the 98 campsites here that carry a reading · Sep 9, 2026

Water: USGS National Hydrography Dataset, nearest perennial lake, reservoir, river or stream to this campground’s coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate: 0.17 mcd/m² of artificial all-sky glow, ranked against the 106 rated federal campgrounds in Oklahoma · Sep 8, 2026

Sky-glow model: Duriscoe, Anderson, Luginbuhl and Baugh (2018), a simplified model of all-sky artificial sky glow derived from VIIRS Day/Night band data, the National Park Service sky-glow model

Cell signal: the Forest Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.

Nearest place of any size: Hodgen, OK, 6 mi SSW (a census designated place). Straight line.

Nearest town: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 places, measured by CAMPANAC to the town boundary; population is the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate · Sep 9, 2026