Cookson Bend
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 15 of the next 15 nights read 15:03 UTC
- A night
- $16–$25Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 129All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 13 notices
In the agency’s own words
Cookson Bend Campground is a popular area that lies on Tenkiller Ferry Lake, among the Cookson Hills of the Ozark Mountains. Visitors here delight in breathtaking views of 200-foot limestone bluffs rising from the scenic waters. Keep reading
Recreation
Boating, fishing, water skiing, hiking and swimming are among the activities enjoyed by visitors. Scuba divers enjoy the lake's clear waters and high visibility. Ten marinas are located on the lake. Most offer boat and jet-ski rentals, and several have floating restaurants. Fishing is good for black bass, white bass, striped bass, crappie and catfish. The trout stream below the dam is one of only two year-round trout fisheries in Oklahoma, and is regularly stocked with rainbow trout. Hunting is also permitted in parts of the lake area, in accordance with state laws.
Facilities
The campground has sites with electric hookups, and some sites are non-electric. The group picnic shelters have electricity and are reservable. The park has waterborne restrooms with hot showers, drinking water, a dump station, swim beach, playground, and boat ramps. A marina with concessions is adjacent to the campground.
Natural Features
Tenkiller Ferry Lake is often referred to as Oklahoma's clear water paradise. The 12,500-acre lake is sourced by the Illinois River and the Baron Fork, which are both designated as Oklahoma Scenic Rivers. Located in the northeastern part of the state, the region is known as Green Country, with surroundings of dense Oak-Hickory forests, tall bluffs, and rolling hills. Tenkiller boasts 130 miles of shoreline with plenty of wildlife such as deer and turkey. It also serves as one of the flyways of migratory birds, including bald eagles, common loons, and white pelicans.
Nearby Attractions
Visit the Tenkiller State Park for its nature center and scuba diving park, the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge near Vian, or the historic city of Tahlequah - the capitol of the Cherokee Nation. The scenic upper Illinois River near Tahlequah is great for canoeing and rafting, and the lower Illinois near Gore offers prime trout fishing.
What the agency tells you
Check-out time: 3:00 pm. Check-in time: 6:00 pm. You must stop and register at the Gate Shack upon arrival.
Quiet hours: 10:00 pm - 6:00 am. Entrance gate will be closed during this time.
Limit 3 tents, or 1 wheeled camper and 2 tents per camp pad.
Everything else this campground posts · 10
Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.
Pets must remain restrained on a leash or penned at all times. Pets are NOT allowed on swim beaches or in bathrooms.
Grey water and sewage must be properly disposed of in the provided dump station receptacle. Disposal of any water or waste on the ground is prohibited.
Group shelters are for day use only.
Fireworks are prohibited.
Fishing and hunting are regulated by federal and state laws.
Campers must occupy the campsite at least once during each 24 hour period. Abandoned personal property may be subject to impoundment after 24 hours.
Camping is limited to 14 consecutive days within any 30 day period. This applies to all members of the camping party and the camping unit.
Fires must be contained within the fire ring or grill provided. These are NOT trash receptacles, please leave them free of food and litter upon departure.
Campers shall keep their sites free of trash and litter during the period of occupancy and shall remove all personal equipment and clean their sites upon departure. Trash must be placed in the provided dumpsters.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 129 · 1 tent-only
- Hookups
- 64 electric, 7 water
- Longest rig
- 160 ft
- Paved pads
- 2 of 129
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Showers
- Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind
- “The park has waterborne restrooms with hot showers, drinking water, a dump station, swim beach, playground, and boat ramps.”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…waterborne restrooms with hot showers, drinking water, a dump station, swim beach, playground, and boat…”
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Playground
- Yes
- Store
- Nearby
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Creek, Beach
- Boating
- Swimming
- Night sky · 58th darkest of 106 in OK
- Bortle 4
26 of 58 sites open on Sat, Oct 17read 15:03 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
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.
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.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 16
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $16–$25 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.
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 · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 15:03 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
134 records · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 131 mapped sitesAll 134 records
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 129 of the 134 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| 0512 | 017 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 50 ft | 228 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | 018 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 60 ft | 210 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | 019 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 91 ft | 223 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | 058 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 102 ft | 268 ft | $16 | |
| 0512 | 059 | tent only nonelectric | 44 ft | 363 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 060 | standard nonelectric | 44 ft | 387 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 061 | standard nonelectric | 136 ft | 374 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 062 | standard nonelectric | 46 ft | 289 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 063 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 261 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 064 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 249 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 065 | standard nonelectric | 44 ft | 252 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 066 | standard nonelectric | 36 ft | 224 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 067 | standard nonelectric | 36 ft | 206 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 068 | standard nonelectric | 47 ft | 181 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 069 | standard nonelectric | 47 ft | 182 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 070 | standard nonelectric | 61 ft | 154 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 071 | standard nonelectric | 72 ft | 154 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 072 | standard nonelectric | 78 ft | 151 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 073 | standard nonelectric | 78 ft | 176 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 074 | standard nonelectric | 56 ft | 456 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 075 | standard nonelectric | 56 ft | 456 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 076 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft | 389 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 077 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft | 374 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 078 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | 347 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 079 | standard nonelectric | 79 ft | 314 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 080 | standard nonelectric | 66 ft | 236 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 081 | standard nonelectric | 66 ft | 211 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 082 | standard nonelectric | 57 ft | 265 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 083 | standard nonelectric | 57 ft | 319 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 084 | standard nonelectric | 76 ft | 386 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 085 | standard nonelectric | 99 ft | 533 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 086 | standard nonelectric | 89 ft | 434 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 087 | standard nonelectric | 67 ft | 311 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 088 | standard nonelectric | 67 ft | 244 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 089 | standard nonelectric | 86 ft | 322 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 090 | standard nonelectric | 86 ft | 242 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 091 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | 379 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 092 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | 333 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 093 | standard nonelectric | 74 ft | 261 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 094 | standard nonelectric | 74 ft | 188 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 095 | standard nonelectric | 99 ft | 240 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 096 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | 324 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 097 | standard nonelectric | 66 ft | 381 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 098 | standard nonelectric | 59 ft | 410 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 099 | standard nonelectric | 43 ft | 355 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 100 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 241 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 101 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 234 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 102 | standard nonelectric | 43 ft | 319 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 103 | standard nonelectric | 56 ft | 305 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 104 | standard nonelectric | 56 ft | 311 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 105 | standard nonelectric | 55 ft | 269 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 106 | standard nonelectric | 73 ft | 230 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 107 | standard nonelectric | 70 ft | 235 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 108 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | 179 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 109 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | 155 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 110 | standard nonelectric | 57 ft | 156 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 111 | standard nonelectric | 57 ft | 118 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 112 | standard nonelectric | 93 ft | 310 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 113 | standard nonelectric | 81 ft | 313 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 114 | standard nonelectric | 81 ft | 237 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 115 | standard nonelectric | 83 ft | 305 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 116 | standard nonelectric | 59 ft | 216 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 117 | standard nonelectric | 59 ft | 160 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 118 | standard nonelectric | 70 ft | 165 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 119 | standard nonelectric | 66 ft | 259 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 120 | standard nonelectric | 83 ft | 225 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | 121 | standard nonelectric | 82 ft | 297 ft | $16 | ||
| 0512 | G001 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 61 ft | 350 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | G002 | standard electric | 34 ft | 30 amp | 61 ft | 366 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | G003 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 54 ft | 400 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | G004 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 54 ft | 393 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | G005 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 69 ft | 292 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | G006 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 69 ft | 346 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | G007 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 69 ft | 470 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | G008 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 69 ft | 503 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | G009 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 79 ft | 465 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | G010 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 79 ft | 448 ft | $23–$25 |
| 0512 | S001 | day use | 30 amp | 69 ft | 378 ft | $50 | |
| 0512 | S002 | day use | 30 amp | 61 ft | 204 ft | $50 | |
| CBEN | 001 | standard electric | 25 ft | 30 amp | 75 ft | 404 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 002 | standard electric | 21 ft | 30 amp | 38 ft | 363 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 003 | standard nonelectric | 38 ft | 357 ft | $16 | ||
| CBEN | 004 | standard electric | 32 ft | 30 amp | 76 ft | 397 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 005 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 48 ft | 354 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 006 | standard electric | 26 ft | 30 amp | 60 ft | 350 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 008 | standard electric | 28 ft | 30 amp | 57 ft | 363 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 009 | standard electric | 34 ft | 30 amp | 57 ft | 387 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 010 | standard electric | 32 ft | 30 amp | 47 ft | 466 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 011 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 69 ft | 418 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 012 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 51 ft | 372 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 013 | standard electric | 24 ft | 30 amp | 51 ft | 369 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 016 | standard electric | 34 ft | 30 amp | 47 ft | 439 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 020 | standard electric | 105 ft | 30 amp | 107 ft | 200 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 021 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 110 ft | 106 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 022 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 50 ft | 209 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 023 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 93 ft | 88 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 024 | standard electric | 36 ft | 30 amp | 82 ft | 120 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 025 | standard electric | 36 ft | 30 amp | 70 ft | 103 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 026 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 82 ft | 138 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 027 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 70 ft | 57 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 028 | standard electric | 160 ft | 30 amp | 60 ft | 160 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 029 | standard electric | 68 ft | 30 amp | 77 ft | 82 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 030 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 68 ft | 94 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 031 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 68 ft | 65 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 032 | standard electric | 69 ft | 30 amp | 83 ft | 159 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 033 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 56 ft | 78 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 034 | standard electric | 63 ft | 30 amp | 66 ft | 145 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 035 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 56 ft | 48 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 036 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 65 ft | 135 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 037 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 63 ft | 37 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 038 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 65 ft | 127 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 039 | standard electric | 57 ft | 30 amp | 63 ft | 37 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 040 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 75 ft | 120 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 041 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 79 ft | 39 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 042 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 75 ft | 122 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 043 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 60 ft | 67 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 044 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 60 ft | 126 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 045 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 71 ft | 66 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 046 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 71 ft | 134 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 047 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 63 ft | 76 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 048 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 63 ft | 134 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 049 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 83 ft | 73 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 050 | standard electric | 42 ft | 30 amp | 83 ft | 128 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 051 | standard electric | 40 ft | 50 amp | 45 ft | 216 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 052 | standard electric | 36 ft | 50 amp | 45 ft | 172 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 053 | standard electric | 42 ft | 50 amp | 45 ft | 137 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 054 | standard electric | 42 ft | 50 amp | 38 ft | 158 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 055 | standard electric | 42 ft | 50 amp | 38 ft | 192 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 056 | standard electric | 42 ft | 50 amp | 41 ft | 232 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | 057 | standard electric | 42 ft | 50 amp | 50 ft | 273 ft | $23–$25 |
| CBEN | N/A | standard electric | 70 ft | 30 amp | 90 ft | 410 ft | $23–$25 |
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX | unnamed record | 25 ft | ||||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX1 | unnamed record | |||||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXX2 | unnamed record | 350 ft |
The agency files 5 more records here that aren’t sites for the night: 2 it files as day use and 3 it types MANAGEMENT rather than a campsite. They’re in the table above, marked for what they are, and none of them is counted as a site.
25 of 134 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Chicken Creek1.7 mi
Pettit Bay3.3 mi
Snake Creek4.1 mi
Elk Creek Landing4.5 mi
Strayhorn Landing8.3 mi
Dam Site (Fort Gibson Lake)19 miFrom Tahlequah, OK go 17.5 miles southeast on Highway 82. Look for sings for Tenkiller and turn right, then go two miles west on the paved access road.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Cookson, OK
Typical weather
Typical October night 49°F, day 75°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.
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.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it
Who answers for this land
Cookson Bend 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 →