Tenkiller State Park — Hotel in Vian

I will never go back! This is the second yr in a row we had rented rv site stayed in the area we called ahead of time and read facebook posts on saying we would definitely get to use the pool every day and couldn’t. This was important to me bc I told them last time we went and camped at lake and swim this yr my two yr old got a toe infection from the lake water so the only reason we drove this far was for the pool to keep that from happening again to her this yr. They changed the rules to where u couldn’t use the pool every day! So many campers were upset they had a girl leave the office, it was too much on her! They said the post they made was incorrect but yet they also tell ppl when they call before booking the same thing! They do not tell you all info! Day one they said weather issue you can swim later this evening. Later that evening they put chemical in pool said you can’t till tomorrow bc of chemicals. Day two They said since cabins was rented at max capacity that ment pool was at max capacity even though pool max capacity says 62 -127 ppl and only 10 ppl at most the entire day I know this bc I had family there that had rented a cabin from 12-5 swimming themselves. That also was not mentioned in post! Now they did change it and put a note on office door once so many ppl were complaining and asking for refunds. So many kids were upset and that’s just sad to me especially when they never even came close to max capacity that day to do that to all those kids. Parents were mad bc most called before booking and were told they would be able to use the pool so they disappointed their kids. One lady was told by Bobby when she called that she should have rented a cabin bc they let only cabin ppl swim Saturday she told him same I would have we didn’t spend 20,000 on a camper to rent cabins, get your post and office ppl wording corrected and no issues! He makes more money on cabins nightly so he would say that! The group camping next to ours had been there 5 days and only allowed to swim at pool 2 of those days and they too said they came from Illinois so they called to verify they would be able to use pool ahead of time and were told yes! The electric flashed every so many mins the entire time we were there, which caused issues with lights and fridge and ac getting cold. Last yr the electric went out completely and they never offered refunds, also they had water issues this go round so our campsite and all in that round about of sites had no water for least a day.They did finally allow swimming to campers in the pool on last day, but then changed rule to if u leaving this day u can’t swim, even though check out time was later that evening. The site pics also don’t show when they have areas you can’t use on the site due to maintenance when u book it and they still allow it to be booked online. That was so this weekend for one of their sites number 108. The bathrooms were so disgusting ppl camping there were buying bleach from dollar general close by and cleaning them themselves to be able...

RV'er/Campground review! I really want to like this park a lot, but as usual, OK. State Parks need some help. The great things about the park are the offices, nature center, swimming pool and the playground. The nature center is nice, still needs some updates or new things as it gets old after a few visits. The swimming pool is the best thing here and is probably the best OK State Park pool - my daughter had a blast at this pool and didn't want to leave. It's great for younger kids with the slides and splash pad activities. The playground is also new and is in great shape along with some new benches. The negatives are that some of the facilities really need some attention and this may have to do with the state of funding for Oklahoma parks. There is no mention on the Tenkiller s.p. page that there is a hole in the wall of the kid's fishing pond and it's not even filled. The swim beach is almost unusable as it's narrow, dirty and filled with rocks. It gets crowded easily. The Corps parks seem to be able to have better swim areas at the lakes in Oklahoma. In the campground - the main issue is the bathrooms. We stayed at Fox Squirrel campground in a Travel Trailer right across from the bathrooms. The bathrooms are downright nasty!! The floor and walls are covered with bugs and spider webs that look like they haven't been touched in over a year. The shower in the men's restroom had so much hair in the drain it looked like a small animal and didn't drain well. I felt like I needed a shower after taking a shower in this bathroom. There was also trash and used soap bars in the drain area that had been there a long time. The inner shower curtain was gross and was cloth!! The outer green curtain was unusable as it was mounted with a square shower rod and round rings - so it wouldn't close!! There is NO window screening on the windows, so all the bugs can get in the bathrooms, which is why its so dirty. The days we were there this is how it was cleaned each day: 2 guys drive up in the pickup truck, get out, grab a mop from the mob bucket in the back of the truck - they the proceed to go in and ONLY mop the floor with the dirty, nasty looking mop. It took 1 of them 2 minutes to do this on each bathroom while the other guy watched and then they left. No cleaning of anything else occurred during our stay there. The counters, sink and toilets were not touched as I watched them do this so called "cleaning". They also kept coming by and propping the doors open to the bathrooms with a large rock so even more bugs would get in. Not sure why?? It's amazing to me that a State Park on Tenkiller has such crappy bathrooms and NOT ENOUGH bathrooms for Fox and Flying Squirrel campgrounds. It's almost better to go over to Strayhorn Landing and use the much NICER and cheaper corps RV campground as they have much nicer sites and the bathroom...

We had an enjoyable time at Tinkiller. With travel time being only a of couple hours from where we live, it was a nice in-state getaway. We decided to stay in a ten-person cabin for three nights for a summer family trip. The cabins were comfortable, and seemed to have enough space to comfortably fit the nine of us with our luggage. The only snag was that one of the top bunks had a very bad stench, which caused one of us to sleep on an air mattress that we brought. I slept on an unfolded sofabed, which I actually found pretty comfy. The beds and bunks seemed comfortable also (no complaints from those who slept on them). The sinks in each bedroom were a nice feature - it really saved a lot of waiting for the bathroom. I believe cooking ware is normally provided, but as a precaution to the virus, they decided to stop providing dishes for at least this summer.

We spent the entire trip at the park. The water was nice (very clear, if that makes a difference). You can easily see the rocks two or three feet below the water, but I heard it can get deep fast. It's very pretty to walk along, and the rocks around the shore are amusing. There's also a pool nearby available to swim in free of charge.

We biked along several trails, which had great views. One had bits of history posted along the paved path. We read that Tinkiller was given its name by a prominent Cherokee family that owned a ferry on the river. The family had an ancestor who's bow had ten notches, and the soldiers and pioneers at the nearby Fort Gibson gave him the name.

We also rented a pontoon boat from Pine Cove Marina for several hours. The people there were very friendly, and we enjoyed watching the carp and turtles at the marina entrance. When boating around you can find a fairly tall cliff (about 20') that people were diving from. The tubing was a fun activity to do also.

Relaxing on the cabin deck overlooking the (very spacious) backyard in the evening was nice, and there was plenty of room to play yard games. We also found a couple of trails that lead down to the lake from the cabins (even though they are a little steep). Those trails connect to a longer hiking trail which wraps around the area.

At the end of the day we would roast marshmallows for s'mores. We decided to try using other candy bars instead of plain chocolate for our s'mores (tuned out good btw). Being that the stars were pretty vivid, we had fun stargazing too (see pictures).

Overall, Tinkiller State Park was a...