Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Camping at Greenleaf State Park



Last weekend my family and I loaded up our pop-up camper, grabbed the dog and headed to Greenleaf State Park, OK.  We'd never been before and arrived just at dusk, nobody was at the Welcome Center when we stopped in.  That was ok we headed on down into the park and looked for a good spot to set up camp.  I had called earlier in the day and was told that they don't take reservations, it's first come first served for the camping spots.  Cabins MUST be reserved though.  The kind woman that I had spoken with earlier told me that the Cypress Row campground is by the lake, Gobbler Ridge is by putt putt and Deer Run is near the playground.  Of course with our crew we wanted to be by the lake!  We drove right to spot 20, hopped out and started setting up camp.  After a couple of minutes the Ranger drove by and asked if everything was ok, collected our fees ($20 per night) and told us the Welcome office would be open in the morning and we could pick up a schedule of events.
So we got our PJ's on played some games, ate some snacks and went to bed.

WARNING: Picture overload!

When we woke up this is what greeted us as we stepped outside our camper!  WE had definitely chosen a perfect spot the previous night.  We could see the sun rising and glistening on the lake, it was breathtaking. 
 

Saturday was a free day, we didn't have any plans except to hang out as a family.  We played putt putt (the course is a little run down so they didn't charge us to play), played several games of Washers, went on a hike, sat around and visited and then went swimming.
Trix was such a good boy on our trip, he's a trooper.

 That night we grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and of course made S'mores. Kenzie put a different spin on it and used 2 cookies to make hers.
 
 



 
 When it was dark we set up glow in the dark bowling.  We saved 10 water bottles and filled them 1/2 way with water then dropped glow stick in and set them up.  We used a ball that was too light so next time I think we'll take a basketball.  That was a lot of fun trying to knock over the "pins".


On Sunday we got up and hung out around camp just visiting and talking as a family.
 
We walked down to one of the docks.
 
 Checked out the marina
and we rented the kids a paddle boat for 1 hour. Only $10 an hour for either a paddle boat, canoe, or a kayak.



More info about Greenleaf State Park

At the time we were camping the prices were current but please be aware that they are subject to change.

Tent sites $10 per night
RV sites with electric and water $20 per night
RV sites with electric, water and sewer hookups $23 per night
Premium sites additional $5

Please call 918-487-5196 for cabin pricing or any additional questions


Greenleaf is a family friendly park tucked away in the hills of eastern Oklahoma and is just outside of the tiny town Braggs, OK.  The scenery was breathtaking in the very warm summer months and I imagine it would be gorgeous in the fall and spring...not so sure about winter.

The park offers 14 cabins with bathrooms, kitchens, and include heat and air.  We also saw that they offer "Cabin on the Lake", which is a handicapped accessible cabin that even has its own dock and is very private. 

As you can tell from seeing out dog Trix, pets are welcome at the park as long as they are on a leash.

Thinks you might want to know:

If you run out of something the marina offers a tiny store with a wide variety of items for sale.

Firewood can be purchased at the marina or the welcome center but you are also welcome to pick up any dead wood on the property.

The swimming beach is horrible, we actually drove to Tenkiller Lake to go swimming.  It's about a 15-20 min. drive from Greenleaf.

There was a children's fishing pond for ages 16 and under.

The swimming pool looks great and has a slide but is open Memorial Day-Labor Day so it was closed the weekend we were there.

I saw several sand volleyball courts and several basketball courts.

There was a nature center that was being re-done at the time we were there.

A building was available for reunions or large get togethers.

One the schedule of events for the weekend we were there they were offering a wagon ride, Snake time to learn about the native snakes, learn to make balloon animals, and a class to make your own birdfeeder.  I know they offer many different activities throughout the year so just check with the park to see what's going on.

There are some really great tent camping spots right down by the lake.

The bathrooms are normal camping bathrooms, be sure to bring your own toilet paper (just in case) and your own soap. We were happy that the bathrooms were cleaned several times while we camped.

The showers were different, we had never seen showers that charge you for use. I noted the price was .50 for 3 minutes.  So use your time wisely ;)




The area was so beautiful, we saw this tree.  Does anyone know what it is?  It reminds me of the banyan trees that we saw when we were in Hawaii.


 
 
Thanks for reading,


P.S.  Several people have commented about Kylan, yes he's ok but he's going through a stage and doesn't want his picture taken that often.  If you happen to see a rare pic of him please enjoy it!

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