A Complete Hiking, Camping, and Touring Guide for Robbers Cave State Park

Robbers Cave State Park is a great place to unwind and get in touch with nature, and it’s not far from Wilburton, in the Sans Bois Mountains of southeast Oklahoma. Nestled amid sandstone hills and cliffs ranging in height from 300 to 1,500 feet, this park takes its name from the notorious outlaws who once hid in the cave there.

The park’s 189 lake acres are distributed over Lake Wayne Wallace, Lake Carlton, and Coon Creek, for a total of 8,246 acres of water.

We decided to try to put together the best guide on Robbers Cave State Area. This article will serve as a guide to the best camping, hiking, and sightseeing options in the park.

Robbers Cave Lodge And Cabins

Once you’ve left the park office, keep going straight along Park Cabins Road until you reach a “Y.” The Robbers Cave Lodge, located on the left, has 20 rooms with views of Coon Creek Lake and the valley below, which is wooded.

These smoke-free accommodations have two double beds, a coffee machine, a microwave, a minifridge, and satellite TV. The lodge has rooms that can sleep up to four people. However, dogs are not allowed.

The cottages are easily accessible by car from the lodge’s parking lot. There are a total of 26 rooms, accommodating 2–6 people in each. Each cottage has a fireplace, fridge, stove, microwave, coffee maker, plates, cutlery, pots and pans, cooking utensils, bedding, air conditioning, a private bathroom with a shower, a satellite TV, and a telephone.

Reserve Cabin 101, often called the Honeymoon Suite, for a romantic retreat with your significant other and take in one of the park’s most breathtaking sunsets.

Robbers Cave’s Famous Waterfall

The rain brings about beautiful waterfalls to the park and this beautiful location is everyone’s favorite relaxing spot. Tourists risk their lives to take photos, as it’s not easily accessible. We don’t recommend taking any excessive risks here, but we do hope you get to experience this view at least once.

Robbers Cave Tours

Mountain biking, canoeing, paddling boats, aqua cycles, hayrides, playgrounds, pony rides, equestrian pathways, swimming, birdwatching, miniature golf, and disc golf are just some of the activities available at Robbers Cave State Park.

While most of the paid attractions cost $4 per person, there are some free options as well.

There are three lakes available for fishing, and visitors can even join a naturalist for a round of Hillbilly fishing. A local naturalist will tell you the finest fishing spots in the region and demonstrate proper rod setup for only $3.

A guided tour of the cave by a local naturalist is available for an extra $3. (kids under 5 are free). Taking a tour is a great way to become acquainted with the local flora and fauna as well as the geography and history of the region. For about $4 per person, you can hire a canoe and paddle all the way around Lake Carlton (kids under 5 are free).

Enjoy a scenic 30-minute ride around the park on the Belle Starr Express. It makes a pit stop at the historic generator plant that provided power to the park until the 1970s. A family of bald eagles may be seen if you visit the park towards the end of January.

Renting horses, boats, and bicycles are available to visitors at appropriate times. The Nature Center has a knowledgeable staff who can tell you everything about the local flora and fauna, and the gift store sells a wide variety of trinkets, from pressed pennies to replicas of old mining helmets. Both a gift store and a snack bar may be found inside the hotel.

The park rangers are a great resource for learning about the area’s unusual history, lesser-known attractions, and other offbeat tidbits.

Robbers Cave Camping: A Wide Selection Available

With so many great locations to set up camp, you can’t go wrong.

Park Office And Tent Campgrounds

You can reach the park’s administrative offices in a renovated lake shack off of Park Cabins Road, which branches south off State Route 2. On each side of this road are the Horseshoe Bend and Bobcat Tent Campgrounds. Stop by the front desk to finalize your check-in and pick up some literature on your cabin stay. Golf carts, bikes, surrey cycles, pedal bikes, fishing poles, a volleyball net, and disc golf sets are all available for hire at the park’s office.

Campers that arrive early will have their choice of any available sites. The park’s administration will dispatch an attendant to collect the required payment. Your camping spot may be reserved and paid for in advance, too, over the internet.

Equestrian Campground

Take Park Road (also known as Robbers Cave Road) north of Lake Carlton; it connects to Highway 2 and goes parallel to the lake. The Equestrian Campground has two picnic shelters, a playground, a dump station, and a bathroom that is wheelchair accessible. This park has 45 RV slots and 5 tent sites. Sites 17 and 18 have water, power, and sewage hookups; the remaining sites just supply water and electricity. Sites 17-19 and 40-45 also have access to 50 amp service.

If you’re looking for the most convenient spot in the campground, Site 14 is your sole option. In addition, it’s in close proximity to one of the two trailheads in the area, making it convenient for horseback riders.

Camping spots for tents are available on a first-come, first-served basis, while RV spots may be reserved in advance through the website.

Whispering Pines And Old Circle Campgrounds

Just across the street from the park office is the Whispering Pines Campground, which has 17 campsites. Tent sites 1 through 12 are fully developed with water, sewer, and electrical hookups, whereas sites 13 through 17 are partially developed with just water and electricity hookups.

Pull-through Site 12 is wheelchair friendly. The parking area for the 2.5-mile Coon Ridge Trail is conveniently located near the nearby comfort station and picnic shelter.

When traveling from Whispering Pines Campground to Old Circle Campground, visitors must first go via a guarded entrance and a dump station.

Twenty-three campsites are available, six of which are pull-through. The rest of the locations are either completely modern or just partially ancient. Each campground always has either a 30 amp or 50 amp electrical hookup available.

Located in the middle of Old Circle Campgrounds, the central restrooms are only a short walk away from the Lake Carlton Nature Center and Gift Shop.

Coon Creek Campground

Robbers Cave State Park has four rustic campgrounds, the first of which is Coon Creek Campground. To find this camping location, go north of Coon Creek Lake and up the creek’s eastern bank. From the park’s visitor center, you may go on a 3/4 mile walk that has many significant, steep hills. The historic Coon Creek Dam, built by the WPA in the 1930s, is a prominent landmark along this route. The park’s administration office is the place you go to get a backcountry camping permit.

Primitive Camping

Return to Highway 2 and turn west to reach the park’s continuation. Start your camping journey at the southwest corner of the park, where there is a comfort station and many tent-only campsites. The Quarry, Dogwood, Deep Fork, and Younger’s Bend campsites are among the nearest camping locations without power or running water. With the exception of the Quarry Campground, which is about a mile from the Deep Fork Campground, all of the other campgrounds are very accessible.

In the 1930s, the CCC dug a piece of the hill known as the old quarry in order to get stones for the park’s pathways, dams, and other structures.

ATV Area

The ATV Area is located right next to the Deep Fork Campground just on the east side of Highway 2. Bring your own ATV or side-by-side vehicle and explore the 250-acre landscape. The ATV riding facility is available daily from 8:00 a.m. to dusk and needs a charge to enter. Please note that ATV rentals are not available inside the park.

Lake Carlton Activities And Yurts

Anyone headed towards Lake Carlton via Highway 2 North should continue on until the next turn west. Do you enjoy disc golf, kayaking, swimming, miniature golf, hiking, or canoeing? How about picnic shelters, an amphitheater, a boat dock, a swimming pool, or comfort stations? Robbers Cave State Park has all of this, and more. There’s even a a nature center, with natural history presentations and exhibits.

Campers at the Carlton Tent Campground can enjoy any of these activities, or all of them if they have the stamina. But many of the parks’ attractions are managed by private companies. The accessibility and operation hours are subject to change depending on the time of year.

A few permanent yurts (large tents) are available for guests to use as sleeping accommodations. The yurt is fully furnished with a queen-size bed, a full-size sleeping couch, a microwave, and a minifridge. Sit back with a drink and take in the breathtaking panorama of Lake Carlton from the patio.

Other Things to Do at Robbers Cave State Park

Besides all of the main activities available, there’s even more to do at Robbers Cave State Park. The pool is accessible for use between Memorial Day and Labor Day. In addition, smaller children may enjoy a few water slides and a splash pad. Each night, individuals are charged $3.

Try out a horse in the Stables of Robbers’ Cave! Their trail rides vary in duration from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Two-person rides with a youngster on the saddle are offered for children ages two to four.

The weight limit is tightly enforced at 250 pounds in order to avoid placing additional pressure on the horses. For a guided trail ride, plan to spend between $35 to $100 per rider.

If you’re searching for something additional to do with your children, leading pony rides for $15 is an excellent option. With a young child, a tour of the property’s exterior may be completed in about 15 minutes.

There’s a petting zoo that has a donkey, an emu, many goats, and a llama. Each person must pay $3 in entry fees. Additionally, you may buy feed for them.

Conclusion

It’s hopefully apparent by now that there’s quite a lot to do at Robbers Cave State Park. It offers something for just about everyone. But due to the costs of some activities like horse-riding, it may not be in your budget. Plan accordingly, because once you get there, you will definitely be tempted to try more than you anticipated.