Camping at Holiday Cove Recreation Area
Located within 20 minutes from the City of Checotah, OK, this free campground still offers at least one “decent” campsite along the beach of Holiday Cove itself, and one other that appears to be strewn with trash. The other campsites are too far overgrown with weeds to do much with.
There is also a bumpy access down to the tip of the peninsula that high-clearance vehicles could easily traverse down and set up camp on the beach. The beach itself feels firm and suitable for camping with some leveling blocks.
Otherwise, Hickory Point is a rarely-visited recreation area, even during the weekends in summer. The views of Lake Eufaula are stunning.
LOOKS GREAT VERY BEAUTIFUL
There are several campsites with rock fire pit, concrete picnic tables built on a concrete slab, and concrete parking blocks. I’m sure it looked nice at one time, but not anymore. Broken/vandalized tables and benches, lots of trash, dumped household furniture, and a LOT of broken glass everywhere. Judging by the state of the trash, broken glass, and non-manicured landscaping, COE has not been on site for at least a couple years. Free camping? Yes. Dog friendly? Absolutely not! I hadn’t looked around much before my dog came out of a clump of grass with an old steering wheel cover to play with. Bottom line: not recommended.