The Stellar Land Yacht: Big Bend Park, Canton Lake

We saw one of the prettiest sunrises during our trip at Canton Lake.

Though to be fair we had a lot of overcast and rainy mornings

while we were away from home.

As you will see from the web pages included at the end of this post, Canton Lake (Canton, OK) is another USACE project. It has five different campsites around the lake, all managed by the Corp.

We stayed in Big Bend Park for two nights, and got lucky enough to snag a site on the shore. (It was the closest site to the bathrooms, too. Sweet!) That’s one of the nice parts about camping during the week before travel season really heats up. There can be more availability in desirable campsites. Our only complaint? More shade would have been nice. We’re not griping too much, though. Sometimes, you can’t have everything.

For those who are asking, “Would you stay here again?” the answer is, “Yes.” The facilities around Canton Lake include paved roads, and Big Bend has paved RV sites. Despite our site lacking a bit in shade, there are trees around the lake, and we made note of other campsites we liked. (Campground maps don’t show you where the shade is.) Besides checking in campers, the hosts patrol the campground a few times a day, and campground maintenance employees keep everything tidy.

Are there things you should know before you go? Yes, indeed. First of all, you will reach Canton Lake from 2-lane highways. There are no interstates in the area. Road maintenance can vary depending on the government agencies responsible for them, so you won’t always encounter highways as smooth as glass. This lake is situated in the NW quadrant of Oklahoma, an area where semi-arid farming and ranching is practiced. We saw a lot of winter wheat farms, many of whom were harvesting in early June. Traveling in rural areas when farm work is underway? Be prepared to encounter slow-moving equipment on the roads. This part of the country will also be hot and dry during the summer. The temps were getting into the 90s while we were there.

Like many rural areas in the US, most of the communities in this part of Oklahoma are small. Don’t expect to find lots of provisions, though many of the little towns you might pass thru may have a Dollar General or Subway Restaurant. Sometimes they even have both. We did pass thru one community large enough to have a Wal-Mart, but we had restocked before starting the return trip home. You might find a convenience store along a highway, or in some towns. Otherwise keep an eye out for the farmer’s co-ops if you need to refuel. (All the above info is true for rural travel in most Mid-western states, not just Oklahoma.)

In case anyone is wondering, neither of the Corp lakes we visited, are near our usual route when we’re traveling between Texas and our relatives in Iowa and South Dakota. It’s our belief that the joy of RV travel comes from slowing down and getting off the beaten path. As former small town/rural residents, we have to admit big-city living started losing its thrill for us a few years ago. Rural travel, and escaping the crowds, is a pleasant change of pace for us. While we enjoyed our visits to the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore during our last trip, our favorite parts were being on highways where you might see another vehicle and campgrounds which were almost empty. Try it yourself sometime and see if you don’t agree.