Lakes in Oklahoma

Arcadia Lake is a 1,725-acre man-made lake in central Oklahoma, in the Frontier Country Region. It is the result of building a dam across Deep Fork River. The lake is popular for boating, windsurfing, and sailing, and anglers can catch largemouth bass, catfish, striped bass, bluegill, and crappies. Spring Creek Park even has an indoor heated fishing dock for those cold months. The area around the lake is also very popular with birdwatchers and nature lovers as it is full of wildlife. Central State Park and Spring Creek Park are located on the lake and offer sandy beaches, boat ramps, ball fields, and playgrounds.

Farmer's Creek Reservoir, better known as Lake Nocona, is a man-made lake created as a result of a dam built on Farmer's Creek. The lake is located in the Prairies and Lakes region near the Oklahoma and Texas border. The lake is a famous bass fishing destination in the spring and summer, especially near the dam. Other fish in the lake are channel catfish, crappie, blue catfish, sunfish, hybrid striped bass, and white bass. The lake is also popular for sailing, boating, kayaking and canoeing and the area around the lake has nice camping spots. There are a number of towns around the lake, but the biggest and the most popular is Lake Nocona with a free boat launch, picnic areas, and camping.

Romantic Lakes

Fort Cobb Lake is a 4,100-acre lake in southwestern Oklahoma in the Great Plains Country. The lake is surrounded by vast plains, green prairies and rolling hills. The lake is man-made as the Fort Cobb Dam construction in 1959, completed by impounding Cobb Creek. Fort Cobb State Park, located on the lake, has a visitor's center and bait and tackle shop. The lake is popular for boating and water skiing and has two swim beaches, a campground, and cabins. Anglers come to the reservoir for largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, and saugeye. The area around the lake has a large crow roost, falcons, and bald eagles. An area designated as a wildlife management area at the north of Fort Cobb Reservoir is covered in oak trees, red cedars, blackjack, native grasses, and thickets of plum trees, and it is full of wildlife.

Heyburn Lake is a 920-acre lake in northeastern Oklahoma surrounded by rolling hills and dense patches of forests with 52 miles of gorgeous shoreline. The lake is a popular vacation area with facilities for boating, waterskiing, picnicking, hiking, and camping. There are several nice swimming beaches and many boat ramps to allow fishermen easy access to the waters full of largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, and sunfish. Next to the lake is the Heyburn Public Hunting Area, and rabbit, quail, wild turkey, waterfowl, and white tail deer live in the forested areas. Several small picturesque and touristy towns in the area offer unique attractions – Sapulpa, Jenks, and many others.

Lakes for Families

Keystone Lake is a large 26,000-acre lake in north-central Oklahoma only 15 miles from Tulsa. The lake has a 330-mile long shoreline surrounded by sandy beaches, sandstone bluffs, and steep hills covered in cedar, oak, and hickory. There are a number of boat ramps all around the lake as well as marinas and camping areas. This man-made lake was created in 1957 as the result of the Keystone Dam construction over the Arkansas River. The lake’s main purpose is flood control as well as power production and water supply to the surrounding cities. Anglers love Keystone Lake for its rich population of striped, sand, black and smallmouth bass, crappie, and channel catfish. Keystone, Walnut Creek, and Feyodi Creek State parks provide different kinds of camping as well as rental cabins. Hikers, bikers, and horseback riders use the 15-mile long scenic Sand Plum Trail.

Konawa Lake is a 1,350-acre reservoir in south central Oklahoma best known for its world class bass fishing. The lake has been created to provide power for the local communities, but it is also very popular for water sports and fishing. The area around the lake is designated a wildlife refuge. The best time to observe wildlife is during the annual bird migration, and the best way to truly enjoy the lake’s incredible natural beauty is from a kayak or canoe. The lake has a few nice swimming beaches, boating ramps, and picnic areas. A number of scenic trails encircle the lake and are used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

Lakes For Photographers

Lake Stanley Draper is a 2900-acre reservoir created in 1963 to provide water for Oklahoma City. The lake is known as a popular water skiing lake because of its large expanse of open water, rare in the urban area. Lake Draper is also used for boating, sailing and windsurfing. There is a marina that provides fishing tackle, boat fuel and fishing licenses, as well as boat rental. There are a number of campgrounds on the lakefront. A mile long shoreline is dotted with picnic areas, playgrounds, sport courts and has even a golf course. There are no beaches and swimming is prohibited. A system of trails runs around the lake with several miles of scenic paths for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. Fishing is also popular, and the lake is well stocked with channel catfish, crappie, sunfish, largemouth bass, and white bass.

Lake Ellsworth is a 5,600-acre reservoir nestled in Southwest Oklahoma in the Great Plains. The lake was created as a result of the construction of Ellsworth Dam in 1962 as a water reservoir for the area. With 43 miles of shoreline, Lake Ellsworth has great opportunities for camping, swimming, and picnicking. Three major campgrounds, Edgewater, Collier Landing and Chandler Creek, offer primitive campsites as well as a few with RV hookups. Lake Ellsworth is a fisherman’s delight, full of crappie, flathead catfish, catfish, largemouth bass, sunfish, saugeye, walleye, and white bass. With wide expanses of open water, the lake is very popular with boaters, water skiers, and other water sport enthusiasts. Swimming is allowed in most of the lake except close to the dam. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is nearby, with the free roaming American bison.

Lakes for Hikers

Lake Eufaula is a 105,000-acre man-made lake in eastern Oklahoma created after the construction of the Walter F. George Dam on the Canadian River in 1964. The lake’s main purpose is flood control, but it also provides water supply, power production, and recreation. The shoreline of the lake varies depending on the area – at some parts it has rocky cliffs and in others fine sandy beaches. The water is murky from the agricultural runoff in some parts and clear and blue in other, much deeper areas. Eufaula Lake is famous for its bass fishing and has many annual tournaments. Besides largemouth bass, the lake also has catfish, sandbass, and crappie. Lake Eufaula State Park has 235 campsites, outdoor and indoor fishing, a marina, several hiking trails, and a nice beach. Arrowhead State Park has 214 campsites, horse stables, equestrian trails, and stables, kids’ playgrounds, a miniature golf course, and an 18-hole golf course.

The 2,500-acre Lake Hefner was created in 1947 when Hefner Dam was completed for the purpose of increasing water supply in Oklahoma City. The lake is located in northwest Oklahoma and has 18 miles of diverse shoreline. Lake Hefner is famous for excellent sailing, and there are regular weekend sailboat races. The pleasant scenic shoreline is great for picnicking, and a rich fish population makes it popular for fishing. Picturesque shoreline is encircled with nine miles of scenic hiking and biking trails. On the east side of the lake there are six-foot wide flat trails for pedestrians only. Lake Hefner has no significant residential development, and its south side still has the original forest and wildlife habitat.