US Army Corps of Engineers · Oklahoma
Kaw Lake is located in north central Oklahoma, approximately 8 miles east of Ponca City, Oklahoma, on the Arkansas River. Project land extends northward into Kansas, ending near Arkansas City. The lake covers 17,000 surface acres and has 168 miles of shoreline at the normal elevation of 1010.
Reservations for Kaw Lake are made through Recreation.gov. In peak season, the most popular campgrounds are typically claimed within minutes of each release — which is why the park reads as "sold out" for most of the year.
Sold out is not final, though. People book far ahead and plans change, so cancellations return to the official calendar throughout the season — with no announcement, at any hour. A cancelled site is bookable by whoever sees it first.
| Managed by | US Army Corps of Engineers |
|---|---|
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
| Location | Ponca City, OK |
| Campgrounds | 10 |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov |
Set a watch on the whole park, or go straight to the campground you want — each one has its own availability and cancellation pattern:
| Osage Cove | 95 sites |
|---|---|
| Coon Creek (Ok) | 57 sites |
| Sarge Creek | 52 sites |
| Washunga Bay | 37 sites |
| Bear Creek Cove | 22 sites |
| McFadden Cove | 15 sites |
| Sandy Park | 12 sites |
| McFadden Day Use Picnic Shelter | 4 sites |
| Pioneer Cove Picnic Shelter | 1 sites |
| Sandy Beach Picnic Shelter | 1 sites |
We scan the official Recreation.gov calendar for Kaw Lake around the clock. The second a site that matches your dates and equipment opens up, you get a text with a direct link to that exact site. You book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell anything — monitoring is all we do, and it's what your fee pays for. Openings are first-come, so a text beats an email every time.
Page data refreshed 2026-10-29. Availability facts come from the official directory listing for Kaw Lake; cancellation statistics come from our own scanning logs.