The Ultimate Guide To Arcadia Lake: Things To Do, Campgrounds, Trails & More!

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If you’re planning to visit Arcadia Lake, then you’ve come to the right place! We know this gorgeous place well, and so can share with you everything you need to know about Arcadia Lake. Be that things to do, insider tips, as well as the boring stuff (fees and regulations).

So if you want to have a day off, stretch your legs, enjoy nature, or maybe just want to spend some quality time with your family after a stressful week, then look no further. Arcadia Lake is the ideal destination for you.

Located in Northeastern Oklahoma, just 50,000 people visit Arcadia Lake each year, making it a peaceful place to enjoy acres and acres of pristine nature.

It’s pretty tranquil except for the noise of wildlife and water, and is the perfect place to get away from the rush of 21st century life.

It’s one of the most attractive bodies of water in Oklahoma. And with its tree-lined shores, beaches, coves and trails, it’s a place we keep returning to.

Arcadia Lake: A Pristine Piece Of Wilderness In Oklahoma

Arcadia Lake has a surface area of 1,820 acres (7 km²) and has about 26 miles (42 km) of shoreline. The lake exists to provide Edmond residents with water.

But it also serves as a natural habitat for wildlife and is used by thousands for recreation activities, like hiking, swimming, camping, and fishing! We look at all of these activities a little later in this article.

These activities are mainly situated in and around five state parks and campgrounds that are by the lake. Those are:

Spring Creek Park:

Which is located at 7200 E. 15TH St. Edmond, OK 73013

Facilities and activities in Spring Creek Park include: Boat Ramp, Disc Golf, Parking, Pavilions, Playgrounds, Restrooms, RV Hookups, Swimming, Trails, Tracking, Water Fountain, and other amenities are available here. Fishing here is available 24/7.

Scissortail Campground:

Which is located at 6400 E. 15TH St. Edmond, OK 73013

Facilities and activities in Scissortail Campground include: Camping, Pavilions, Playgrounds, Restrooms, RV Hookups, Water Fountain, and loads more. Camping here is available 24/7.

Central State Park:

Which is located at 7900 E. Second St. Edmond, OK 73034

Facilities and activities in Spring Creek Park include: Boat Ramp, Camping, Courtesy Dock, Fishing, Parking, Pavilions, Playgrounds, Restrooms, RV Hookups, Shower, Swimming, Trails, etc. Camping and Fishing are available here 24/7.

Carl Reherman Park:

Which is located on 6280 E 33RD Street, Edmond, OK 73013

Facilities and activities in Spring Creek Park include: Fishing, Parking, Picnic Areas, Picnic Tables, Swimming.

Edmond Park:

Which is located at 7100 E. Second St. Edmond, OK, 73034

Facilities and activities in Spring Creek Park include: Boat Ramp, Camping, Fishing, Pavilions, Playgrounds, Restroom, Swimming, Trails, Water Fountain, etc. Camping and Fishing are available 24/7.

7 EPIC Things To Do At Arcadia Lake

If you’re a nature lover, then you’ll love Arcadia Lake!

This place is a haven for outdoor activities, with fishing, camping, swimming, horse riding, hiking, mountain biking, jet skiing, kayaking, and sailing all possible. We have information on those activities below:

1. Camping at Arcadia Lake

At Arcadia Lake, there are a total of 145 campgrounds available for visitors. There are three different types:

• Full Hook-up campgrounds
• Regular campgrounds 
• Primitive campgrounds

At the full hook-up campgrounds, campers will have space to park their Motorhomes and RV’s. Electricity, drinking water, and sewage systems are available there as well.

At the regular campsites, campers will find space to park as well as electricity and freshwater availability.

But at primitive campgrounds, campers will not find any of the regular amenities that are available at the other campgrounds. Instead they will only have some space for tents, a picnic table and a firepit.

You can see the fees for camping at Arcadia Lake here. There is a maximum stay limit of 14 days when it comes to camping at the lake. You can see where some of those campgrounds are, by using this map.

2. Fishing at Arcadia Lake

Arcadia Lake is a great place to bring your tackle box and fishing rod if you enjoy fishing.

At Arcadia Lake, you can fish along the shoreline, in the middle of the lake using a boat, and from the long fishing docks here.

In fact the fishing docks can comfortably accommodate many people, although we’ve found that very few people actually use them for fishing. 

Special fishing docks are also provided in colder months to create a comfortable environment for visitors.

These docks are centrally heated and sheltered to enable year-round fishing for bluegill, channel catfish, blue catfish, and largemouth bass in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere.

3. Playgrounds at Arcadia Lake:

Arcadia Lake has six playgrounds for visitors, providing a safe and friendly setting for your children.

Everything has been set up very well too. So while sunbathing or lounging at one of the nearby pavilions, it’s possible for parents to keep one eye on their younger children playing in the playpark, and the other on any older children that are swimming at the beach.

4. Beaches & Swimming at Arcadia Lake

There are several beaches at Arcadia Lake, but three are classed as ‘Swimming beaches’. Those are Spring Creek Park beach, Central State Park beach and Edmond Parks beach.

Spring Creek is a big clean beach with a lovely shady area for picnics and grilling. There’s lots of room on the sand to set up chairs and have a picnic, and there’s two bathrooms nearby as well.

Central State Park beach is clean, close to many campgrounds and hiking trails, has a playground and a covered picnic and grill area. You get some beautiful sunsets here.

Edmond Park beach has some good sand, albeit it’s a little rocky in places. There’s a bathroom and plenty of campgrounds nearby too.

The beaches are open from sunset to sunrise, seven days a year.

5. Hiking at Arcadia Lake

There’s several trails around Arcadia Lake making it a great destination if you’re looking to get outside and hike.

The Spring Creek Trail is 2.5 miles and one of the shorter routes. It’s popular with runners and walkers. It follows the creek into Arcadia Lake. You can see the trail map here.

The much larger Arcadia Lake Trail is a fun one to do, and clocks in at around 12 miles in length.

This out and back trail takes you to two sides of the lake, and there’s many smaller trails leading off it giving ample opportunity to explore. You can see a map of the trail here.

Some of the trails are also used by horseback riders. However there’s also a lovely dedicated equestrian trail that has been designed for horses – the trail map for that can be found here. No bicycles, motor vehicles or pedestrians are allowed on the equestrian trails.

You can find all the trails at Arcadia Lake and accompanying maps at this link. Every trail is open from sunrise until sunset, seven days a week.

6. Jet-Skiing at Arcadia Lake:

People with jet skis travel from around the country to Arcadia Lake for an unforgettable jet-ski summer experience.

If you don’t have your own, it’s possible to rent a jet ski from several companies located beside the lake.

7. Kayaking & Paddle Boarding at Arcadia Lake

Kayaking and paddle boarding are relatively new activities at Arcadia Lake, but both are growing in popularity with visitors each year.

You can bring your own equipment or hire single and double kayaks and stand up paddle boards from the UCO Boathouse at the lake.

Fees For Lake Arcadia

Lake entry fees on weekdays are six dollars, and on weekends it is seven dollars.

You can buy annual passes for the lake too. There are fees for things like camping, RVs, Pavilion rentals, and other services. You can see all the fees here.

List Of Rules To follow At Arcadia Lake

⦁ While on the lake, children under the age of 12 must wear a life jacket certified by the United States Coast Guard. There’s a zero-tolerance policy related to this rule.

⦁ No littering is allowed.

⦁ No glass containers. This is a rule because glass does not decompose and could end up injuring or hurting someone badly.

⦁ Diving is prohibited.

⦁ Personal watercrafts such as jet skis or sailboats can be used but only in the designated areas.

⦁ Fires are only allowed in designated places like official grills and firepits.

⦁ No firearms or fireworks are allowed.

⦁ Pets are prohibited in swimming, play, and beach areas. 

⦁ Do not disturb or hurt wildlife or livestock.

⦁ Drivers need to follow the speed limit and signs.