Four years ago, my husband bought me a tent for my birthday. We liked the idea of being “camping people”; we made big plans. The tent has never been out of its box. Year after year, camping remains on my list of Oklahoma travel resolutions, but like any good resolution-breaker, I have excuses, and I think you should hear me out before you judge.

First of all, it isn’t as if I haven’t been visiting our beautiful state parks, but every time I go, I take the easy way out. Five of Oklahoma’s parks (Roman Nose, Beavers Bend, Lake Murray, Robbers Cave and Western Hills) have
hotel-style lodges, some of which even have restaurants and other amenities on-site. And if you are looking for
space, privacy or a slightly more rustic experience, 15 parks have cabins available to rent.

No, cabins and hotels don’t count as camping, but for families with young children or anyone else who doesn’t want to own and haul around all the gear that a night in the great outdoors requires, lodges and cabins are a great alternative.

I think that my second excuse will resonate with parents as well. You see, I have actually gone camping once in the last four years using a borrowed tent in Colorado. But at the end of the experience I came to the conclusion that what I like most about camping has nothing to do with sleeping outside. Hiking and cooking over an open fire are the fun parts of the experience for me, and I would like to propose that there is absolutely nothing wrong with “day camping.” A tent is an unnecessary part of the equation when it comes to a lot of camping classics, like toasting
marshmallows, exploring wildlife and telling ghost stories. As the nights turn cooler this month, day camping might
also help you make the most of the season while avoiding runny noses. And if you must, go ahead and pitch your
tent—it can serve as “home base” for things like nap time while making the experience more authentic.

But enough excuses, because I still have a tent that’s never been staked, and I bet some of you do, too. Despite the cooler nights (and maybe because of them), autumn is a great time to visit a park. Many areas are less crowded this time of year, and with all the rain Oklahoma received at the end of the summer, we might be in for a great foliage show. If your kids are real troopers, one way to talk yourself into camping might be to hike a trail so long that you have to stay somewhere overnight. The Ouachita National Recreation Trail is 192 miles of wooded splendor in southeast Oklahoma that you can hike in small, manageable chunks.

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is another popular destination. Conventional campsites for groups and
individuals can be found at the Doris Campground; however, if you plan ahead, the Charon’s Garden Wilderness Area is more remote and very scenic. Reservations must be made for Charon’s Garden, and only ten people are allowed in the area over any three-day period, so it books up quickly. Tentative reservations can be made up to three
months in advance.

But at the end of the day, even if you cut corners and don’t actually spend the night under the stars, the most important parts of this resolution are the details: fireflies and marshmallows, learning new bird songs and giving your kids a chance to say they just might grow up to be “camping people.”

A list of Oklahoma’s state resort parks and parks with cabins can be found at TourOklahoma.com.

Helpful information about the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, including a detailed map, can be found at FriendsOT.org.

For information about camping in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and reserving a site at Charon’s Garden, visit WichitaMountains.fws.gov.

Chelsey Simpson is an editor who lives in Edmond with her husband and her miniature schnauzer, Ellie.