Lake Eufaula State Park

Fees

To help fund a backlog of deferred maintenance and park improvements, the state implemented an entrance fee for this park and 21 others effective June 15, 2020. The fees, charged per vehicle, start at $10 per day for a single-day or $8 for residents with an Oklahoma license plate or Oklahoma tribal plate. Fees are waived for honorably discharged veterans and Oklahoma residents age 62 & older and their spouses. Passes good for three days or a week are also available; annual passes good at all 22 state parks charging fees are offered at a cost of $75 for out-of-state visitors or $60 for Oklahoma residents. The 22 parks are:

• Arrowhead Area at Lake Eufaula State Park
• Beavers Bend State Park
• Boiling Springs State Park
• Cherokee Landing State Park
• Fort Cobb State Park
• Foss State Park
• Honey Creek Area at Grand Lake State Park
• Great Plains State Park
• Great Salt Plains State Park
• Greenleaf State Park
• Keystone State Park
• Lake Eufaula State Park
• Lake Murray State Park
• Lake Texoma State Park
• Lake Thunderbird State Park
• Lake Wister State Park
• Natural Falls State Park
• Osage Hills State Park
• Robbers Cave State Park
• Sequoyah State Park
• Tenkiller State Park
• Twin Bridges Area at Grand Lake State Park

Fountainhead Lodge

The park was formerly home to Fountainhead Lodge, a 202-room state-run resort hotel financed by state bonds and federal economic development loans. Fountainhead was one of two lodges built on Eufaula Lake in 1965, the other being Arrowhead Lodge at Arrowhead State Park. The lodge was never very profitable, and the state was threatened with foreclosure on both Arrowhead and Fountainhead by the federal government in 1983. The lodge closed in December, 1984, and was deeded to the U.S. Economic Development Administration. In 1985, the lodge was sold to a group led by Melvyn Bell of Little Rock, Arkansas. By 1990, Bell Equities had invested millions of dollars in upgrades. In 2005, the lodge was sold at sheriff's auction to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, who subsequently demolished the hotel in 2008. At the time of demolition, the Muscogee Nation had plans to build a new resort at the same location.

References

References

1. {{cite gnis. 1747198. Fountainhead State Park. January 6, 2013
2. (March 31, 2022). "Evaluation of Oklahoma’s State Parks".
3. {{usurped
4. "Arrowhead Area at Lake Eufaula State Park". TravelOK.com.
5. "Lake Eufaula State Park". Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.
6. "Plan unveiled to implement fees at some state parks starting next week". Carmen Forman, The Oklahoman, June 9, 2020.
7. (June 30, 1983). "2 State Lodges in Danger of Foreclosure". Daily Oklahoman.
8. (June 17, 1986). "July 4 Reopening Date Targeted Fountainhead Lodge Purchased". Daily Oklahoman.
9. (June 18, 1986). "Lodge Reopening Planned for July". Daily Oklahoman.
10. (January 23, 1985). "Tourism Director Can't Find Buyer". Daily Oklahoman.
11. (August 5, 1990). "Fountainhead Branches Out Resort Overcomes Obstacles to Goal of Top Tourist Attraction". Daily Oklahoman.
12. (August 2, 2006). "Fountainhead Lodge contents up for sale". Daily Oklahoman.
13. Purtell, Keith. (August 4, 2008). "Demolition of former resort begins". Muskogee (Oklahoma) Phoenix.