Western OK next spring...

[craig heaton]

Hello. I'm contemplating a trip to the Wichita Mountains Area next Spring but have a few questions I'm hoping could assist with my planning. Planned activities will be primarily hiking, wildlife viewing, star gazing and sight seeing.

First question is weather. I'm thinking of shooting for mid-April as that appears to be decent compromise between relatively mild temperatures and dry weather. Am I correct in that assumption? Would it be a safe bet that the nights could be cool but unlikely to be freezing?

My next question concerns where to stay. I had planned on staying in the Wildlife Refuge (where we'll likely be doing much of hour hiking) but from what I've read online they're having a water problem so the bath houses are closed and the taps are under a boil advisory. So, my alternatives are Great Plains State Park & Quartz Mountain State Park. Great Plains has some very scenic waterfrong campsites that are appealing and is about half an hour from the refuge. Quartz is about an hour drive from the refuge, but offers some very scenic hiking of it's own within the park...plus it's a bit closer to mountain views. The negative is that the skies aren't quite as wide open for star gazing from camp. Plains also has the advantage of being centered between the two, so we could always do day trips over to Quartz.

So, which campground do you prefer and why? We'll be camping there for about 7 to 10 days.
Thanks much!

 

[cowboiler]

I live in Oklahoma, but have not been to either of those state parks or the Wildlife Refuge. We live in the NE part of the state, and these are more in the southwest part. It looks like Quartz Mountain State Park has a nice lodge. I know our Lt. Gov. has been a big advocate for renovating state parks/lodges, so I think that might be a good choice. You will have to post a follow up with which location you choose.

 

[craig heaton]

Thanks for the reply. I ended up booking a couple of nights at Natural Falls State Park followed by 10 nights at the Otter Creek campground of Great Plains SP. Natural Falls looks like a very pretty park and a nice stop over that will allow us to check out and check in to Great Plains at a reasonable hour.

Your governor is on the right track! In looking over the website for the parks, I'm impressed with the facilities. Oklahoma itself is surprising....most people (myself included) had the impression of it looking kinda like Kansas....turns out that's dead wrong! The state is wonderfully diverse in its terrain...I think I could easily spend months there exploring the different parks. I couldn't work it in to this trip, but in the future I'd like to spend some time visiting other parks there as well.

 

[cowboiler]

Yes, Oklahoma does have a lot of natural beauty and is topographically diverse. Parts of the movie "Where the Red Fern Grows" were filmed at Natural Falls. My family has a goal to camp at all the state parks, but have only made it to about 10 so far. I think there are 26 or so. This spring we stayed at Salt Plains state park. There is a saltwater lake that is home to dozens of species of migratory waterbirds that make their home there. We saw birds we typically see on the Gulf or Pacific coasts right there in the middle of the plains. It's a pretty neat place, but a few hours north of where you will be staying.

 

[kcsa75]

Oklahoma itself is surprising....most people (myself included) had the impression of it looking kinda like Kansas....turns out that's dead wrong!

So...what are you saying about Kansas?

 

[craig heaton]

Sorry....no disrespect intended. I just have the image of much of Kansas (probably wrong) of being flat. Of course, there are the Flint Hills....

Actually, I've had Kanopolis State Park and Wilson State Park on my radar as well....will probably make the trip year after next!

 

[kcsa75]

Sorry....no disrespect intended. I just have the image of much of Kansas (probably wrong) of being flat. Of course, there are the Flint Hills....

Actually, I've had Kanopolis State Park and Wilson State Park on my radar as well....will probably make the trip year after next!

No worries.

Kansas is a beautiful place and, contrary to popular opinion among those who have never been here, other than the high plains in the NW part, it's hardly flat.

You will enjoy Wilson State Park. I haven't been there in years but it's wonderful.

You also might want to add the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (I grew up in the Flint Hills) and Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park to your list.

 

[craig heaton]

Oh yeah...I'd forgotten about Little Jerusalem; saw a youtube video on that one, the guy was visiting the park shortly after it became a public property. That one is also on my must visit list! It reminds me a little bit of Toadstool Geologic Park in NE (visited there during the eclipse of 2017, but it was only a day visit...didn't camp there). That and the Tallgrass Prairie are also on my list.

So many places, not enough time...I'd take a financial hit but maybe I should retire early! (eligible in less than a year, but would lose 2/3 of the monthly payment of my pension....otherwise will need to wait 6 years....)

 

[cowboiler]

We're planning a trip to the Wichita Mountains in SW Oklahoma in November. Any recommendations on thing to do? Obviously, we will do a lot of hiking. Any must sees?

 

[craig heaton]

Make sure you head towards the Holy City of the Wichitas....just after you turn onto the road heading there near the road's corner is a large prairie dog town. They'll scatter at first, but just sit and wait. They'll get used to you being there and go about their business. If you head to the prairie dog town shown on the map, it's likely you won't see anything. Don't just pull off the road though, you may get ticketed. About 50 to 100 yards before your turn there's a parking area (don't recall if it was a scenic overlook or trailhead), you can park there and jug back to the prairie dog town.

Also, we camped at Great Plains State Park...about 20 minutes from the wildlife refuge. Much more comfortable than the campground within the refuge (which last I checked still required all water to be boiled). In the refuge, the hike and visit to 40 Foot Hole is a must see. We also enjoyed the hikes by Burford Lake and Quanah Parker Lake . The Charon's Garden wilderness area is also great. Be prepared tor plenty of long horned cattle in addition to buffalo. Also, be sure to pack plenty of water and take frequent stops in shade when you can. I brought a small freezer so when things got hot, I knew I had cold ice cream awaiting me back in camp . (It might not be so hot in November...we went in August).

Be sure to post photos when you get back!