I arrived at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge when it was dark outside. I didn’t plant for it to be that way but driving with a trailer always takes longer than expected. It is difficult to drive through the Oklahoma grasslands in the darkness due to the wildlife, limited visibility, and the eerie feeling brought on by the darkness. I will admit though that arriving at night time, while unsettling, did come with one positive. On two separate instances I was able to see elk just standing right in the middle of the roadway. I was very excited to see elk since that was one of the animals I was hoping to catch a glimpse of during my visit. These were the only elk I had the opportunity to view during my time in Oklahoma so I’m glad I drove in during the night even though I was terrified once I got to the campsite.
I camped at Doris Campground within the park, campsite 3A. The campsite I chose was nestled in between leafless trees with crooked branches reaching towards the sky. Arriving during the night among eerie trees and silent campground made my heart race. The next morning when I awoke I was able to see how beautiful the campsite actually was. The silence became my favorite part of the campground once I was settled in. Site 3A is towards the front of the campground where there are trees and various shrubbery. Going towards the back of the campground the campsites wrap around a lake. I chose to stay towards the front of the campground since it was January and I was trying to avoid the possibility of a cold windy campsite. Overall I really enjoyed this campground. I stayed for two nights. Each campsite was spacious with a picnic table and there were even bathrooms with showers available.
After waking up on my first morning I walked down the road to reach an area with cell phone service to let my parents and boyfriend know that I was still alive. While I was talking on the phone I was actually standing across from a flock of about 30 wild turkeys. They were much noisier than I was aware of. I stumbled upon this flock by luck because I would have driven right past them without any notice since they were covered by the tall grass. After getting back to the campsite I got my daypack ready for hiking. I had gotten a new daypack as a Christmas gift from my mom. I packed a small first aid kit, water, snacks, a mini can of coke, all my safety stuff (pepper spray, an alarm, pocket knives…ect.), binoculars, sunglasses, and I’m sure a couple of other items I’m forgetting. For breakfast I had a granola bar and some water since I just wanted to get out and start exploring. Leaving the campsite I didn’t have a plan as to where I was going to hike since I passed the visitor center the night before without realizing and I also didn’t have enough cell phone service to search online so I just started driving and was going to stop at any trailhead that looked enticing to me.
I took a left after I exited the campground and went from there. As I drove the landscape changed from the trees and shrubbery to large expanses of grazing areas for animals. Wichita Mountains is a mixed grass prairie with granite mountains and freshwater lakes. I pulled onto the side of the road at a lookout when I saw a small herd of buffalo grazing. This was the third animal on the list that I wanted to see so I was very happy. I took a photo and watched them through my binoculars before I headed over to a trail named The Burford Lake Trail. The trail is an out and back trail that goes along Burford Lake to a view of a small dam built in the 1920’s. Along the way you’re able to see granite formations along the lakes edge. This trail was less than a mile and only takes about 20 minutes to complete so it was a very nice start to the morning. For trip planning here is a list of trails with descriptions at the Wichita Mountains, TRAILS LIST.
After hiking The Burford Lake Trail I continued driving and stopping at the various pullouts alongside the road to enjoy the views. My favorite thing about this preserve is listening to the sound of the grasses blowing against one another in the wind. Eventually my drive took me to the Sunset Picnic area and trailhead. Parking was sparse when I arrived around early afternoon so I parked in the overflow area a little further down from the trailhead. The overflow area was actually a great place to park since it is adjacent to a dam that I was able to view and take photos of. The water held back by the dam was such a deep dark blue it makes you wonder how deep the water actually is there.
After spending time at the dam I walked a short distance down the road and started hiking along the Charon’s Garden Trail. This trail was a bit confusing to follow but I had used the All Trails app to keep myself on course during the hike. The trail was rocky and went through various inclines and declines. Towards the back portion of the trail you hike alongside Post Oak Creek until you reach Post Oak Falls. The water in the creek was very clear so it was fun to look through to the bottom. Post Oak Falls was not flowing much while I was visiting so it was a little anticlimactic but it was such a great spot for me to sit down and have lunch. It’s shaded by the base of the waterfall and there are plenty of rocks to take a seat on. There is a small loop that connects to the viewpoint for the waterfall so I hiked the loop and headed back to the trailhead. The whole hike was about 2 miles and took me an hour with the break I took for lunch.
After hiking for the day I headed over to the visitor center. The visitor center was huge. Inside was an informational area on hikes around the park, a gift shop, and a museum. I love to read all the informational signs about the wildlife and plants in whatever area I’m visiting and this visitor center offered a plethora of information. While at the giftshop I purchased a small ironwood carving of a buffalo to commemorate my trip. I plan to decorate my home office with souvenirs from my trips some day. After the visitor center I headed down the road a bit further to catch a glimpse of some longhorn cattle that I had seen grazing. I managed to see the three animals I was hoping to see at the nature preserve: buffalo, elk, and longhorn cattle. The turkey sighting was a bonus for me. After viewing the cattle grazing I headed to the nature education center just to check it out but didn’t stay long since my feet were still getting used to hiking so I didn’t want to walk much more.
After a long day out exploring I decided to head back to the campsite and make dinner. I had a can of chicken and dumpling soup for dinner with a Coca-Cola and some of my moms homemade chocolate cookies for dessert. I’m a big fan of soup in my day to day life but its amazing how a simple can of soup can taste ten times better when you’re at a campground, especially after a day of hiking. I had my dinner while sitting outside with a camping blanket and folding chair that my dad had gotten me. Later on that night I set up and tried to learn how to use a portable telescope my boyfriend had gotten me. Going on a two and a half week long road trip the day after Christmas made for easy gift ideas for anyone that asked me. Even when I’m away with no cell phone service and no one to talk to I’m able to still feel thankful and connected to people back home.
For anyone looking for a fun trip to relax and get some hiking in I definitely recommend visiting the Wichita Mountains. The hiking I did here was challenging and had plenty of interesting plants, formations, and wildlife. What makes the Wichita Mountains special for me is that this is one of the couple campgrounds I’ve really been to where I’ve relaxed for an extended period of time. It is very rare that I choose to end a day of exploring to go back to a campground. I love to hike and I love to see everything I possibly can. Something about this place makes you just want to take it easy and enjoy the simple things, that’s what makes the Wichita Mountains unique for me.
I love hikes like this! This sounds like a great way to spend some time outdoors.
Heh! We call that hiking ketchup! Everything tastes so much better when you feel like you’ve earned it hiking/camping. 🙂
Wichita mountains looks like a fabulous area to hike and camp – and see those big animals! Elk and Buffalo always blow my mind with how massive they are! It’s fab that you got to see them all!
I love off-the-beaten-path nature adventures. Great post!
I grew up only an hour away and never spent the night! You make it sound so peaceful 🙂
Sounds like such a peaceful couple of days!