Category: Oklahoma Federal

Ouachita National Forest  Oklahoma Ranger District
The Oklahoma Ranger District consists of about 363,000 acres located on the west side of the Ouachita Mountains in southeastern Oklahoma.
Phone 918-653-2991  Here is their website.
? Cedar Lake and Old Pine Trails    Both these trails are rated “Easiest”.  It would be a good idea to call ahead to be sure what that means.   There are some steps leading up to a bridge.   Brochure and Map   Described on Arklahoma Hiker.
Cedar Lake trail is 2.9 miles one way and “….offers an array of opportunities to day hikers who want to view waterfowl and wading birds which frequent the lake.”
The Old Pine Trail is 0.4 mile. It “…..begins at the Cedar Lake day use area and loops to one of the lake’s feeder streams. Interpretive signs along the trail identify the animals that live in the area.”

Washita National Wildlife Refuge
“Within the refuge, the slow-moving Washita River winds through prairie and farmlands to merge with Foss Reservoir, providing a home and resting area for geese and other waterfowl. Gently rolling hills, ravines, and bottomlands laced with creeks shelter wildlife as common as white-tailed deer and as unusual as the Texas horned lizard. ”
Trails   Map  phone 580-664-2205  Here is their website.
Centennial Trail  1/3 mile hard surface trail with interpretive signs, a boardwalk and observation deck overlooking a wetland area.  It is a National Recreation Trail.

Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge
“The refuge protects a very unique habitat found within the Arkansas River flood plain that includes bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands, home to many species of migratory birds and other resident wildlife, like white-tailed deer, bobcat, beaver and the American bald eagle.”
Trails  Map Phone: 918-773-5251 or -5252  Here is their website.
Horton Slough Trail  1 mile  paved.  “Visitors walk through a forested area, while enjoying views of the wetland and wildlife that inhabit it. An overlook and benches provide opportunities to enjoy the scenery. ”
Sandtown Nature Trail  1 mile  paved.  The trail “….offers a view across the Arkansas and Canadian Rivers’ delta.”  It “…. highlights the diversity of habitat as it transitions into bottomland hardwoods. This is where visitors might also catch a glimpse of the refuge’s more inconspicuous residents like bobcats and armadillos.”

Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge
The refuge, situated in south central Oklahoma,  is “…a place rich in nature and history where it is easy to imagine an era of vast herds of wild animals grazing the prairies and the darkening of skies from flocking birds. ”  The Refuge includes the 93,000 acre Lake Texoma.
Trails  Phone: 580-371-2402   Map   Here is their website.
Oklahoma Legacy Arboretum  is .25 miles and “meanders through the hummingbird and butterfly gardens ……”
Craven Nature Trail is “one of the best places on the refuge to delve into wildlife….”  The first  1/4 mile of the trails is paved and the rest is gravel.

Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge
For millennia “…the salt plains provided essential shelter, foraging, and breeding habitat attracting multitudes of migrating waterfowl, breeding birds, and big game such as bison and deer.  Today, this unique assemblage of habitat surrounded by a patchwork of farmlands continues to be a vital migratory stopover and breeding grounds for birds and a protected area for wildlife.”
Here is their website.    Trails  Phone: 580-626-4794
Sandpiper Trail  is 0.4 miles and “includes two footbridges and an observation deck with spotting scope for viewing shorebirds that abound during the spring and fall migrations.”

Chickasaw National Recreation Area
“Springs, streams, lakes – whatever its form, water is the attraction at Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Relax in the coolness of shaded streams or take a dip in a swimming hole. Little Niagara and Rock Creek beckon waders and swimmers. Veterans Lake calls anglers to test their skills. Lake of the Arbuckles provides excellent opportunities for motorboating, skiing, fishing, and swimming.”
Here is the Area’s website.  Trails    Accessibility  phone 580-622-7234
There is a two mile long concrete trail around Veterans Lake that is “fully accessible.”
?Antelope and Buffalo Springs Trail 1.2 miles, Fishing Rock 0.8 mile, Lakeview 0.5 miles, and Travertine Creek Trail 1.5 miles one way, are all describes as “easy”.  Call the park to learn if they are appropriate for you.