11+ things to do in Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains 

Last updated on January 26th, 2026

Want to experience an unexpected side of Oklahoma? We’re sharing the best things to do in Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains!

Did you know that there are mountains in Oklahoma? Neither did we! Despite Growing up in Texas we always thought Oklahoma was flat. But we were wrong!

There are actually a few mountain ranges in Oklahoma, including the Wichita Mountains. Located in southwest Oklahoma, less than an hour and a half from Oklahoma City, lies the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. At 60,000 acres, this is Oklahoma’s largest wildlife refuge and is full of mixed grass prairie, freshwater lakes and streams, and granite mountains.

Before embarking on your adventure, please review the Leave No Trace principles to ensure you leave every place better than you found it, so that others can enjoy these beautiful places for many years to come!

These seven principles include planning ahead and preparing, hiking and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly (pack out what you pack in!), understanding campfire rules and always fully extinguishing your fires, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors. 

11+ things to do in Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains

Visit Quanah Parker Dam

For an easy, quick stop in the Wichita Mountains, head to Quanah Parker Dam! Named after the last chief of the Quahadi Comanche tribe, this dam was built during the 1930s as part of the Great Depression’s Work Project Administration program.

The dam is really neat, as on one side the lake comes up high, while on the other side, you can see the fully exposed dam walls. And after a large rainstorm, there is sometimes even a waterfall!

We enjoyed walking across this dam to see more views of the lake. Once you get across, you can also hike the short and sweet Little Baldy Trail to get even higher up views of the dam, lake, and nearby mountains!

Kayak or fish on Quanah Parker Lake

Not only can you admire Quanah Parker Lake from the dam, but there are different water based activities you can do on the lake, including kayaking and fishing!

If you have your own kayak, canoe, or stand up paddle board, Quanah Parker Lake makes for an easy, flat paddle. And for the anglers, the lake is home to channel catfish, crappie, largemouth bass, and sunfish. Make sure to have an Oklahoma fishing license!

Go hiking in the Wichita Mountains 

Hiking is one of the best things to do in the Wichita Mountains! The park has miles of trails to explore, including in both the main part of the park and in the Charon’s Garden Wilderness, a 5,723 acre region, where you can also backcountry camp (permit required). 

One thing we loved about the Wichita Mountains is that since the terrain is a bit more dry and desert-like, with less vegetation, you’ll have amazing views from any trail you choose!

Elk Mountain

Crab Eyes

Miles (roundtrip): 3.7
Elevation gain: 406 feet
Reviews & Current Conditions

The Crab Eyes trail gets its name after two small boulders perched next to each other, resembling crab eyes. And to get to them it’s fairly easy and flat. As you get closer to the crab eyes, you will have to scramble up the rocks a little bit.

This is a popular spot for rock climbers in the park, so if you’re lucky, you may get to see some people climbing!

Similar to other trails in the park, it may not be well marked in areas. So make sure to download the AllTrails map in advance! 

Charon’s Garden Trail

Miles (roundtrip): 4.3
Elevation gain: 482 feet
Reviews & Current Conditions

The Charon’s Garden Trail passes through a valley full of boulders and offers a bit more rugged of an experience. You’ll have the chance to explore a cave, scramble up rocks, and if it has rained, see a waterfall.

Tip: Elk Mountain, Crab Eyes, and Charon’s Garden Trail all share a parking lot, which only has room for about 20-30 vehicles for 3 different trails. So we suggest coming early or later in the day, as well as on a weekday, to snag one!

Forty Foot Hole

Miles (roundtrip): 1.4
Elevation gain: 154 feet
Reviews & Current Conditions

Forty Foot Hole offers a big reward for little effort! This small canyon, with the West Cache Creek flowing in it, can be reached by a short, easy trail. As you wander from the trailhead along the canyon rim, you’ll start to notice the canyon walls getting taller. But the best part is when you make it to the end!

At the end of the AllTrails route, you have the opportunity to go down into the canyon! At first, you may wonder “how the heck do I get down there?” but if you look closely, you’ll notice a worn down, rocky (but steep) pathway. This does require some scrambling, but we were able to get us and our dog Kona down there just fine.

And during certain times of year, you can find a waterfall down here! When we visited in late October, the waterfall was flowing pretty well, which was a super neat sight to see. But even if it isn’t flowing, it’s worth going down into the canyon to get to stand at the bottom of its walls. 

Tip: This trail can be combined with the Bison Trail for a longer loop, which is what we did! 

Bison Trail

Miles (roundtrip): 6.1
Elevation gain: 416 feet
Reviews & Current Conditions

The Bison Trail is a great way to experience a variety of scenery in the park, including rolling hills, boulder formations, mountains in the distance, a river and lakes, plus wildlife. 

As the name implies, you have a good chance to see Bison along this trail! Fun Fact: back in 1907, 15 bison were shipped here by train from the Bronx Zoo to help repopulate their native territory. All bison in the park today are descendants of those original 15!

We were lucky enough to see half a dozen or so towards the back half of the trail! They were thankfully from a safe distance, but if you do run into one closer, please do not approach them. Bison can be dangerous if they feel threatened. 

Tip: There are trail markers on this trail, but some spots can be a little tricky and it is easy to get lost. Look for the little metal markers with a bison head on them!

The Narrows

Miles (roundtrip): 2.7
Elevation gain: 262 feet
Reviews & Current Conditions

If you liked the Forty Foot Hole, you’ll enjoy The Narrows as well! This trail takes you along a creek bed below Eagle Mountain. Along the way, you’ll get to see more canyon walls, a cool view of a bend in the river, and wander among the park’s unique rocks!

Eagle Mountain

Miles (roundtrip): 1.1
Elevation gain: 360 feet
Reviews & Current Conditions

If you want a challenge, head to Eagle Mountain! This trail may look short, but it requires a bit of scrambling, so it’s only for the adventurous and more experienced hiker.

Besides the scrambling, it is also not super well marked. So this is one that you’ll especially want to download the offline AllTrails map! There are also some red markers along the trail that can help guide you. But having an offline map will also be very beneficial! 

Watch the sunset from Mount Scott

One of our favorite experiences in the Wichita Mountains was watching the sunset from Mount Scott. 

Mount Scott sits at 2,464 feet, making it one of the tallest mountains in the park. It’s located on the eastern edge of the park and from the top, has 360 degree views of Medicine Park, the surrounding mountains, Lawtonka Lake, and more!

To get to the summit, you can either drive or hike the 3 mile road. However, in order to not have tons of people and cars on the road at the same time, there are specific hours that you can hike vs. drive on the weekends. 

For hikers, you are able to hike up to Mount Scott on Friday mornings (with cars), plus Saturday and Sunday mornings (without cars), but must be off the mountain by noon. Cars are able to drive up the road anytime Friday, plus Saturday and Sunday from noon until sunset. The other days of the week are fair game for anyone!

If you can, we highly recommend going up for sunset! Watching the golden light spill onto the nearby peaks was truly magical. The views made us forget that we were in Oklahoma!

Look for wildlife

Due to the area’s rocky soil, agriculture is difficult, which has made the Wichita Mountains mixed grass prairie a haven for traditional grazing species. 

And one of the best things to do in the Wichita Mountains is to look for wildlife! Not only will you find free roaming Texas Longhorns (hook ‘em! Sorry OU fans 😜), but you also have the chance to see American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and white-tailed deer. We lucked out and saw all three during our visit! 

The best time to see wildlife tends to be around dawn and dusk. So if you plan to hike for sunrise or sunset, keep an eye out. But we did see wildlife mid-day too!

Visit Medicine Park

Just a few minutes from the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is the small town of Medicine Park. This town was founded in 1908 as Oklahoma’s first resort town and quickly became a vacation spot for many big names. President Theodore Roosevelt, Al Capone, and many other politicians and outlaws have visited!

In the 1920s it fell into decline. But in 1984, the town’s charm was rediscovered and a period of revitalization began. The town grew and its resort roots re-emerged, with more businesses beginning to open up.

Today, the town maintains its original charm, with lots of cobblestone buildings, and is a popular spot to vacation when visiting the Wichita Mountains. We really enjoyed walking around here (even in the off season) and highly recommend visiting. Here are a few things to do while there!

Swim or fish in Bath Lake

Medicine Creek runs right through Medicine Park and one really cool feature in town is Bath Lake! This is a swimming hole that is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and is the perfect spot to cool off after hiking. 

While it’s free for residents of Medicine Park to swim here, there’s a $3 fee for visitors. 

Besides swimming, you can also fish here! The creek is stocked with trout and during our visit, we saw a few people catching some. 

Grab a bite to eat

If you get hungry while exploring town, there are a handful of solid restaurants to check out. 

The Old Plantation Restaurant, Joe Mountain Breakfast Bar, and Small Mountain Street Tacos all came highly recommended to us!  

When to visit the Wichita Mountains

The Wichita Mountains can be visited year round, but different seasons bring a different experience.

For the best weather, we suggest visiting in the spring or fall. During this time of year, the weather will be milder, which is key, since the park is extremely exposed to the elements. You’ll experience cooler mornings, but warmer days, especially if there is sunshine. We visited in late October and it was perfect!

The summertime brings much hotter temperatures, which can feel even hotter with sunshine and a lack of shade. If you visit in the summer, you’ll want to get an early start to beat the heat (and summertime crowds)! But thankfully if you need to cool off, you can head over to nearby Medicine Park for a swim!

The winter will bring less crowds, but also colder weather. Snowfall is possible and may prompt some closures. But if you time your winter visit for a slightly warmer day, it will be perfect!

Tip: Since the Wichita Mountains are close to Oklahoma City, weekdays will be the best to avoid crowds. We visited on weekdays and didn’t see very many people at all!

Getting to the Wichita Mountains

The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is located in southwest Oklahoma, close to Lawton and Fort Sill. While surrounded by small towns, it is still relatively close to some major US cities, making it not too difficult to get to.

Flying to the Wichita Mountains

If you’re flying to Oklahoma, the best option would be to fly into Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, the closest major city to the park. From there, you’ll need to make the 1.5-2 hour drive to Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

Driving to the Wichita Mountains

Visiting the Wichita Mountains by car? Here is how long you can expect to drive from nearby cities and destinations!

Note: The drive to the Wichita Mountains may include a toll. Make sure to turn off tolls if you don’t want to go on it! Below are the drive times and mileage if you do take the toll.

Oklahoma City, OK: 1.5hours (84 miles) 
Tulsa, OK: 2 hours, 45 minutes (190 miles)
Dallas, TX: 3 hours (208 miles) 
Amarillo, TX: 3.5 hours (196 miles)
Wichita, KS: 3.5 hours (244 miles) 

Getting around the Wichita Mountains

To explore the Wichita Mountains you’ll definitely need your own vehicle or a rental car. Any car will do, as all the things to do we mention in this guide are accessed via paved roads. 

Things to know before visiting the Wichita Mountains

Admission is free

There is no fee to enter Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Score!

Dogs are allowed

Dogs are allowed on trails in the Wichita Mountains, but must be on a leash. Make sure to keep an eye out for snakes and bring plenty of water for them as well. 

Cell service is limited

Cell service was very spotty or non-existent in the park, so make sure to download offline Google Maps and Alltrails maps before entering the park and hitting the trails. 

Be wildlife aware

The wildlife in the park, including the bison and longhorn, are free roaming. Do not approach them and maintain a safe distance. 

Where to Stay in the Wichita Mountains

Being a more remote area, there aren’t a ton of options to stay in the area. Medicine Park is the best spot if you want to stay in regular accommodations, while the park itself is the best for camping!

Vacation Rentals in Medicine Park

Harper’s Landing Waterfront (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom)
Red Cabin with Panoramic Mountain View (2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom) 
Charming Hilltop Cottage in Medicine Park (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom)
Acorn Cottage (2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom) 
Birdhouse Cottages (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom)- Multiple cottages 
InnHabit Tiny House Resort (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom)- Multiple tiny houses 

Camping

One of the best things to do in the Wichita Mountains is to go camping! During our visit we stayed at the park’s Doris Campground, which is the only campground in the park. It’s only $26 per night for a site with power, but cheaper for tent sites, so it’s a pretty good deal!

We really enjoyed staying here because even the RV sites had a nature feel to them, with trees around. Plus, you’re close to Quanah Parker Lake!

What to bring to the Wichita Mountains

To see everything we take hiking, check out our hiking gear as well as our guide about how to make a 10 essentials kit. But for this specific area, we have a few items we really want to stress bringing with you.

Good hiking shoes

With dustier, rockier trails, we would highly recommend wearing good hiking shoes. Kathryn rocks Lowa Women’s Renegade GTX on the trails and she LOVES them! Adam wears the ALTRA Lone Peak 6 Trail Running Shoe, which is a trail running shoe, so they are less bulky than boots, but still great for the trail.

Sun protection

Most of the hiking trails are very exposed to the sun so you’ll want a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. 

Long pants

It’s a good idea to wear long pants when you’re out on the trails. The trails can be overgrown and there are lots of things that can be potentially dangerous, like poison ivy and prickly vegetation.

Lots of water

It can be very warm and dry in the Wichita Mountains! Be sure to take lots of water. We like to take our 3L Camelbaks, which makes it super easy to carry a lot of water and drink while we’re moving. 

Headlamp

If you plan to hike for sunrise or sunset, which is a great way to beat the heat, make sure to pack a headlamp! 

Ready to explore Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains?

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