Who has cabin fever? Everyone! We always seek opportunities to explore with kids and experience freedom in the great outdoors – there is nothing like it!
Below you will find five day-trips to take in our great state of Oklahoma. Load up the kids. Pack snacks, drinks, and a lunch. Pick your direction. Confirm that the park and its trails are open. Off you go!
Day Trips From OKC to Explore the Great Outdoors of Oklahoma
Northwest to Watonga
Roman Nose State Park is located in Watonga, OK, which is about 80 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. You will find four interconnected trails for hiking and biking. If you take the Mesa Loop Trail, you will enjoy the scenery of Lake Watonga and the mesa. Beware of the cactus!
West to Hinton
Red Rock Canyon Adventure Park is about 60 miles west of Oklahoma City in Hinton, OK. You can explore the canyon with a 1.5 mile loop trail called the Orange Dot Trail. As you pass through Hinton, be on the look out for the Hinton Main Street Mural on the Hinton Tag Agency Building.
Southwest to the Wichita Mountains
Wichita Mountains, located outside of Lawton, OK, is a great destination for a scenic drive or a day hike. You will see wildflowers and wildlife with the terrain of lowlands, prairies and cross-timbers. It is one of the oldest managed nature preserves where President Theodore Roosevelt identified as the first site to save American bison from extinction. You will find 16 trail systems providing over 30 miles of exploration. You can view the trail map here. If you are feeling ambitious, you can conquer the 5.6 mile out and back trail to the Mount Scott overlook.
South to Sulphur
The Chickasaw National Recreational Area in Sulphur, OK offers a variety of outdoor activities about 95 miles south of Oklahoma City. It is Oklahoma’s oldest national park area with streams, forests, prairies and a variety of activities. The Rock Creek Multi-Use Trails provides over nine miles of unpaved trails to experience the beauty of forests and grasslands. Trail lengths range from 0.5 miles to 4.4 miles with various intersects to make your own route.
East to Lake Tenkiller
Lake Tenkiller, Oklahoma’s clearwater lake, provides parks and nature areas around its shoreline. The Lake Tenkiller State Park Trail System has three trails. The Armstrong Park and Vian Lake Loop (2.6 miles) and Overlook Trail at Tenkiller Ferry Lake (2.2 miles) are two additional options outside of the state park.
You can also enjoy the J.T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve. You will find three self-guided trail options while enjoying the 17,000 acre open space.
Oklahoma has many sights to see and beautiful nature to explore. Check out TravelOK.com for your desired destination, type of activities, and plan your outing. A great resource for hiking trails is an app called AllTrails.
