What to do in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area…and what NOT to do.
Living in Dallas, TX, nature can sometimes be hard to come by. I am constantly surrounded by skyscrapers, traffic, and people. In this crazy technology-driven, busy world we are living in, sometimes the best thing for us is to escape to a cozy cabin in the woods. Chickasaw National Recreation Area looked like the perfect break from the city to escape for an Oklahoma Weekend Getaway.
Unfortutatelyyyyy… this post will be a bit different than my others. If you read my Broken Bow, Oklahoma Weekend Getaway post, you know that I loved Oklahoma and the peace and quiet it brought. Actually, I love most places I go…As long as I am able to hike, relax and eat…I am typically very easy to please. Sooo, in the spirit of being transparent, I am going to structure this post as to what to avoid and what to do instead.
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Table of Contents
Where is Chickasaw National Recreation Area?
Chickasaw National Recreation Area is located in Sulphur, OK. Here you will find springs, lakes, swimming holes, waterfalls, and over 30 miles of hiking trails.
- Distance from Dallas: 2 hours and 24 minutes
- Distance from Oklahoma City: 1 hour 37 minutes
What not to do…
Visit Turner Falls
Buuuuttt IT LOOKS SO BEAUTIFUL?!?!
If the goal of this vacation is to avoid people and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature, I would suggest avoiding Turner Falls.
And this made me SO sad, because as soon as I found a picture of Turner Falls (as seen above), I knew I wanted to see it. I booked tickets immediately and rented the cabin. It was the reason I wanted to visit Davis, Oklahoma in the first place.
Well, we showed up to Turner Falls and they pointed us towards parking lot three. We drove, and drove (and drove) until we arrived at the “parking lot”. It was a road (over a mile from the actual falls) with tents and people ALL over.
It did NOT look like the picture.
I didn’t want to give up quite yet, so we started to make the trek down the hill. The “hike” was on the side of the road, with garbage ALLLLL OVER. I then saw the river and saw people shoulder to shoulder sitting inside. Not my kind of nature escape.
With a combination of the garbage, crowds of people, and lack of directions, we decided to end our trip there.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE nature and waterfalls, but not waterfalls that are filthy with swarms of people. It truly made me sad to see such a natural wonder being destroyed.
So when outside…PLEASE throw away your trash.
If you don’t believe me, check out the other reviews here. (What I should have done before buying tickets).
Buuuuttt if you still want to check it out, you can find more information on the Turner Falls website.
Cost: 20 pp person (after tax) without parking.
What to do near the Chickasaw National Recreation Area instead 🙂
Rent a Cozy Cabin
Thankfully our cabin was wonderful. I booked in on Airbnb ( you can find it HERE).
It was next to one other cabin and a house, but it was very quiet, clean, and included everything we needed. There was a full-sized kitchen, bathroom, comfy bed, and a porch with a hot tub.
Its located in Sulphur, OK, and was within 20 minutes of Chickasaw National Recreation Area.
Tip::: If you would prefer a hotel, be sure to check out this search engine to find the BEST deal.
Hike Bromide Trail
- Location: Sulphur, OK
- Distance: 2.4 miles
- Elevation Gain: 246 ft
- Difficulty: Easy
- Dogs Allowed?: Yes!
Highlights: The trail ended at a BEAUTIFUL overlook. If it wasn’t summertime and 100 degrees out, it would be a great spot for a picnic.
Tip: If you do not feel like hiking the whole thing…there was a parking lot near the overlook. If you are hiking, be sure to bring your hiking backpack with A LOT of water.
Read the AllTrail reviews HERE
You may also like Bucket List Day Hikes in the United States
Explore FURTHER on the Travertine Creek
When you google “Chickasaw National Recreation Area”, one of your top finds will be to swim in Little Niagra Falls (pictured above). I almooossttt added this to my “do not” list, but it was cleaner and more accessible than Turner Falls. If you do not mind a lot of people, it is a pretty spot.
The water is refreshing and it is extremely close to the parking lot.
Buuuttttt, if you are anything like me and like nature to be a bit more peaceful, I HIGHLY suggest exploring further down the creek.
If you park at the Travertine Nature Center, you will see a trailhead to the right of the parking lot (if you are facing the Nature Center). Take this trail and you will find much more private and serene swimming holes (see below…much more beautiful than a crowded waterfall).
Be sure to bring your hiking water shoes!!
Insider tip: If you are looking for a great hike, keep following this trail and you will pass the swimming spots, Bromide Overlook (above), and the Buffalo Viewing Point (below). The overall hike (round trip) was approximately 6 miles.
View the Bison
As I stated above, you can get to this bison viewing area by hiking through the Travertine Creek Trail (from the visitors center). If you do not like hiking (or are hoping to avoid the Oklahoma summer heat), there was plenty of parking on the road nearby.
Sunset Swim
After your day of hiking, head over to Lake of the Arbuckles for a sunset swim. It is still a part of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, but there are many beaches and campgrounds so people are more dispersed.
Eat at Fat Bully’s By the Lake
Okay so there were not a ton of places to eat near our cabin, but we decided to try out Fat Bully’s. It was a GREAT surprise. It was super dog-friendly (they brought him out water and ICE CREAM). There was plenty of seating on the Patio, the staff was friendly, and the food was delicious.
Hint: Be sure to try the fried peaches!
Even though this Oklahoma Weekend Getaway did not turn out exactly as I had hoped (still a bit disappointed in Turner Falls), we were able to find some hidden gems and enjoy our weekend!
Looking for more dog-friendly weekend getaways?
Dog-friendly Weekend Getaways from Dallas, TX
New Mexico Dog-friendly Road Trip
Minnesota North Shore Road Trip
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