Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge | Charons Garden Wilderness | Elk Mountain | History
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- Located in southwest Oklahoma, the Wichita Mountains are a stark contrast to the rest of this southern Great Plains State. Rich in indigenous and native tribes and nations history, this land has been sacred to multiple tribes.
This mountain range of mainly granite outcrops has the unique distinction of being one of the few locations in the United States and North America to see free ranging bison, also referred to as buffalo.
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was created in 1901 by President William McKinley. After his assassination in 1905, Theodore Roosevelt became president ushering in a name change for the refuge. In 1907, the New York Zoological Society donated 15 bison to reestablish a herd that today has grown to over 650.
The refuge is full of recreational opportunities such as hiking, rock climbing, bouldering, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and camping.
Some of the best hikes take you down to the creek floor where you are looking up at the granite mountains, such as The Narrows, while others take you through a vast desert like environment to a waterfall called Post Oak Falls in the Charons Garden Wilderness. This wilderness is one of only three designated wilderness in Oklahoma.
The Charons Garden Wilderness was established in 1970 and consists of 5,700 acres. This is over 25% of the total acreage of 22,400 that is accessible to the public. The entire refuge including the special use area, which is protected habitat for flora and fauna, is over 59,000 acres.
Elk Mountain is one of the tallest peaks in the Wichita Mountain range, coming in at over 2,000 feet.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:15 Wichita Mountains Location and Geology
1:07 History
2:54 The Narrows
7:25 Charons Garden Wilderness
8:09 Post Oak Falls
9:39 The Boulderfields
10:51 Elk Mountain
13:31 Outro
I was born and raised in Lawton Oklahoma I spent most my my weekends exploring them trails..I miss it badly
Fort Sill is a huge artillery base and is touching the Refuge to the east. If you enter the Refuge from Hwy 62 using Hwy 115, you drive through a western portion of the artillery range with signs alerting you that artillery may be fired over the road. The artillery fire will sound like distance thumps. The jets are likely flying over the newer USAF Falcon Range which is south of the Refuge and west of Fort Sill. Lots of fighter jets practicing maneuvers. Altus Air Force Base is about 40 mile further west and home of many C-5 transports. I grew up in this area of Oklahoma.
That is some interesting information. Very active! Thanks for sharing!
@@MarksofCuriosity12 miles west of W.M.W.R. is Great plains State park. Tom Steed Lake there is my favorite for fishing and panoramic mountain views.
Mt. Scott is a must to check out ...can not miss it, flat land with a mountain there
I'm glad you got to enjoy the Wichitas. I've been photographing those mountains for over 40 years and I never get tired of going back. Oklahoma has a surprising landscape - it's subtle and varied. In Colorado, the landscape shouts at you but in Oklahoma, it whispers "Over here. Look at this".
Oh, to have that time to explore this area, I admit I'm a little jealous. I was able to go back last month and explore the area a little more. Already making plans for next year. I really like your statement regarding the Rockies and the Wichitas. Thanks for watching
I love the mysterious mts. near Lawton.. they have a haunting wind that blows.. you can hear wild horses 🐎 and native Kiowa and other Indians. Love to be there whenever I can...it is my solice place
I love the way you put that
Im from Philadelphia and I visited my brother for graduation at fort sill. spoke to the man at the nature center. One of the kindest and most helpful people I’ve met. Gave us phenomenal directions to heart rock and to different hiking trails. Showed us where to find various animals and spoke to us for half an hour about the lands history. Oklahoma inspired me to love and explore nature despite how easy it is to ignore. Much love from the east coast!
I work for the airlines and see all kinds of places. To this day it’s my favorite place on the planet.
Camping at Boulder Creek there in spring, 1966, we were awakened by the sound of a lantern breaking, ominous scuffling and an odd grunting sound. Looking out the tent door we saw bison grazing through. Dad whispered for us to stay still and quiet. They moved on slowly, contentedly munching sweet new grass as we watched, breathless and grinning at the beauty of it all. Autumn of that year we moved to our first large city suburb (Bellaire, Texas) where my middle brother told his class the story of that experience during start-of-year show and tell. No one believed him, including his teacher.
That’s a cool story! Must have been scary and awe-inspiring at the same time. Thanks for commenting!
Great video! Thanks for sharing!
Thank You 😊
Eastern OK, around the Ouachita mountains, is also an area of spectacular natural beauty.
That’s on the list! Hoping to make it there this year or next.
Beautiful country, i have hiked in there, i grew up North of there in Carnegie
Indeed it is! What a great place to have in your backyard.
Hi, may I ask, we're looking for a tiny chapel - My sister remembers going inside it on top of Mount Scott in 1975 and again in 1978. Really small. She wants to go back and I can't find it for her online. I keep finding a "Holy City" with a chapel but it is bigger and looks nothing like what she was inside. I keep checking history but it doesn't mention a chapel being demolished or anything. Any idea as a local? We're in Texas.
@@cristinas4398 I personally am not aware of this structure. Maybe someone will see this post and reply.
Beautiful shots and scenery in vid. Looking forward to visiting this place soon, thanks.
Thank You! It's easy to film beautiful areas. Hope you enjoy your visit. Thanks for watching!
Lots of good hiking to be had at this place. Can't wait to go again.
Indeed there is. Definitely a lot more to see, especially in different seasons.
One of my favorite places in Oklahoma! Nice video.
Thank You! It truly is an exceptional place to explore
Well done with the video. A great place to explore and it has good camping as well. I agree about the signage, even the cairns are few and far between. I've approached the boulder field from the other side, very cool.
Thank You! It is a great place to camp. On the trip in this video, I got up one morning with a longhorn mere feet from our camping spot. Thanks for watching!
awesome job great Video
Thank You!
🎯💖
Great Video! I've been there but its been a minute
Thank You! Well worth a return visit. Thanks for watching!
I lived in Lawton for 6 years as a kid {Dad was stationed at Ft. Sill }..I remember all the rattlesnakes in the Refuge. but had cookouts all the time there in the '70s
Sound like some great memories! I've yet to see a rattlesnake on my hikes, but I remind myself when I'm out there that this land is venomous snake country and I'm walking around in their home. Thanks for watching!
@@MarksofCuriosity Yes...this was in the early '70s..the HOLY CITY and MT. SCOTT was my favorite place. I loved it back then you had to go there to see it..nowadays the computer brings everything right into your house. I loved growing up in Lawton OK
@@stevenboyce4136 Those places are really cool and somewhat hard to capture the true feeling of being there. With saying that I am with you on the have to go there, even though I feed into the ethos of UA-cam. No matter what any of use put on social media, it will NEVER give you a sense of this place or any other. Your comment is timely, since I am researching for a future video series on THE WHY we go out into nature.
I'm from Indiana, and we stopped at medicine park & stayed for three days on our way to Texas, New Mexico & Colorado. And to be honest this was my favorite spot. Only like 11 hours from us. And it looks like something out of a western movie.
Really cool place!
I'm with you. I do like New Mexico, but as you said the Wichita Mountains are much closer and more accessible. Thanks for commenting and watching!
I have been hiking/camping Wichita Mountains for 53yrs. now. At least 300 hikes, mostly off of marked trails, following elk trails and remote drainage creeks to their headwaters. Canyon wrens, painted buntings, eagles. Bugeling elk and the bison herds. Okay it will take hours to write a fraction of the attraction. Go see it !
Very cool! I can easily see spending decades exploring this area.
We love going and seeing the wildlife and the lure of hidden treasures because it was once part of outlaw country
It is a fascinating place. Just got the book Oklahoma Treasures and Treasure Tales. Can absolutely understand the lure :)
Lots of people don’t know this place exists….even those from the state. My wife is from the area and we’re purchasing a home in Medicine Park we love the WMWR so much.
That’s very true. Last month while there I met a couple that lived in Oklahoma that said it was their first time there. Owning a home there would be awesome! Congrats on your home purchase!
Thank you! We’re so excited! We can walk the Lawtonka trails and walk to Elmer Thomas from the house!
The Narrows trail is there mainly for access to rock climbing walls. The is a large cave on Elk Mountain down and west of the summit called The Rock Rooms. It is where Dr. Mitchell died, his memorial plaque at the south end of Charon’s Garden. The west portion of the wilderness (brown area on your map) is the best part but contains no trails. There are 4 peaks over 2000 ft and many other sub 2000 ft peaks. May is the prettiest time of year with many wildflowers and water in the streams but very hot as you can imagine. There are several rock climbing areas in the wilderness and other parts of the refuge including The Narrows and Mount Scott.
Interesting! I did hear about the Rock Rooms. That area looks fascinating, but it doesn't look like a place to go if you don't know your way around. That western portion looks really good and would like to explore it one day. Thanks for watching and for the comment!
Nice video, good job. Crazy how much different it looks than when we went about 5 years ago. At 8:21 there, when we were there under that tree on the right water was about 1ft deep or so there. Looks bone dry now.
Thank You! It's hard to imagine that place having much water in it. Good reason to go back. Thanks for the comment!
I paused this video about halfway through because I got a little bored. But then I continued watching later, and I was continuously muttering to myself, "Holy Moly! THIS is Oklahoma???" When you were scampering under those big heavy rocks, I was holding my breath, thinking to myself, "If that big boulder falls on you - it's curtains, baby!" Thanks for sharing this video with us!
Thanks for your honesty. I am glad you continued to watch. Oklahoma? Who knew? There's a lot of info out on it, but just never thought of Oklahoma as a place to explore. Those boulders are no joke. They have shifted before, because they wouldn't be in there present location. Thanks for watching!
Altus Air Force base is just west...that's why you're hearing jets.
Very cool! I thought they were from Fort Sill. Thanks for watching 👍
America is so underrated...im always blown away at every state i go to. This place is like Africa
100% Agree! If you really get out there and explore the US is inexhaustible. That’s for watching!
Great and timely video! Fellow southern Illinoisan here, we are taking a family trip to the Wichita's in a few weeks. Plan to hit many of the same hikes you did. Any tips for finding the cave near the top of Elk Mountain? Thought the kids may enjoy that, if they make it up. :)
Very cool! It a great place to explore. I'll post the coordinates from the Apple Photos GPS location for the footage. Don't know how accurate it is, but if you match up the scenery on the east side of the mountain it shouldn't be too hard to locate. I will say that I was happy to have my AllTrails app on my phone, because the trail is not marked. There are numerous side trails that make it really confusing. I downloaded the route on to my phone in case I lost signal and it kept me on track. Highly Recommend! Hope you have a great trip and get out there early before it gets too hot.
This is where Apple Maps indicates the tunnel is:
34.72120° N, 98.71840° W
Thanks for all the info! Not the best time for us to go there with the heat, but kids in school force our hand with that.
@@CrowBrosRacing My pleasure! When I was there the humidity was low, so it didn’t feel as bad even at 90. Have a great time 👍
Take the trail all the way up, look for the highest point atop a rock where the trial leads you and it will but just beneath it, from my memory. It is easy to find. Most places in the Wichitas have scoured ground from hikers near features such as this.
I have taken that trail up Elk Mountain numerous times. That cave once had a million daddy long legs inside. That was really creepy. The most amazing thing about it is the time I hiked up there and there was a bull buffalo grazing on the summit. How he found his way up there, I don't know.
It's a unique and wonderful place to explore. Those spiders would creep me out, also. It is a wonder how they move on those rocks. I would not have expected one up there. Maybe bison like great scenery. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I have also been up there when a bison was up there making quite a ruckus up at the top. They are apparently more agile than they appear.
would you share with me the exact coordinates of the boulder field and how to get there?
If you go on google maps around the elk mountain area, you will see it marked (limited signal in the Wichita Mountains, download an off-line map before you go). When you get there, there are many openings just off the trial. Take time to explore each of them, because they can lead to some cool stuff. Thanks for watching!
The jets are not Fort Sill they are either Altus AFB or Sheppard AFB in Whicita Falls Texas
You are absolutely correct! I didn’t know about the Witchita Falls base. Interesting! I would find out about Altus after that first day at the refuge. Didn’t know it at the time, but my oldest brother was born on the Altus AFB. Thanks for the comment and for watching!
This is a protected area which is why there are no real trails. The refuge is for animals and not humans we are lucky to be able to share them.
Most definitely! Just went back last week and found it easier to navigate, since I did not come this time with the expectation of marked trails. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I've hiked up from Treasure Lake to the bridge to Elk Mountain a few times, and it seems like every time I see people above me at the Apple & Pear, but when I've been on top of Elk Mountain and walked around I couldn't find the Apple&pear. Anybody know how to get to it?
Good Question! Watched a couple of UA-cam videos, but don’t see GPS coords. Planning a trip early next year there, so have to answer at a later time!
@MarksofCuriosity I've never heard of or seen anyone on top of the apple or pear. A serious technical climb on the west side of Elk Mt. You can get fairly close above and below.West and southwest side cliffs are not for average hikers.
watch out for rattlesnakes around the rocks id rather go to telluride ouray aspen just check out the videos from those areas glenwoodsprings is great too
Absolutely! Rattlers were constantly on my mind on those hikes. Those are definitely beautiful Colorado towns, been to all except Glenwood Springs, but that was before I started editing for this channel. Maybe I'll get back to there. Thanks for watching!
Boring? Not at all. Very enjoyable looking hike. I have not explored Oklahoma at all. I am a fan of Nebraska, which most people laugh about, but there is tons to do there as well. I guess everyone has their idea of "pretty". I guess Oklahoma gets put on the "to-do" list............................
Lol … I received the same response when saying I was going to Oklahoma, but I love these “lesser known” places that to me are just as epic. Nebraska is on my list, along with Kansas 👍
I researched vacationing in Nebraska at one point, but haven't been yet. I thought it looked pretty good.
@@PrometheanRising I hope you make it there. We really liked the western part of the state- Chimney Rock Nat. Historic Site, Wildcat Hills, Scottsbluff Nat. Monument, Toadstool Geologic Park, Agate Fossil Beds, Chadron State Park.
North Central--Smith Falls, Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge
The Sand Hills area--so so empty and beautiful in it's own weird way.
Enjoy!!
The Wichitas are the only east west range in North America.
Interesting!
So true and strange they became that way 😊
Capitan Mountains in NM are east west.
@@barryraven4745 Sorry, my source was wrong.
EXTREME SOUTHWEST lol. the only thing extreme hereis the crime rate in Lawton.
Theft?