Fort Cobb State Park: Western Oaks Trail (Blog Hike #939)

Trail: Western Oaks Trail System
Hike Location: Fort Cobb State Park
Geographic Location: northwest of Fort Cobb, OK (35.16452, -98.47209)
Length: 2.9 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: April 2023
Overview: A lollipop loop along Fort Cobb Reservoir through 2 campgrounds.
Park Information: https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/fort-cobb-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=934677
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From Fort Cobb, take SR 9 west 3.3 miles to CR 2530 and turn right on CR 2530.  Drive CR 2530 north 3.2 miles to Eagles Nest Cove Campground and turn right to enter the campground.  Pass the entrance to the campsites and park beside the lake in an area marked as "trailhead parking."  This trailhead can also be reached by taking I-40 to SR 58 (exit 88), going south on SR 58, and then going east on CR 2070.

The hike: Established in 1960, Fort Cobb State Park is a park that has never had a fort.  Even though the nearby town of Fort Cobb for which this park is named was the site of a U.S. Army outpost between 1859 and 1869, the town was not established until 1899.  The town was originally named Cobb, but the name was changed to Fort Cobb in 1902 to honor the former outpost.  The fort and ultimately the town were named for Howell Cobb, who was the United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1857 through 1860.

            Fort Cobb's economy has always been dependent on agriculture, and the town's population peaked in 1930 just before the Dust Bowl and Great Depression era.  The dam that forms Fort Cobb Reservoir was built in 1958.  Three main creeks flow into the reservoir: Cobb Creek, Lake Creek, and Willow Creek.  The 1872-acre state park is located on the shore of the reservoir, and it features the usual aquatic recreation of swimming, boating, and fishing, 3 developed campgrounds totaling 282 sites, 3 playgrounds, and a golf course.  For hikers, the park's only offering is the Western Oaks Trail described here, but it is a nice trail system that connects the 3 campgrounds and explores the shallow ravines and low hills along the reservoir's southwest shore just north of the dam.

            Whereas the trailhead parking area is at the south end of the campground, the trail actually starts at the north end of the campground.  Thus, this hike starts with a walk through the Eagles Nest Cove Campground.  Walk along the paved campground road closest to the lake, taking care not to walk through any occupied campsites.  After 0.3 miles of walking the campground road, look downhill to the right for the trailhead; it is marked with a large brown Heart Healthy Trail sign and a small brown sign for the Western Oaks Trail.  The trails in the Western Oaks Trail System are unmarked, which will cause me problems later in the hike, as you will see.

Trailhead at Eagles Cove Campground

            The sandy dirt trail heads north into the woods with the lake visible through the trees to the right.  This park lies on the western edge of the cross timbers region, so the forest features the usual oak, hickory, and cedar mixture of the cross timbers with some cottonwoods of the Great Plains.  The lake makes this park an above average birding destination, and I saw a crane and a vulture while I hiked here in addition to many common songbirds.

Hiking near the lake

            Near 0.5 miles, you reach this hike's best lake view, which came with the strong Oklahoma wind on my visit.  Next the trail makes a sweeping right turn to trace around a large inlet.  The creek crossing at the head of this inlet was dry on my visit, and the difference between highest and lowest elevation on this hike is less than 40 feet.  Thus, the going remains quite easy.

Fort Cobb Reservoir

            At 1.1 miles, you reach the trail intersection that forms the loop portion of this hike.  Truth be told, I misread my map and ended up visiting only 2 campgrounds when I had intended to visit all 3, i.e. I omitted the northern-most Blackjack Campground.  Turning left would provide the shortest route to the Blackjack Campground, but I turned right and quickly arrived at the Deer Run Campground, which was closed for the season.  Unoccupied campsites here make nice places to sit and rest near the midpoint of this hike.

Hiking near Deer Run Campground

            Walk through the campground and angle left to reach the campground's bath house, where another trailhead marks our re-entry into the woods.  The trail climbs slightly to reach another intersection at 1.5 miles.  The trail going right leads to the Blackjack Campground, but again because I misread the map (i.e. I thought I was already at the Blackjack Campground) I turned left to head southwest.  At 1.8 miles, you close the loop.  Retracing your steps 1.1 miles returns you to the Eagles Nest Cove Campground and completes the hike.