Beavers Bend State Park: Lookout Mountain/Beaver Creek Short Loop (Blog Hike #1005)

Trails: Lookout Mountain and Trees Trails
Hike Location: Beavers Bend State Park
Geographic Location: northeast of Broken Bow, OK (34.13275, -94.68111)
Length: 1.8 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2024
Overview: A loop hike featuring the highs of Lookout Mountain and beautiful scenery along Beaver Creek.
Park Information: https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/beavers-bend-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=956997
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming May 23, 2025)

Directions to the trailhead: From Broken Bow, take US 259 north 6.2 miles to SR 259A and turn right on SR 259A.  Drive SR 259A east 4.4 winding miles to the state park Forest Heritage Center on the right.  Park here.

The hike: When most people think of Oklahoma, they think of flat prairies where the wind blows sweeping down the plains.  Those people would be surprised by the scenery at Beavers Bend State Park, which is located in the western foothills of the Ouachita Mountains.  In this park, steep hills rise over 600 feet above their surrounding valleys, and it gives you the feel of a real mountain park, or at least the closest thing you will find to real mountains in Oklahoma.

            Beavers Bend State Park was built between 1935 and 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as one of Oklahoma's 7 original state parks.  The park is named after John T. Beavers, a Choctaw citizen who owned some of this land, and a near 360-degree bend in the park's Mountain Fork River known as Beavers Bend.  Beavers Bend State Park has become one of the most popular state parks in Oklahoma, and it features fantastic amenities including a lodge, several developed campgrounds, and swimming, boating, and fishing on Mountain Fork River and Broken Bow Lake.

            For hikers, the park offers nearly 17 miles of hiking trails ranging from the short 0.75 mile Pine Ridge Nature Trail to the steep and rugged 7 mile one-way Skyline Trail.  Splitting the difference between those two options is the 1.8 mile loop described here.  This loop gives you a taste of the rugged backcountry while also using this park's most scenic and popular trail.  Be warned that trails at this park are not well-marked and the park's trail map is not the most accurate, so add a degree of caution to any hike you choose at this park.

            Either before or after your hike, the Forest Heritage Center is worth a tour.  The Center's exhibit building is shaped like a donut, and walking the building clockwise takes you past numerous dioramas that display and demonstrate the history of forestry both here at Beavers Bend and elsewhere.  Taking a few minutes to walk the Center gives you good information and added appreciation for this area before it became a state park.

Trailhead at Forest Heritage Center

            The hike starts across the parking lot near the road; a small wooden sign that says "0.5 miles to David Boren Trail" marks the trailhead.  The David Boren Trail is a long-distance backpacking trail, the southern 12 miles of which pass through this park.  In fact, this initial segment of trail was built as an access trail for the David Boren Trail to take advantage of the large Forest Heritage Center parking lot.

Climbing on access trail

            The somewhat narrow single-track trail climbs on a moderate grade.  SR 259A, the road you drove in on, stays within a couple hundred feet to the right.  Although the forest is a nice mixture of oak and pines, the traffic noise makes this initial segment the worst part of this hike.

Secondary parking area

            At 0.5 miles, you reach the small SR 259A parking lot for the Lookout Mountain Trail.  The access trail ends here, and this hike turns sharply left to begin heading southeast on the Lookout Mountain Trail.  A sign correctly indicates that you are heading toward "South Park," but South Park is a more distant destination than this hike reaches.  After passing the top of a knob, you begin a moderate descent that will cause you to lose most of the 200 feet of elevation you just gained.

Hiking the Lookout Mountain Trail

            0.8 miles into the hike, you reach a trail intersection and a decision point.  The Lookout Mountain Trail turns right, as indicated by some red aluminum markers, and you could go that way if you wanted to substantially increase the distance and difficulty of this hike.  I wanted to keep my hike shorter and easier, so I continued straight to take a shorter route down to the Trees Trail, this park's most scenic and popular trail.

            After descending a steep and rocky area with a small creek downhill to your right, you reach the Trees Trail at 1.1 miles.  Angle right to begin heading counterclockwise around the Trees Trail.  Designed as an interpretive nature trail, the Trees Trail is considerably easier and more level than any trail you have hiked thus far.  Some excellent signs describe common flora and fauna in this forest.

Approaching Beaver Creek

            Soon you curve left to start heading downstream with Beaver Creek on your right, and now the real scenery show begins.  The creek's water is exceptionally clear, and the layered bedrock forms a large number of interesting ledges and small waterfalls.  Take your time on this trail and admire the scenery.

Beaver Creek

Beaver Creek

            At 1.6 miles and just before you reach a park road bridge, you reach a trail intersection with trails going straight, left, and sharply left.  The trail going straight leads to the park restaurant and nature center, and the trail going sharply left is the other arm of the Trees Trail.  Thus, you want to turn less sharply left to begin heading uphill.  A short uphill walk returns you to the Forest Heritage Center to complete the hike.