Chickasaw National Recreation Area: Travertine Creek Double Loop (Blog Hike #937)

Trails: Travertine Creek, Bison Loop, and Antelope Springs Trails
Hike Location: Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Geographic Location: southeast side of Sulphur, OK (34.50393, -96.94938)
Length: 6.6 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: April 2023
Overview: A double loop featuring a bison pasture and the falls and springs of Travertine Creek.
Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/chic/index.htm
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: In southern Oklahoma, take I-35 to SR 7 (exit 55).  Exit and go east on SR 7.  Drive SR 7 east 12 miles, passing through the towns of Davis and Sulphur in the process, to US 177.  Turn right on US 177.  Drive US 177 south 0.2 miles to the entrance for Chickasaw National Recreation Area on the left.  Turn left to enter the area and drive the main park road 1.5 miles to the Travertine Nature Center, where this hike begins.

The hike: The land that today comprises Chickasaw National Recreation Area has a long history as parkland.  The original 640 acres were purchased from the Chickasaw Nation in 1902 and designated Sulphur Springs Reservation; it protected the park's 32 freshwater and mineral springs.  The name was changed to Platt National Park in 1906 to honor Connecticut Senator Orville H. Platt, who had introduced the legislation that created the Reservation.  For the next 70 years the park would remain America's smallest national park.  In 1976, Platt National Park was combined with other adjacent federal lands and renamed Chickasaw National Recreation Area in honor of the Chickasaw Nation.

            Today Chickasaw National Recreation Area boasts 9899 acres, but the original 640 acres still form the scenic center of the park.  Outside the original lands sits 2350-acre Lake of the Arbuckles, a man-made reservoir that offers the usual aquatic activities including fishing, swimming, and boating.  The park also features 6 campgrounds with more than 400 sites total, multiple picnic areas, and 11 miles of trails open to hiking.  This barbell-shaped hike, i.e. a central trail with loops on either end, explores the park's scenic core along Travertine Creek.  This route passes 4 of the park's largest springs, the park's bison pasture, and the park's largest waterfall, thus allowing you to explore the best scenery Chickasaw National Recreation Area has to offer.

Trailhead near Travertine Nature Center

            Many trails start at the Travertine Nature Center; this hike starts by heading west on the Travertine Creek Trail.  Find this trail by walking across the Nature Center parking lot and angling left to the lot's southwest corner.  A wooden sign gives distances to the Cold Springs Campground and to Pavilion Springs.  All of the trails on this hike are wide gravel trails, so they are obvious and easy to follow even though they are unmarked.

Hiking the Travertine Creek Trail

            After descending slightly and crossing the park's Southeast Perimeter Road, you reach a trail intersection at 0.25 miles.  We will eventually turn right here to begin this hike's eastern loop, but for now turn left to continue downstream on the Travertine Creek Trail and head for this hike's western loop.  The creek sits downhill to the right and the hillside rises to the left as you continue downstream.  Some small waterfalls appear in the creek, and they make scenic diversions while you hike.

Small waterfall in Travertine Creek

            After some gradual ups and downs and passing the spur trail to Cold Springs Campground, you reach another trail intersection at 1.2 miles.  The trail going straight leads to Central Campground and the park's main entrance, so you want to turn left to keep heading for Pavilion Springs, which are reached after the steepest descent of the hike at 1.4 miles.  True to its name, Pavilion Springs sit under a wooden pavilion.  These springs are mineral springs, and if the water smells like Clorox, there is good reason: the "mineral" of highest concentration in this water is chlorine.  Some rocks around the pavilion make nice places to rest and rehydrate either now or when you return here in an hour or so.

Pavilion Springs

            To continue, descend and (maybe) duck your head to pass through the US 177 underpass, then turn left and climb some stone steps to reach another trail intersection.  This intersection forms the western loop of this hike.  For no particular reason, I chose to turn right and use the trail going uphill and straight as my return route, thus hiking the western loop counterclockwise.

            The trail continues downstream, and some tall rock outcrops appear above you to the left before the terrain mellows.  The forest is a nice example of the usual cross timbers mix of oak, hickory, and cedar trees, but otherwise this section of the hike is unremarkable.  After climbing steeply for a short distance, you reach another trail intersection at 2.3 miles.  The trail going straight leads to Bromide Hill and the park's large Rock Creek Campground, but this hike turns sharply left to continue the western loop.

Hiking the western loop

            Gradual climbing brings you first past a small pond, which contained numerous turtles on my visit, and then beside a park road.  Just past 3 miles, you come out beside US 177 at this park's bison viewpoint.  While I did not see any bison here, the park does maintain a herd of bison in this pasture, and I could see many of their brown calling cards lying on the ground inside the wire fencing.

Bison pasture

            The trail parallels US 177 as it descends, crosses a park road, and reaches Hillside Springs at 3.3 miles.  This spring has the same odor and green color as Pavilion Springs, but some sunshine and elaborate rock work give it a much brighter and more developed appearance.  Continuing downhill a few hundred more feet closes the western loop.  Walk back under US 177, pass Pavilion Springs, and retrace your steps 1.2 miles upstream along Travertine Creek.  This area's water makes for good wildlife viewing, and I saw many butterflies, some mallard ducks, and a red-headed woodpecker among other common birds while I walked along the creek.

Hillside Springs

            When you get back to the first trail intersection, instead of turning right to head back to the Nature Center, angle left to head for Little Niagara.  Despite its name, Little Niagara is more of a picnic area than a grandiose waterfall, although it does sit beside a pair of nice waterfalls in Travertine Creek.  The wide gravel trail crosses the park's Northeast Perimeter Road twice and takes you through a parking lot before descending to Little Niagara at 4.8 miles.  This delightful area replete with water falling sounds makes another nice place to rest before tackling the last part of this hike.

Little Niagara, lower drop

Little Niagara, upper drop

            Continue upstream past Little Niagara, cross the park road one final time, and return to the Nature Center.  Of course you could end your hike now, but 2 more nice springs sit just east of the Nature Center.  To get there, walk to the front of the Nature Center, turn left to cross Travertine Creek, then turn right to begin heading east on the Antelope Springs Trail.

Hiking the Antelope Springs Trail

            Several side trails exit right and cross Travertine Creek, but the wide, gravel, nearly flat Antelope Springs Trail stays on the north side of the creek.  At 5.5 miles, you reach Beaver Pond.  Stay left and reach Antelope Springs in only a few hundred more feet.  Antelope Springs is a freshwater spring tucked in a field of massive boulders, and while it may not be the most photogenic spring on this hike, it does have the most natural appearance.

Antelope Springs

            Continue upstream to reach Buffalo Springs in less than another 0.2 miles.  Buffalo Springs have more of the nice rock work you have become accustomed to, and the large amount of algae growing near the springs attests to the freshwater content.  Indeed, nearly all of the water in Travertine Creek comes from Antelope Springs or Buffalo Springs.

Buffalo Springs

            After enjoying this one last spring, turn right at the next 2 intersections to loop down to Beaver Pond and close the eastern loop.  Retracing your steps to the Nature Center for a second time concludes the hike.  If you want to extend this hike, you can add one or all of the three short nature trails that exit south from the Antelope Springs Trail and explore the area south of Travertine Creek.

Lake Murray State Park: Loop South of Park Office (Blog Hike #936)

Trails: Main and Shortcut Trails
Hike Location: Lake Murray State Park
Geographic Location: south of Ardmore, OK (34.07087, -97.10102)
Length: 3 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: April 2023
Overview: A lollipop loop with rocky views of Lake Murray.
Park Information: https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/lake-murray-state-park
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: South of Ardmore, take I-35 to SR 77 (exit 24).  Exit and go east on SR 77.  Drive SR 77 east 2.8 miles to its intersection with SR 77S beside the park office.  Park in the parking lot to the right (south) of the park office.

The hike: Built between 1935 and 1941, Lake Murray State Park is one of 7 original state parks in Oklahoma and the oldest Oklahoma state park.  (Aside: Osage Hills State Park, featured elsewhere in this trail journal, is another park from the original 7.)  The park has joint state and federal roots.  The Oklahoma State Legislature approved $90,000 to purchase up to 10,000 acres for this park, and the project had the backing of Oklahoma Governor William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray who saw it as a way to help Oklahoma's economy recover from the Great Depression.  The park and lake are named for Governor Murray.  On the federal level, the National Park Service purchased 2700 acres adjacent to the state's land, and that land was designated as one of the nation's 46 Recreational Demonstration Areas.

            The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked here from 1935 through 1941, and they used the National Park Service's rustic style of architecture that is the trademark of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Canyon National Parks.  Thus, Lake Murray State Park is one of the best destinations in Oklahoma for "parkitecture."  The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1951 the historic Lake Murray Lodge became the first state-owned park lodge in Oklahoma.

            At 12,500 acres, Lake Murray State Park remains Oklahoma's largest state park.  The park offers the usual lake recreation such as swimming, boating, and fishing, 9 developed campgrounds with over 300 sites total, an ATV area, an 18-hole golf course, and more than 19 miles of trails open to hikers and mountain bikers.  Many of these trails form out-and-back hikes along the lake, but the hike described here is one of the better lollipop loops in the trail system.  This hike gives you a sample of the rocky, dense forest that makes the cross timbers famous, but it does so without pegging the length or difficulty meters and with only minimal retracing of steps.

Trailhead at park office

            From the south side of the park office, pick up the concrete path that heads south and downhill toward the lake.  The concrete path heading left is the park's Heart Healthy Trail; it leads 0.75 miles east to the aforementioned Lake Murray Lodge.  A gradual descent brings you to the parking lot for the park's fishing area where a bridge leads across a strait in the lake.  If you look to the right while crossing this bridge, you can see a small arch-shaped CCC-built bridge that now carries SR 77S over a small creek.

Bridge at fishing pier

CCC-built bridge

            After crossing the bridge, the trail splits to form its loop; a yellow carsonite post marks this intersection.  For no particular reason, I turned left here and used the old road going straight as my return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.  For the most part the trail parallels the lakeshore, although sometimes it stays closer to the lake than others.  The trail is unmarked, but I found it easy to follow except for a few side trails that lead down to the lake shore.

Climbing a rocky bluff

            The terrain is rockier than you might expect for a lakeside hike, and the forest is the usual cross timbers mix of red cedars and oaks with a dense understory.  Although the difference in maximum and minimum elevations on this hike is only about 70 vertical feet, there is considerable up and down as you go in and out of the many ravines that feed the lake.  At 0.7 miles, after topping a rocky bluff you reach a partially obstructed view of the lake that reveals the lodge and marina in the distance.

Marina across the lake

            1.5 miles into the hike, the trail curves right to begin the first of two long U-shaped curves.  These curves are necessitated by a deep, rocky lake inlet that comes into view on your left.  As you approach the end of the first U, an unofficial trail going right tempts you to skip the second U, but do not succumb to this temptation: the best view of this scenic, tranquil, rocky lake inlet lies just ahead.  Some rocks here make perfect places to sit, rest, have a trail snack, and enjoy the rocky aquatic views.

Rocky lake inlet

            After finishing the second U, the trail curves left and climbs slightly to reach the paved beach and marina access road at 2.4 miles.  The trail to the Ski Jump Campground continues across the road, but to continue this loop you want to turn right and walk a few hundred feet along the road.  This road carries moderate volumes of vehicle traffic, but wide shoulders allow you to easily dodge the cars.

Connector trail exits park road

            After walking the road a few hundred feet, watch the right shoulder for the yellow carsonite post that marks where the connector trail enters the woods.  Even though this trail follows what appears to be an old road, I would have had a hard time finding it without the carsonite post.  The trail undulates moderately and descends to the south side of the fishing pier bridge to close the loop.  Cross the bridge and walk the concrete path back up to the park office to complete the hike.  While you are here, be sure to check out some of this park's "parkitecture."  My favorite park structure is Tucker Tower, a multi-story stone castle-like structure that dates to the 1930's and stands on a rocky protrusion into the lake about 5 miles south of the park office.