chickasaw national recreation area

It is beautiful there three seasons of the year. Some might like it in winter too. There are walking paths, hiking trails, picnic areas, campgrounds. A buffalo preserve to get up close to the buffalo. Flower Park is a lovely place for photographers with a stream running through it and gorgeous large trees.In the evenings just before dusk you will often see deer through out the area.Visit the Nature Center and see the displays there or watch films or ask questions.If you like nature it is a wonderful place to visit for a few hours or a few days. There are places to eat and shop in the town of Sulphur. There are also vacation rentals and cabins to rent in the area.

Not sure I'd go out of my way to visit the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, but it was a good choice while in the immediate area. Extensive road system with lots of places to park. Good signage. Some nice overlooks and scenic views. It was pretty in the winter, I'd imagine it's even prettier in the spring and summer.

Blessed to live near this gem & love visiting it whenever possible! The Park has beautiful, well maintained trails. Most trails permit bikes & dogs, but a couple do not, just watch the signs. I frequent the trails and have never encountered any problems. Be sure to visit the Nature Center, all kinds of cool stuff there! Be sure to hike or drive to the top of Bromide Hill for a great view!

Several areas were still closed due to low/no water, but we visited for the hiking. We stayed in the Rock Creek camping area and had a small waterfall running right behind our campsite. The fall foliage was beautiful!

Stayed here in November so I can't rate all the outdoor uses but it is definitely a great place to camp. The park is well maintained and well kept and aesthetically pleasant. I stayed in the lower loop, These sites are firsts come first served. The upper loop sites can be reserved. There are several tent campsites near the lake I stayed in an RV site. Sites are level and and many have a nice view of the lake. Water and 20/30/50 amp service available. $24 but $12 with senior pass. Dump station about 1/2 mile away on the entrance road. Decent Verizon 4g signal and able to get several TV stations on my rooftop antenna. Was not able to get the PBS channels though.

This is a fun place for the whole family to camp and/or swim. There are many different areas to swim with small waterfalls. It's a good place to camp with bathrooms nearby. We go there every year and swim for the day or camp overnight. Has a nice nature center with plenty for kids to do.

Kids had a blast and grounds were beautiful!! Staff was friendly and knowledgeable! Excellent place to spend the day with the family or on a field trip.

Everything was well maintained and looked new. The trails were smooth and well groomed. The Nature Center had exhibits and some wildlife as well. Worth a visit.

we drove all the way down there just to find out there's no water in the springs. There should have lease been signed on I 35 that there is no water at the springs so we could have gone to Lake Murray or Lake Texoma wasted 3 hours driving down there to find out the creek was dry. I normally love this area and have been going there for over 30 years drive down there with a new friend a dry river bed. Sad sad sad.

This review is based solely on our experience. We were not aware or made aware by anyone including the attendant who took our fees that most of the areas attractions were closed for renovations or did not have any value because of the extremely dry conditions.Little Niagara was partially open with no water in it. I had zero luck fishing and I heard the same from other folks who were trying . They said that the water was really low .Please find out ahead of time what the park conditions are because its not going to come from the website or the park attendants.

This area was amazing. They have preserved the natural beauty but supplied nice luxuries like clean showers. I highly recommend the Central camp grounds. The camp site hosts are very nice and the Rangers are awesome with young people. We enjoyed a late night demonstration on birds of prey and were able to see and hear an owl within very close proximity. The nature Center was fun and had age appropriate scavenger hunts that all our youth from age 9 to 16 yrs really enjoyed. We left the area for a day at Turner Falls but our Youth Group told us at the end of the 3 days that the time spent in the water at the camp was the most fun they had, We will be back!!

Traveled north from Dallas, Texas to meet family "half-way" and spent the day by the lake. The water front picnic site was perfect for watching my granddaughter and grand-dog take a dip in the lake, while my son-in-law grilled steaks, and my daughter & I got caught up on the latest and planned our next adventure! Access to the park & lake was free and pet friendly!

My Sister in Law was in town, so we took the kids for the day. We packed a picnic and thought even if the water wasn't perfect we could hike... I thought the falls may not be running... I thought the water may be a little stagnant with algae instead of clean, perfectly clear and as cold as it used to be. When people said "Little Niagra was all dried up," they meant that there was no water whatsoever to be found. Bear Falls is algae ridden and murky. The low water bridge is dry. I am still in shock. Honestly... how could I possibly imagine this? It's heartbreaking. You can almost hear the ghostly laughter and splashing from just a couple of years ago. The trails are, of course, fine, the facilities are all clean as usual -- what water is left is kind of pretty... if you didn't know what was there before. It's probably a great place to camp in the Fall for hiking. But if you're expecting to cool off in the fresh cold clear spring fed water and stand beneath the falls at Bear Falls you're out of luck. Cold Creek camp site is all but abandoned, as is Little Niagra, which used to be the hub. If I camped here again I would choose a site across from Garfield Falls (toward the front of the Cold Creek camp sites) where the water is the most full and pretty. The hiking is still very beautiful. We ended up going on to Turner Falls which was much better than I remembered. There was a really cool castle ruin to explore, the huge 77 foot waterfall, cool water, much like Sulphur used to have, and a really neat swimming area with waterslides and a diving board. However Turner Falls is $12 for adults and $6 for kids, which can add up fast -- and more for camping.

The park is breathtaking! The trails are beautiful and marked well. We tried to find Little Niagra, but never did. Maybe we will next time.

We could only spend a limited time here but we loved our walk & the mineral springs. Being able to see buffalo was very special.