Great Plains State Park — Attraction in Cooperton

The Beast of Tom Steed Reservoir (A Tale from Great Plains State Park)

They say if you wander too close to the reeds at Tom Steed Reservoir, just after the sun dips behind the Wichita Mountains and the wind stills for a breath—you might catch a glimpse of it.

Locals call it The Skritter.

Half egret, half rabbit. Long white neck craning like a heron’s, but with twitchy ears and back legs made for bounding. Its wings—if you can call them that—are patchy and bent, more for gliding low than taking flight. It doesn’t chirp or squawk. No, The Skritter makes a sound like thistle brushing denim, soft but sharp. And it watches.

Old man Whitley swears he saw it first in ’92, just past the fishing dock. Said it hopped out of the water like a rock skipping across the surface, soaking wet with cattails tangled in its fur-feathers. He tossed his bait box in the truck and didn’t stop driving till he hit Hobart.

Rangers don’t talk about it much. But if you camp there, especially near the south end of the reservoir, you might notice your marshmallows disappear. Or rabbit tracks… with claw marks.

Some say it’s the result of a government experiment gone wrong. Others think it’s a cursed spirit—an omen. But the elders around Snyder just shake their heads, muttering, “Don’t feed it. Don’t follow it. And whatever you do, don’t whistle near the water after dark.”

Because if you hear something whistle back, it’s...

We have camped here for Memorial Day weekend for 2021, 2022 and 2024. The restrooms by the boat ramp don't flush very well. They were old in in 2022. I was hoping they would be replaced by this time like all the other state parks. The restrooms in the otter creek campground are hot/stuffy and need ventilation. The showers require quarters to operate and are also very hot/stuffy and need ventilation. In 2022 our campsite had a water spigot. The water spigot is now gone. The receipt says it was a "premium" campsite for $22. It has no water spigot nor electric. Not sure what is so "premium" about it? We feel like a paid campsite should come with tokens for the shower. We are hikers not boaters so hopefully we can get a spot at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge next time. On the plus side, we saw a road runner multiple times and learned his call. Lots of other birds too like scissor tail fly catcher. Only a 30 minute drive to the Wildlife Refuge where we wanted to hike. There's always a breeze to...

This is a giant waste of a unique natural area for OK. A really cool area with mountains similar to the Wichita Mtns yet the state is letting it go. Brutal roads, signage melting off the metal, one ranger who has to leave his phone number on the door so they don’t have regular hours. Trails are a mess and unmarked. Trails also don’t utilize the mountains. This could be a really cool area but our state is hoarding 8 billion dollars instead of funding our parks. Campsites here are nice but need updated. Trails need to be maintained and marked. Maps here are unreadable like other state park maps. This one is atrocious. New trails onto the rocks need to be blazed and utilize the natural beauty here. This state park should be #3 after Beavers Bend and Robbers Cave but instead looks like an...