Wichita Mountains — Local services in Cooperton

Our family is the 5th generation to enjoy & fall in love w/this beguiling sanctuary. My mother who is 87 was born in Medicine Park. She swam in Elmer Thomas Lake, hiked in the park, skated in the skating rink, visited the Holy City of the Wichitas went to school there, grew up & married my Dad in the Baptist Church, He proposed to her in the forested area east of Lake Latonka. We lived there till I was 5 in a couple of different houses. One, across from the swinging bridge, is called called The Wind Blew In. A favorite outing was when we went to the mountains, drove up Mount Scott, my grandpa helped construct that road through the WPA in the 1930's depression. Taking in the outstanding scenery, watching the wildlife. American Bison are truly magnificent animals, elk are majestic, deer seeming to come out of nowhere when you least expect it. Longhorns roam everywhere, wild turkeys & other colorful birds are eye catching, sometimes a bobcat may make an appearance & of course the endless supply of prairie dogs. As a child & up to now I have a special affinity for that sacred land. I am drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The visitor center offers comprehensive exhibits that whet one's appetite to explore more. The view & the sunset from Mount Scott, the fishing boats on Jed Johnson Lake, the quiet seclusion of Lost Lake. I could rave on & on but this is way long enough. I will add the Holy City is my favorite places of refuge there. And, my children, grandchildren & great grandchildren have been there, climbed the same rocks I did as a girl when I achieved my goal to reach the top of the mountain. We live in New Mexico now. But go there every time we are in Oklahoma. We take thousands of pictures. To put it in a nutshell: this is one of the coolest places to visit. I highly recommend it to all who enjoy nature's bounty especially in October. P.S. watch out for snakes: water moccasins, diamond backs, sidewinders, use sunscreen & bug spray ad needed, stay safe around wildlife, & pack a picnic lunch cause there are no restaurants in the refuge. However, you can go to Meers though which serves buffalo burgers. Or head back to Medicine Park where delicious food awaits. Maybe we'll see each...

Great hiking, but A little difficult on older joints. Bring tape for the ankles and knee braces if needed. I definitely recommend a walking stick.

The camping was nice. I enjoyed not having any cell service, but that too was a shock.

The water is non potable and that was surprising as well. I believe, The water tested positive for E coli a few years back. We had to boil it before drinking or washing dishes etc.

Some of our party did some repelling and had a blast. The men all said that some of the hiking was the hardest that they have seen in 30 years.

We stayed at group campsite A and had plenty of space for 5 families, 5 tents and a RV.

The showers were serviceable, but not enjoyable. You have to push a button for a 5' shower head to spray extremely hot water for about 15 seconds. But, having a shower and hot water...

I have been coming here since I was a kid. My dad and I would tent camp here multiple times every spring and summer. There are too many walking trails to count but my favorite part is that most of the mountains are open to exploring even if there is no trail.

There are large herds of buffalo and longhorns that roam the park and are quite a sight to see but keep your distance as these are not domesticated animals. The visitor center is quite nice and shares a lot of history of the region.

Venture up to the Holy City and walk through the "ruins", or better yet, catch one of the nation's longest-running Easter pageants held each spring at the Holy City. There is a gift shop that sells...