I visited the Forty Foot Hole in Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. It was a great shorter hike and the Kite Trail also offers a few more miles along Cache Creek all the way to the Lost Lake Picnic Area. Kite Trail is one of the better hiking trails in Oklahoma. If you’re looking for a great place to visit and get a good day hike, this may be the place. There is another major trail in the refuge called the Bison Trail and you can learn more about it here.
The Forty Foot Hole
The Forty Foot Hole is an area inside a canyon that has been carved by the Cache Creek in southwest Oklahoma. The hole is located at 34.704928, -98.683165. The creek has carved out a deep canyon and has created many tracks in the rocks for the water to flow. People were swimming who seemed familiar with the location and they said the “forty foot” part is a reference to the area where the water was forty feet deep. People were jumping off a rocky cliff into this deep area but unfortunately, the water was dark and murky, and hard to see how deep it was beyond a few feet. It obviously was deep enough for people to jump in.
The Kite Trail Wichita Mountains
I used the Kite Trail to travel to the Forty Foot Hole canyon area. This trail is a moderate to difficult trail and you should be ready to scramble over several rocky areas. The canyon was approximately 0.75 miles from the Boulder Picnic Area parking lot. You will trek down a difficult trail and large rocks if you want to go into the canyon area.
The creek and water area are slippery and may be prone to flooding so be careful on rainy days. Please remember swimming is against the rules in the wildlife refuge so please respect the area. Wildlife Refuges are one of the few federal lands designated specifically for protecting animals and plants. People’s enjoyment is a happy addition so please keep the area wild and protected!
The Kite Trail does continue past the Forty Foot Hole and you can walk along many more cliffs and canyons. The trail continues on for another 2 miles or so to the Lost Lake Picnic Area. There were several feral longhorn cows in the picnic area so be careful when hiking the trails!
No. According to the refuge’s website, only wading while fishing is allowed in the refuge.
According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, “The overarching goal of the Refuge System is to conserve a diversity of fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the benefit of current and future generations.”
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