The Wichita Mountains Oklahoma Day Trip

19 November 2021By Brett

The Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma are a wonderful day trip option for a lot of Oklahoma and northern Texas. People in Oklahoma City are within easy driving reach to these mountains to have a wonderful weekend day trip. There is plenty of hiking, hills, rocks, prairie dogs, and bison to be seen in this national wildlife refuge. You should make visiting this gorgeous area of Oklahoma if you can. Learn a few things here before you plan your next trip!

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The Parallel Forest

a trail and line of trees in the parallel forest located in the wichita mountains
The parallel forest near Meers Oklahoma.

The Parallel Forest was an old dust bowl era experiment that had the government experimenting with the best way to stop the dust bowl in Oklahoma. They planted a group of trees all 6 feet apart and in line with each other. It does have a weird man-made unnatural aspect to it but I didn’t find it ghostly or scary as some sites say. I just heard the wind, an armadillo, and leave crunching and a few trails around the long line of trees. It was a nice quick stop.

Jed Johnson Tower

jed johnson tower and lake below the small hill
the jed johnson tower between two fall color trees
a brown stone tower with brown rocky hills in the background
a pano picture with a brown tower to left and lake in the center with brown grass and fall colors around

Jed Johnson Tower is an old fire watch tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in the 1940s. It is a short hike to get to the top and it’s an easy hike from the parking area. You’ll have some great views of the tower and from the tower of the lake and surrounding hills and mountains. The tower is a reddish sandstone and its locked up now. You’ll feel pretty good when you see the view at the very top!

Prairie Dog Town

a sign explaining the fines for feeding and harassing the prairie dogs in the wichita mountains oklahoma
a brown furry prairie dog standing and looking around in brown grass
a brown prairie dog on the edge of a mound looking around
a close up of a brown prairie dog face
a profile view of a brown prairie dog in oklahoma
a prairie dog in his hole looking around

The prairie dog town is a fun stop right next to the main road and it even has a parking area for you to get out and say hi to the furry dogs! There are several houses right next to the parking area so hopefully, you’ll get plenty of good views of these furry creatures. The prairie dogs are a little bold so make sure not to feed them and follow the laws for interacting with the animals. The sign is in the pictures above. Have fun and get lots of pictures!

Elk Mountain in the Wichita Mountains

  • a small dam and creek with fall colored leaves and rocky background at elk mountain trailhead
    The small stream at the Elk Mountain Trailhead.
  • a view looking up with trees and rocks on the way up the elk mountain trail
    The view up the mountain along the Elk Mountain Trail.
  • the brown valley and small water reservoir from elk mountain
    The sky and view from Elk Mountain Oklahoma.
  • a brown and black dog on top of elk mountain oklahoma with a wide valley behind
    Sammy on the summit of Elk Mountain Oklahoma.
  • a pano from the summit of elk mountain oklahoma looking north with a wide valley and fall color trees
    The view to the north from the summit of Elk Mountain in the Wichita National Wildlife Refuge Oklahoma.

Elk Mountain is one of the main mountains in the Wichita Mountains but is separate from the Mount Scott range and farther west than the more touristy peak. You can approach the peak from the north or south and it is located in the Charon’s Gardens Wilderness of the national refuge. The hike is about 1.15 miles one way from the north. It’s a moderate hike due to some large steps and rocks but if you have some physical fitness this shouldn’t be a problem!

How tall is Elk Mountain Oklahoma?

Elk Mountain’s summit is 2270 ft above sea level.

Can I use a drone in the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge?

According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, drones are not permitted in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

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