Hike the Wichita Mountains—not the tallest by most measures, but among the most ancient ranges in the US—just a three-hour drive from Dallas.
Among a mostly flat landscape painting dominated by wallow grasslands , gnarly mount jut skyward seemingly out of nowhere . This is southwestern Oklahoma . Here , in the Central Great Plains , one of a twelve eco - regions that make Oklahomaone of the most geographically various states in the nation , the once - mighty Wichita Mountains obtain tribunal as some of the oldest peaks on terra firma — their brave out aggrandisement an indicator of astounding age .
In terms of quintessential mountains , sky - scraping ranges like the Alps and the Andes spring to mind , but for geology with serious ponderosity and chronicle , you have to hike up where you ’d least expect . In the southwesterly portion of Oklahoma , mere hour from major tube like Oklahoma City and Dallas , the Wichitas may not look as striking as iconic ranges like those , but what they miss in tiptop , they more than make up for with seniority .
While theAlps formed some 44 million years ago , and theAndes a bare 10 million years ago , they ’re both downright young liken to the Wichitas , which direct shapemore than 500 million years ago . To put that in position , that pre - date the Cretaceous Period by 400 million year , pee-pee them among the former mountains in the public . The deficiency of top , in fact , is just evidence of 1000000 more years ’ worth of corrosion . Today , these chiseled granite eyeshade comprise the most impressive trail in the region , along with wildlife — like bison , elk , and roadrunners — as amazing as the topography .
Photo by Matt Kirourac
America’s oldest mountains
Named for the aboriginal American tribe that live here , the Wichita kitchen stove today sweep about 30 stat mi , with elevation maxing out atopMount Scott , at 2,464 - feet . It may not go like much , even by Oklahoma ’s stereotypically matt touchstone . Take the state ’s tallest superlative , Black Mesa , which time in at just shy of 5,000 - feet . But the account , from the geological to the conservational , is unpaired . And it all started stew beneath the Earth ’s surface 525 million years ago , when pyrogenic rocks , like granite and rhyolite , began to solidify .
After experiencing an vast period of tectonic upthrow , they climb up to heights thatsurpassed the present - daylight Rocky Mountains , to become the oldest mountains on the continent . Erosion whittle the range down to average heights between 400 and 1,000 - feet , with only a few pinnacle that surpass 2,000 . eon after their organization , the Wichitas became one of the first wildlife refuges in the U.S. , set away from the Oklahoma Land Run , and designated as a conserve by President Theodore Roosevelt before the dominion was a commonwealth .
“ A good portion of them were destine back in 1901 , taken out of the drawing program and set aside as public land , ” explains Howard Styron , President of the non - profitFriends of the Wichitas , in reference to theLand Run of 1889that opened 2 million acres of land for settlement in the soon - to - be - state of matter . “ It ’s the place of bison , elk , longhorn kine , many many deer , and all sort of other animals . It ’s a wildlife refuge , so the anteriority goes to the brute , and way down the precedency list is humans . ”
The Wichita Mountains|Photo by Matt Kirouac
Designated awildlife refugein 1905,11 years before the National Park Servicewas created , today two thirds of the preserve is a extra - use area that ’s close to the populace as a sanctuary for said wildlife . The remaining third , though , is a wonderland of rocky lead , canon , and glistening lakes — a stark direct contrast to presumptions of a state stereotyped by wind - swept plains .
What to do at the Wichita Mountains
Today , the nearly 60,000 - acre Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge is 15 miles from Lawton , the closest city in the area , while Oklahoma City is just over an hour aside , and about three from Dallas - Fort Worth . An well-heeled mean solar day trip for a nature reprieve ( or a weekend getaway at one of the park’scampgrounds ) , the recourse sport more than adozen different hiking trails , ranging from easy and unretentive , to miles of straining acme gain . Mount Scott , for instance , is accessible via hiking or drive , with a sweeping diorama that rewards at the top . “ From there , you’re able to almost see always , ” say Styron . “ It ’s a great place for citizenry who need to get out in nature , get out from the metropolis , and the perfect position to revitalize yourself . ”
He commend set off at thevisitor centre of attention , where displays and maps highlight the region ’s history , its namesake wildlife , and places to go . The Friends of the Wichitas operates a nature memory in the shopping centre , and there ’s a minor theater , with a pic that spotlights the conserves ’s bison herd , initially transported hereby way of the Bronx Zoo in 1907 . My favorite wage increase in the preserve is the aptly dubbedBison Trail , which traverses mixed - grass prairie , rivers , lake , and occasional bison herd . Along with longhorn cattle , tarantulas , and Geococcyx californianus , it ’s one of the wild part of the wildlife refuge , clock in at about five miles . An avid fisher , Styron also suggests fly sheet - fishing atQuanah Parker Lake , whileElk Mountainaffords a more gruelling ascent for intensive hikers . consider the Wichitas ’ rocky origins , and surplus of granite , the preserve is pop for bouldering , repelling , and other careen sports too .
For guided outings , the Friends of the Wichitas helps faculty freetours , for hikes and busbar rides to see everything from seasonal wildflower to elk , the latter of which were alsointroduced to the grasp in the early 1900s , and now number well over 1,000 .
Photo by Lori Duckworth, courtesy Oklahoma Tourism
“ From there , you could almost see always . ”
The Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge receives about 1.7 million one-year visitors , and as a topographic point of vast wild , with violent animals around seemingly every turn , prophylactic is as significant as conservation .
According to Quinton Smith , Supervisory Park Ranger for the refuge , westerly diamondbacks and copperheads are the two most prominent vicious Snake here , and along with ticks and other insect , a good reminder to stay on - track . “ Give animals their space , and that goes with everything , like magnanimous bison or snake on the flat coat or prairie dogs , ” he says . “ Most encounters with human and animals occur because we ’re putting too much pressure on them , getting too close for a picture or too close to their young . Make certain that they ’re observe the wildlife . ”
The Ice Age elephant are long gone , but thunderous bison — and gnarly peaks that pre - date the morning of humanity — stay on incredible indicators of a range that swapped height for history .
