We did the Elk Mountain hike at Wichita Mountains and it seems like no big deal since it is only 1.1 miles but it is going up.
If you look to the upper right of this pic you can see our destination.
We did it one other time but I had to stop before going to the top so I was pretty excited to make it all the way to the top this time.
This is definitely my favorite hike we have done here.
The view is definitely worth the hike up!
It was very windy and chilly up there!
Our four oldest were in front of us on the way down and got off the trail(some of it is not marked clearly).
So my husband had to go back up to where they had gotten off and bring them back.
After we got down we went to see the cute prairie dogs at the prairie dog town but they did not hold my kids interest long this time.
I guess they are used to seeing them now.
After that we drove to the other side of the refuge to drive to the top of Mount Scott.
It is a nice easy way to see beautiful views.
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and loved Quartz Mountain and Wichita Mountains!
My kids favorite area is the Baldy Point Climbing Area to the west of the main area of the park.
There are places for serious rock climbers but thankfully there are giant boulders that are fun for my kids to climb on also.
And the views are beautiful.
We went to a less challenging area after that so all the kids(and the dog) could make it to the top.
See those specks?
I was pretty determined to make it to the top, even though it felt like I might die in the attempt…
Thankfully you can’t tell in the pics that I was gasping all the way up.
These cactus caused problems on our way back down.
I am so glad we did!
Wouldn’t this be an breathtaking place to swim!
I usually avoid this area in the warmer months because I am a bit concerned about rattlesnakes but I might have to go back just for a swim here.
I joked with the kids that I would pay them a dollar for finding me a bobcat since I had never seen one in the wild and I ended up finding one!
That and lots of beautiful wide open spaces!
Right after we saw the bobcat we then saw a badger!
Poor guy was terrified, ran to this whole, and began frantically throwing dirt out to get away from us…
I get that. We are loud.
We also decided to stop by the Little Sahara State Park one day.
The kids were not sure about another ride to go see something but ended up loving running down the dunes.
You can rent Off Road Vehicles to go out on the main part of the dunes but that is a bit pricey so we stuck to the nature trail and viewing area.
The viewing platform is pretty far removed from the main part of the park so can be hard to find but it is worth it.
