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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!
Quartz Mountain was just turned back to a state park last year.
So it is slowly getting upgrades and looked a lot nicer than the last time we visited. 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.
My boys like to push the limits of what is safe and keep wanting to go higher.
They were sure they saw a way to the top this time but I said no.
HaWe went to a less challenging area after that so all the kids(and the dog) could make it to the top.
See those specks?
Those would be my kids, leaving me in their dust.
I was pretty determined to make it to the top, even though it felt like I might die in the attempt…
I liked to stop and take in the view often and give myself a chance to breathe.
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.
Always at least one kid that puts their hand where it should not go.
After making it down we decided to check out the other parts of the park.
I am so glad we did!
This is a swimming beach! 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.
This is such a fun place to visit, glad we were able to go again!