Tag Archives: Oklahoma

Hiking

Multi-Use Trail ~Edmond, OK

01/30/2014 Danielle Huddleston Leave a comment

There are several places to access the Multi-Use Trail on Arcadia Lake in Edmond.

Spring Creek Park, Edmond Park, Central State Park, or the Park Office.

All of these entrances do have a fee though.

I have read that the park office is the cheapest.

It is a really nice resource for those that live in the area.

The Juniper trees were loaded!

Nice easy paths.

Red dirt with a lot of bike tracks.

We started at Central State Park and headed towards Spring Creek Park.

I wanted to start at Edmond Park but it was closed for the season.

It is a nice trail but since there is a fee and a lot of the trail follows the road closely, it is not worth the travel time to me.

If you live in the area though you should check it out.

Hiking

Greenleaf State Park, Ankle Express Trail ~Braggs, OK

01/13/2014 Danielle Huddleston Leave a comment

We went to Greenleaf State Park on Saturday!

We have been there twice but both times it has been VERY hot.

I was looking forward to seeing this park a new way.

You know, not through a delirious haze of heat exhaustion…

We chose to drive into the trailhead off State HWY 10 so we did not have to walk on the Highway.

The road in is really neglected and has a lot of deep ruts so I would not attempt this if you have a low vehicle.

You can always start at the trailhead in the north side of the park.

It will just add some miles to your hike.

If you park at this second trailhead than their are two different places to start.

This one is the first but there is a place further down the road with a better place to park that takes you along the lake.

There were plenty of water crossings.

Much to my boys delight.

They love them.

I did not fall in so I was feeling pretty good about them as well.

Pine forests are my happy place.

This little guy was right next to the trail with a buddy of his!

We always hear Armadillos before we ever see them.

If driving through a nature area or park it is best to have the windows down and be quiet.

That way you can hear the rustling sound they make while searching for food.

This is the closest I have been to one on a hike!

This bridge is where you start the main part of the Ankle Express trail.

The full loop is around 18 miles with two primitive campgrounds.

We took the smaller loop that turns at the Mary Cove Campground and ended up doing just under 9 miles.

Even though the hills tried to kill me I apparently had enough energy left to do the small stunts that impress my boys…

I have to do it while they are still impressed by things like jumping over a log!

The ice on the lake sounded like a windchime.

So pretty.

We ended at that beautiful time right before sunset.

Perfect time for pictures and wildlife viewing!

I was hoping to see an eagle but no luck this time.

January and February are the peak Eagle viewing months in Oklahoma.

For a list of the best places to see one check out the travelok site, here.

Hiking, Wildlife Preserve/Reserve

Deep Fork Wildlife Refuge ~Okmulgee, OK

12/19/2013 Danielle Huddleston Leave a comment

We have been to the Deep Fork Wildlife Refuge several times but decided to check out some of the harder to get to areas last Saturday.

First up was the Big Slough Parking Area.

The best way to find these areas is to go to one of the easier to find trails and get a map or go to the headquarters.

There are several trails off highway 75, south of Okmulgee.

On the map I have though none of the parking areas are labled with names so we just drove out to a couple and checked them out.

A lot of the trails end at the water.

I think they are mostly used by fisherman but I do not know that for sure.

If you go to this parking area and take the path to the right, it will lead you to a blocked off road and other trails.

Very pretty!

Beats walking on busy streets any day!

After we did several miles in this area, we drove back into town to pick up some lunch.

Then we drove out to another area.

The Okmulgee Parking Area.

All of these parking area’s are around the edges of the town.

I did not see any signs letting you know they were there though until you actually get to them.

These Osage Oranges are so cool looking!

I would plant one in our yard but I think the fruit might be hard to mow around…

We ended up putting in just under 8 miles total for the day.

My oldest was happy about that number since he asked that we go 7 miles.

Ever since he helped his dad finish his race and did 9 miles he thinks we need to do more than that.

He forgets that there were aid stations every couple of miles and that his legs get tired.

There were obviously tired and dragging by the end…

We had a great time!

I cannot believe how well the boys did on this one!

My youngest decided to fall right into a puddle at the end.

I made him strip and ride home in his long johns.

The only disappointment for my oldest was we did not stay overnight and live off the land.

I had to finally point out the rules about no camping and that we did not have a permit to hunt.

He did not seem to care that we did not have supplies or weapons but when he heard it was illegal he finally excepted reality.

I think he does not understand what living off the land with zero supplies looks like…