Hiking in the Wichita Mountains: The Narrows.

Hello and welcome!

The Wichita Mountains offer adventurers (that's you) so many hiking opportunities that it's hard to choose. Who doesn't love such an abundance in opportunities.Whether you want to explore off the trail or on the trail, it's all just pretty awesome. We thought it would be fun to do some blog posts on these abundant possibilities, and not just because we're looking for another excuse to go hiking. If you care to stick to the trails, the options range from short and easy to longer and more challenging. We hope to cover them all!

We understand that time isn't always on your side, so we'd like to share some of the trails that give you the most bang for your buck. If you were paying for it, that is. For your time-buck, then. 

The Narrows!

View: Breath-taking
Hiking level: Easy. There's only one steep switchback you need to worry about (not like worry worry, though).
Round-trip walking time: About 30 minutes.
Extra info: If you're a climber, pack your ropes! There are a couple of tie-in points in the narrows. 
Hiking tips: Wear good shoes! And make sure you take water. Keep your eyes peeled because there's always something cool to see (from flowers, to porcupines, you never know!)

How to get there from the Wichita Mountains Visitor Center: Turn right from the Visitor Center's parking lot onto hwy 49, at the stop sign turn right and continue on this road passing Camp Doris and Burford Lake. Turn left onto the next road after Burford Lake. There should be a sign stating Boulder Picnic Area or something of the sort. After a little while, you'll pass the Lost Lake parking lot on your right, and then you'll find two parking areas on your left. The first one has a big gate which is usually locked.
 

Boulder Cabin

Walk around this gate and stay to the right of the boulder cabin where a trail will pick up. When the trail forks, stick to the left. The trail will eventually lead you into a creek bed, cross over to the other side. The trail picks up again to the left. Follow the trail up the hill and behold the wonders of the Narrows. The trail will continue from the top of the hill and lead you down into the Narrows via a switchback (where the water flows when it rains). The trail branches off to the right which would lead you up the side of Eagle Mountain if you want a view from the top. Following the switchback into the Narrows will deposit you in the creek. Sticking to the right leads to another trail and to the climbing walls if you have more time.We love to climb up to the climbing wall to enjoy the views and some coffee before heading back when we're short on time. There are no official trail markers. At least we've never seen 'em.

This is the view to the left in the creekbed you'll be crossing.

Definitely one of our favorite locations...if we absolutely had to choose.

The view from the top...if you decide to go off the trail

 Happy exploring!

Greetings from Oklahoma,

Dani (Wanderings of a Girl Ryder)

This blog is brought to you by the lovely (biased opinion, we know) Stone Turtle – Lodging, a small family owned and operated hotel / lodging business near Lawton, Oklahoma, Fort Sill,  the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Meers and Medicine Park. Yeah, that’s right we’re a small lodging business close to all the awesomeness Oklahoma has to offer!!

 

New Year. New Book. New Stone Turtle Lodging.

Welcome, welcome, welcome!


We are so excited to be here another year! Who we are, you ask. Well, we are The Stone Turtle- Lodging! We are a small family-run lodging business just outside of Lawton, Oklahoma. Our cabins are also located close to the treasures of Oklahoma. Okay, that's a biased opinion, but the Wichita Mountains are just too amazing, and we count our blessings every day that we are located so close to such an Oklahoma wonder. Medicine Park (a quaint little cobblestone community), Meers (home of the world famous Meers' burger), and Fort Sill (home of field artillery) are all just short drives away.

We love to do things differently. You won't find cable or internet in our cabins. However, you'll find books, movies, coffee and tea, and star-gazing opportunities to your heart's delight. We also have a 2-mile nature trail where the wild things grow (gorgeous wildflowers) and the rabbits zip around. Not to mention the million-dollar views of Oklahoma's spectacular sunsets over the Wichita Mountains. So we're a tad bit in love with our small piece of Oklahoma paradise...

Whether you're in town for a hiking or bicycling adventure or coming for a military graduation at Fort Sill, stay with us because we'd love to make your time in our area special! Check out our website and our Facebook page for more information about us.

So what is this blog all about? It's a place where we hope to showcase the awesomeness of our area of Oklahoma. We hope to share our adventures on Stone Turtle and in the area with you. Most people don't think the terms vacation and Oklahoma go hand-in-hand, but we're willing to bet (if we were bettin' women, that is) that Oklahoma will surprise you.

From belly dance to yoga, from gardening to exploring, we love to do a little bit of it all, so stay tuned!

Greetings from Oklahoma,

Dani (Wanderings of a Girl Ryder) & Ingrid

This blog is brought to you by the lovely (biased opinion, we know) Stone Turtle – Lodging, a small family owned and operated hotel / lodging business near Lawton, Oklahoma, Fort Sill,  the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Meers and Medicine Park. Yeah, that’s right we’re a small lodging business close to all the awesomeness Oklahoma has to offer!!

 

Medicine Bluffs

Finally, the dog days of summer are behind us and fall weather has moved in. Great temperatures for excursions and sightseeing. My nephew came to visit us from Germany and we had a wonderful week exploring our area. One of our excursions took us to Ft. Sill. We started visiting the Medicine Bluff area. What a great place of beauty. Definitely one of my favorite places to enjoy the great outdoors. The Bluff  is a 300 feet escarpment of gray-white granite that rises above the Medicine Bluff Creek. The area was sacred to the Plains Indians. It is easy to see and feel why. Medicine men held vigils there, communicated with the spirits, made medicine, used it for fasting and meditating. A place where they sought the blessings of the Great Spirit. The sick came to place their life virtually into the hands of the Great Spirit.
The place north of the Bluffs was frequently inhabited by the Wichita Tribes who called it Medicine Waters.

My favorite book 'Outdoor and Trail Guide to the Wichita Mountains' by Edward Charles Ellenbrook quotes Thomas C. Battey's 'A Quaker Among the Indians':
The Indian Legend of Medicine Bluff
A noted medicine man of the Indians, in company of some friends, in their travels rode up the slope of this hill from the south, when coming to the top, this frightful precipice of two hundred or more feet appeared before them, stopping them in their course. But the medicine man was not to be stopped, neither turned aside. Uttering some words of Indian magic, he rode his horse over the precipice, but to the astonishment of his friends, instead of being dashed to pieces at the bottom,he was gently borne across the chasm to the opposite bank of the stream, where finding himself alone, he turned his horse to look for his friends, whom he beheld at the top of the bluff, afraid to follow and too proud to go around. To relieve them from their unpleasant position, he rode back to the bottom, crossed the creek and rode directly up the perpendicular wall of rock, which rent at his approach, dividing the bluff in two parts by forming a chasm through the cliff several feet in width, through and up which he rode, rejoicing his companions at the top, who then followed him down, through the pass thus made, now known as the medicine man's pass. This pass is an inclined passage, ten or fifteen feet wide, extending through the cliff to the top.

There is such a serene feeling to this beautiful place. It invites to spend some quiet time, do some meditation and enjoy nature's bountiful beauty.  

This blog is brought to you by the lovely (biased opinion, we know) Stone Turtle – Lodging, a small family owned and operated hotel / lodging business near Lawton, Oklahoma, Fort Sill,  the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Meers and Medicine Park. Yeah, that’s right we’re a small lodging business close to all the awesomeness Oklahoma has to offer!!