The Wichita Mountains: Oklahoma's Gateway to the Southwest
End of Summer photos from a semi-intentional hike.
This past Monday morning I woke up early and decided a relatively short 90-minute road trip to hike the Charon’s Garden Trail would be a fantastic start to the week. So I packed a bit of lunch and hit the road.
We’re very fortunate to have the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge here in the State. It’s gorgeous, interesting, ancient, and rarely crowded. It truly is the gateway to the Great American Southwest — a rugged semi-desert environment, full of resilient flora and resourceful fauna. It’s a proper introduction to a vibe that continues through West Texas and arrives fully mature somewhere just on the other side of the New Mexico border.
The weather was perfect, the crowds virtually nonexistent, and the parking lot nearly empty as I arrived. Backpack and water secured, I took off to the nearby bridge and trailhead that’s easily seen from the lot. I had hiked this trail once before, and it features an interesting small valley full of large granite boulders. Traversing this part of the trail is what I was looking forward to the most.
Here’s an important point:
The parking zone for the Charon’s Garden Trail is also the parking zone for the Elk Mountain Trail. It’s easy to get on the wrong one!
With that fact established, the rest of this post will share photos of the beautiful pieces of nature that I experienced while hiking along the wonderful Elk Mountain Trail. 😎
Elk Mountain Trail, you were a fully enjoyable Hike.
Charon’s Garden Trail… I’ll be back.