Southern Oklahoma’s Chickasaw National Recreation Area protects scenic mountain vistas, natural pools and historic sites. Originally the Platt National Park, the park features historic cabins and a resident herd of bison, just minutes outside of Sulphur. The large recreation lake with ramps and camping is a favorite for boaters. Here are the top things to do at Chickasaw National Recreation Area.
9 Top Things to Do at Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Visit the Travertine Nature Center
Take a Hike
Go Swimming in Travertine Creek
Go Biking in Chickasaw
Take a Boat on Lake of the Arbuckles
Earn a Junior Ranger Badge
Spot the Bison
Learn about Platt National Park
Go Camping at Chickasaw
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Why Visit the Chickasaw National Recreation Area
This recreation area features several units. The Platt Historic Unit, right outside of Sulphur, offers the Travertine Nature Center, the historic buildings and the swimming area. The Arbuckle District offers 3,600-acre Lake of the Arbuckles.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area offers an outdoor recreation area with hiking, biking and boating. It features hiking trails, swimming in the summer, national park programming, and even a herd of bison.
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Visit Travertine Nature Center
Acting as an interpretive area as well as a visitor center, the Travertine Nature Center has the namesake creek running under the building. It resembles Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie-style architecture.
My kids loved the interpretive area with live animals. With a live Barn Owl and several native snakes in aquariums, this space offers kids a place to learn. I also found displays on the geological features of the area.
The Travertine Nature Center is also the starting point for Ranger Programs on the weekends. On both Saturday and Sunday, rangers led a nature walk at 2 p.m.
Travertine Nature Center is open from Thursday to Monday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. during the summer.
Hike in Chickasaw National Recreation Area
During our visit to Chickasaw National Recreation Area, we hiked on several of the trails. I suggest any of the following.
Antelope and Buffalo Springs—An easy 1.2-mile trail that originates from the Travertine Nature Center.
Bison Pasture Trail—A moderate 1.9-mile trail that originates from the Bison Viewing Area.
Flower Park—An easy .5-mile trail that originates from the Vendome Well.
Travertine Creek Trail—An easy 1.5-mile trail that originates at the Travertine Nature Center.
Splash or Swim in Chickasaw
Chickasaw National Recreation Area features natural swimming holes that excited my kids. Originally built by the CCC, the manmade dams along Travertine Creek are perfect for splashing and wading. Swimming is allowed at Little Niagara and downriver.
People can swim in several locations in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, like Lake of the Arbuckles, Veterans Lake, Travertine Creek and Rock Creek. Swimming is prohibited near boat ramps and fishing piers.
Biking in Chickasaw
In the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, cycles can use the road throughout the park. For mountain biking, the trails west of the Travetine Nature Center are open to cyclists. However, the trails east of the nature center are for hiking only.
For those traveling with stock animals, the Rock Creek Multi-use trail is the only one open to horseback riding.
Boating in Chickasaw National Recreation Area
The Lake of the Arbuckles is over 2,300 acres in size and features 36 miles of shoreline. With four boat ramps, it is a favorite with boaters. Boaters will find a ramp at each of its three campground areas, Guy Sandy, The Point and Buckhorn. An additional boat ramp is located in the Upper Guy Sandy area, too. A $4 daily launch fee is required to use the ramps.
Fishing is allowed at the Lake of the Arbuckles and catfish, bass, perch and crappier are all found in the lake. Anglers will need to have a valid Oklahoma fishing license.
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Earn a Junior Ranger Badge at Chickasaw
The Junior Ranger Program offers the go-to program for families to learn more about a National Park Service site. It’s free and takes about two hours to complete. My kids love the badges that the Rangers present them after completing their booklet.
Our first stop, the Travertine Nature Center, is the place to start with kids.
The Chickasaw National Recreation Area offers Junior Ranger programming over the weekends to earn the badge and patch. Take a hike, or if the weather is warm, swim in the natural swimming areas created by CCC-built waterfalls.
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Animals in Chickasaw
As a national park service area, animals are found in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Common animals include several varieties of squirrels, red fox, white-tailed deer, bobcat, badger, coyotes and weasel. A lot of rodents as well as birds call the area home.
Bison Viewing Area
Kids love animals, so stop at the Bison Viewing Area located on both sides of U.S. Route 177, just south of Sulphur. A herd of buffalo roam in Chickasaw Natural Recreation Area.
After several attempts at bison viewing, we caught the bison near twilight in the viewing area, including a couple of baby bison grazing near their mothers. The best time to see animals, including the bison, is at dusk and dawn.
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Learn about Platt National Park
A little-known fact about Sulphur, Oklahoma, it’s home to the demoted Platt National Park. It doesn’t happen often, but national parks can lose their designation, and it happened to Platt National Park (1906 to 1976). It was the seventh national park, and it became a national park when Crater Lake National Park and Mount Rainier National Park earned their designation.
The Federal Government purchased 33 mineral springs to protect the area from private overdevelopment in 1902 from the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations. Tourists and bathers flocked to the renamed Sulphur Springs Reservation. At the time in the U.S., hydrotherapy was fashionable, along with Hot Springs, Arkansas.
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In 1904, the area was enlarged, and then in 1906, the area was renamed Platt National Park, after Congressman Orville Platt of Connecticut. Early in Platt National Park’s history, attendance at the small park exceeded the visitation at Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks.
In 1976, Platt National Park lost its national park designation and rolled into the newly formed Chickasaw National Recreation Area. The original Platt National Park area is the Platt Historical District, right outside the town of Sulphur.
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Civilian Conservation Corps in Platt National Park
Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, shortly after his inauguration. Nicknamed Roosevelt’s Tree Army, the New Deal program employed 3 million people over the term of the program from 1933 until 1942. In all, 4,500 CCC camps were established to restore or construct national parks, national forests, state and community parks across the country.
Open to unmarried men from 18 to 25 whose parents were on assistance, participants earned $30 a month with $25 a month sent home. Initial enrollment was for 6 months and could be renewed for 2 years.
Like the work in most CCC projects, Platt National Park’s work is organic with a heavy use of local materials. The CCC constructed the majority of the small dams along the rivers to provide natural swimming areas and built trails, pavilions and bridges.
Camping at Chickasaw
Campers will find six campgrounds with over 400 sites, some reservable and most seasonal. The Platt area features 74 campsites at the Central, Rock Creek and Cold Springs campgrounds. This area offers restrooms with running water, though no showers.
The lake area offers 229 campsites at the Guy Sandy, The Point and Buckhorn campgrounds. This offers restrooms with showers. Some of the sites offer hookups with 30 and 50-amp service. Reservations are accepted at some of the campgrounds. Camping fees start at $20 a night.
Where’s Chickasaw National Recreation Area
It is 140 miles north of Dallas/Ft. Worth and 75 miles south of Oklahoma City. Located near the town of Sulphur, 12 miles east of Interstate 35. It is open 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. This area is a fee-free area.
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