What could make an Oklahoma state park outing even better? Enjoying it all with your pet by your side. It's a long drive to Black Mesa from central and eastern parts of the state, but outdoor adventurers will find this hike well worth the time and gasoline.A trip to an Oklahoma state park means surrounding yourself with preserved landscapes, scenic beauty and rare wildlife. Additional lodging can be found at a number of reasonably priced motels in Boise City to the east and in Clayton, N.M., to the southwest. Lodging can be found at a few bed-and-breakfasts and cabins in the area, and campsites and RV hookups are available at nearby Black Mesa State Park. During winter, biting winds can rake the mesa at nearly a mile above sea level, and during warm weather rattlesnakes and copperheads prowl the dry, rocky terrain. Late fall and early spring are ideal times to ascend Black Mesa.
A thousand feet below, the picturesque Cimarron River meanders past the town of Kenton on its journey to the east. The view from the edge of the mesa provides striking views of the steep, rocky sides of this ancient lava flow. The obelisk stands just 1,200 feet from New Mexico to the west, five miles from Colorado to the north, and 31 miles from Texas to the south.įor outstanding views from the south rim of the mesa, hikers can make a quarter-mile jaunt to the southwest of the marker and across a rickety barbed-wire fence marking the New Mexico border. Hikers cross the flat mesa plateau before arriving at a striking marble obelisk marking the highest point in the Sooner State. About halfway up the slope, a resting bench provides sublime views across butte-studded landscape.Īfter ascending the mesa, the trail turns southward and westward for nearly a mile. Here the terrain begins a gentle rise before getting steeper as trekkers begin to ascend the mesa. Metal mile markers point the way, and at about Mile 2 the trail turns northward toward the towering slopes of Black Mesa. Small buttes to the north and the mesa escarpment on the south provide dramatic scenery. The well-marked trail provides good footing, and the overall hike rates at only moderately strenuous. Most of the climbing is along a challenging, one-mile ascent up the side of the mesa. The 8.5-mile trail that winds to Black Mesa Summit begins around 4,200 feet, so hikers contend with only 800 feet of altitude gain along the more than four-mile trail to the top. Oklahomans from the populated areas of the state rarely visit this trail, but a true hiking adventure awaits trekkers who dare. The buttes, mesas and bristling cholla cacti provide scenery reminiscent of remote areas of the rugged West.įew would recognize this arid terrain as a part of Oklahoma, but exotic Black Mesa Summit in the extreme northwestern corner of the Oklahoma Panhandle rewards adventurous hikers with stunning western vistas.Ī part of Black Mesa Nature Preserve, the state's highest point lies nearly six hours northwest of Oklahoma City. From trail's end at 4,973 feet above sea level, resting hikers can view the foothills of the Rocky Mountains to the west in New Mexico and to the north in Colorado.
0 kommentar(er)
