Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge: Is One Day Enough?

The answer is easy: One day is not enough to fully explore the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

There are so many things to do in the Wichita Mountains.

But sometimes, one day is the only time we have, like when we visited the Wichita Mountains for the first time.

We arrived Friday at 10.30 a.m. and left the next day before 8 a.m.

It was less than a 24-hour visit, but we had fun.

So, here’s what you can do on your one-day visit to Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

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One Day in Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Review

Location: 32 Refuge Headquarters Road, Indiahoma, OK 73552.

Fee: Free of charge seven days a week.

Our Accommodation: Doris Campground (inside the refuge.)

Not a camper? Check out these hotels in Medicine Park and Lawton, around 15-30 minute drive from the Wichita Mountains. 

Our Activities:

• Visit the Holy City.
• Drive to Mt. Scott.
• Observe Prairie Dog Town.
• Hike the Elk Mountain Trail.

Our Stories:

My watch showed 10.30 a.m. when we arrived at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge entrance from where we live in the south of Fort Worth, Texas.

We were welcomed by prairie and mountains as we continued to the Visitor Center. But ahead, a rain cloud was hovering in the sky.

So, we decided to drive straight to Doris Campground, our accommodation for the night. After setting up the tent, we visited the Visitor Center.

Then, we went to the first place we visited in the refuge, Mount Scott.

Wichita Mountains: Mount Scott.

Located inside the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Mount Scott is probably the most well-known peak in Oklahoma. It towers 2,464 feet above sea level. You can hike up a three-mile-long paved road to its summit or drive like we did.

Once you arrive at the summit, park your car in the spacious parking.

Then, enjoy the great outdoors: beautiful views and rock hopping or hiking. We spent about an hour here.

I wish we had more than one day to explore the Wichita Mountains. So we could spend longer at the summit.

One more thing about Mount Scott: you don’t have to pay an entrance fee to get there!

Our family likes hiking, and the refuge has 15 miles of trails that offer novice and seasoned hikers a rewarding experience.

So, hiking was the next activity we did after Mount Scott.

Wichita Mountains Hiking: Elk Mountain Trail.

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge has 18 designated trails. We hiked one of the trails recommended by the staff: the Elk Mountain Trail.

It has the best view, a 2.2-mile round trip, and is the most popular trail in the refuge, although it has a steep terrain and is rated difficult.

Elk Mountain Trail started from the Sunset Area. There are two more trailheads here: Charon’s Garden (difficult) and Crab Eyes (easy to moderate).

Charon’s Garden is rock climbers’ heaven, while at the end of Crab Eyes, hikers can see a rock formation that looks like a crab’s eyes.

We did the Crab Eyes trail on our second visit to the refuge with our dog, Snoopy.

Part of the trail was covered with water. It rained the day before we arrived.

Our first mistake was to follow the youth group in front of us. We left the trail because of the water, just like them.

Then, we didn’t see the trail. I asked the leader whether they’d been here before, and of course, the answer was NO.

Then, we spotted a path at the bottom of the rock bed and went there. It didn’t look like a trail, but we decided to follow it. After a while, we realized it was a game trail.

We turned around and hiked the bedrock, following the direction on the map, though we still didn’t see the trail.

Finally, we saw a guy coming down from the top. He told us the trail was confusing at that spot, but we would see it to the top. Phew!

The trail was rugged and wet after the rain. I agree that it’s not easy.

My son asked me to carry his sling pack to the top. He said he needed to reduce his load to make it easier for him to hike. Yeah, you’re right! I told him to finish the water from one bottle to make it lighter.

Then, the top part of my husband’s hiking boot stitches started to split. Duct tape came to the rescue. My husband likes to wrap it around the hiking pole or water bottle. It is one of his hiking hacks.

Finally, we made it to the top. The view of the refuge was breathtaking. We were surprised; we never thought there would be something like this in Oklahoma.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to explore the other side of the summit. We needed our energy for hiking down. Besides, it’s already 5.30 p.m.

As usual, hiking down was faster. And the trail was visible at the bottom. It’s weird!

It took us around 2.5 hours to do the round-trip hike.

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Camping: Doris Campground.

Doris Campground is one of the three campgrounds in the refuge. It is a modern camping facility with individual and group sites.

The individual campsites were on a first-come, first-served basis and were not available for reservations during our visit.

The campground was nice. It’s spacious, and there were tables, fire rings, and fire grills/grates at every site.

The water sources were not at every site but were conveniently located around the campground, as well as chemical toilets and trash dumpsters.

The site was between trees, and we could hang our hammocks. The car pad could accommodate two cars.

We chose one of the 47 single-unit sites without electricity that was close to the restroom with a shower. It cost us $14 nightly.

The downside of the campground during our visit was the shower. The water was warm, but we had to press the button every 30 seconds. I hope they have fixed the issue.

Today, all camping within the refuge is available by reservation only.

Visit the Doris Campground website for the latest info on camping in the Wichita Mountains.

Pets are welcome in the campground. They must be on leashes (10 feet or less) with one end of the leash secured.

Visiting Prairie Dog Town.

We were fortunate to stop at this town in the springtime. Juvenile prairie dogs were running around trying to catch each other’s tails. Others surrounded their mother by the hole. The adults were active, too, scampering in and out of their burrows.

It reminded me of a prairie dog town in the Devils Tower National Monument. Every prairie dog looked super happy.

We stopped there twice: before and after the hike.

Those black-tailed prairie dogs were adorable!

The Holy City: Wichita Mountains.

Located in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, this is the site of the nation’s longest-running Easter Passion play, “The Prince of Peace.”

Too bad we didn’t get to see the play. It was on Saturday night, the morning we left for home.

They were also closed in preparation for the play. We only got to walk to the chapel and the Moses room.

Holy City was built like an old Jerusalem. There were sites from the birth until the death of Jesus.

After we had looked around, my son decided that we needed to visit the real Jerusalem in Israel in the future.

Admission to the Holy City is free, but donations are welcome.

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was established to provide a habitat for large native grazing animals such as American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and white-tailed deer. You can also find Texas Longhorns, otters, owls, and many more wild animals that thrive in this refuge.

If you plan a trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, try to make a plan for a 2-day visit. If you only have a day, you can follow our itinerary.

You can always skip the Elk Mountain Trail if it sounds too hard for you. Change it to a family-friendly (easy) trail like Elk Trail or Burford Lake Trail.

On our second trip to the refuge, we took along our dog Snoopy, and we did more hikes. Wichita Mountains is pet-friendly, and your furry baby will like it there.

Enjoy the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge!