There are 3 great National Parks in Oklahoma along with three affiliated areas. The parks include Chickasaw NRS, Washita Battlefield NHS and the Oklahoma City Memorial.
National Parks in Oklahoma
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
Chickasaw NRA is located in southern Oklahoma approximately 75 miles south of Oklahoma City. The park is open year-round and offers hiking, boating, swimming and tons of outdoor recreation.
Starting in 1902 this area was federally protected as Sulphur Springs Reservation. The park was created to protect both mineral and freshwater springs. Over time the park was also called Platt National Park. It was combined with Arbuckle Recreation and renamed Chickasaw NRA in 1976.
Visitors can still see picnic shelters and campgrounds built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. The park is a great road trip from Oklahoma City and offers the opportunity to enjoy mineral springs in the heart of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma City National Memorial - Affiliated Site
The Oklahoma City NM is located in the heart of Oklahoma City. The park is open year-round and is located next to the Oklahoma City National Museum.
The Oklahoma City National Memorial honors the 168 people killed in the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. History. Along with the survivors, rescue workers and those changed forever by this tragedy.
On April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was destroyed when a bomb was detonated.
The OKC memorial was dedicated in 2000 on the anniversary of the attack 5 years before.
If you are heading to Oklahoma City check out my wife Tammilee's post on the top things to do in Oklahoma City!
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
Washita Battlefield NHS is located in western Oklahoma approximately 150 miles west of Oklahoma City. The park is open year-round and offers the opportunity to explore a self-guided trail to a village site.
The conflict between Plains Indian tribes and settlers moving west in 1868 reached a tipping point. Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer led a surprise attack on a Southern Cheyenne village on November 27, 1968. The village was located on the Washita River in western Oklahoma.
What happened during the battle is still debated. The noted Peace Chief Black Kettle was killed during the attack along with a number of Cheyenne women and children.
The park offers the opportunity to visit the location of the Cheyenne village along with a tour of the visitor center. Washita Battlefield NHS was one of the least visited national park sites in 2018.
List of Oklahoma National Parks
Affiliated Areas
- Oklahoma City National Memorial
- Sante Fe National Historic Trail
- Trail of Tears National Historic Trail (AL, AR, GA, IL, KY, MO, NC, OK, TN)
There are 3 national parks in Oklahoma that receive over 1.6 million visitors a year. These visitors produce over $27 million in economic benefits from tourism.
The Oklahoma National Parks include 2 National Trails managed by the National Park Service, 1,290 National Register of Historic Places Listings, and 22 National Historic Landmarks.
The National Parks in Oklahoma also includes 3 National Natural Landmarks, 147 places recorded by the Heritage Documentation Program, and over 211K objects in the Oklahoma National Park museum collection.
National Parks in neighboring states
Check out this full printable list of the 63 US National Parks in Alphabetical Order.
If you have always wanted to be a Park Ranger check out this article on how to become a park ranger.
