Short Hikes for Short Hikers

 

If you are a Parent a Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, anyone looking for activities for Children, look no further than Beavers Bend State Park, Hochatown, OK. The park has many day hikes that are easily accessible for children while still being thoroughly enjoyable for the adults. 

Your first stop should be at the Heritage center which is located in the Park on 259A. There you can get a free Beavers Bend Trail Guide which contains a map of the park trails and all the roads in the park as well.

With map in hand you can plan a route that best suits the abilities of your group and also your time restrictions.  I would recommend the Beaver Creek Trail. Allow at least 1 hour but you can easily spend all day. It starts at the bridge on the creek and there is plenty of parking at the nearby playground.  Also don't forget to visit the Nature Center which is also by the playground.

The trail runs alongside  Beavers Creek much of the way and is not to difficult, it is rocky though so footwear should have nonskid soles. Any good walking shoe should work, water resistant or a quick drying shoe is a plus and if you have children I don't have to explain why. As a matter of fact don't neglect taking the time to let the kids wade in the creek as this will  probably be their favorite memory of the trip. At the bridge is a good spot for this and it is best done on the return trip.

Children can tire quickly and recharge just as quick so take rest stops often. One minute they run ahead and the next minute the need to be carried. Remember to take plenty of water and snacks of course. Beyond that consider taking sunscreen, insect repellent, some kind of pain relief, wet wipes and bug bite creams.

 

Keep in mind that you may not have cell phone service in the park which is not altogether a bad thing.

Along with hiking in the park you also have a small scale train ride, paddle boats a swim beach, canoeing, kayaking and of course fishing on Broken Bow Lake and the Mtn. Fork River.

There are numerous picnicing and camping areas for tents and RVs along with park owned cabins and the Lakeview Lodge. If you want to rent a privately owned cabin a good place to start would be to check out the Broken Bow Chamber of Commerce which has a list of some available cabins.

I hope in some small way this may have helped you to plan your mini-adventure for your mini-adventurers.
R.L.R.

Park Information Numbers
Park Office (580) 494-6452
Nature Center (580) 494-6556
Cabin Office (580) 494-6300
Lakeview Lodge (580) 494-6179