Oklahoma

Oklahoma offers hiking the ancient Wichita and Ouachita ranges, paddling, rock climbing, and bison-watching on restored prairie. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and its free-roaming bison, the Ouachita Mountains and Talimena Scenic Drive, Chickasaw National Recreation Area, and the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve anchor it.

Spring and fall are mild and ideal; the Ouachitas blaze with color in late October. Summer is hot, and the lakes provide relief; winters are generally mild but windy.

Free-roaming bison, elk, and longhorn cattle at the Wichita Mountains refuge, white-tailed deer, and prairie species inhabit Oklahoma, a meeting ground of eastern and western wildlife.

Oklahoma spans tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie (the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve protects the largest remnant on Earth, ~40,000 acres), the forested Ouachita and Ozark uplands, and the shortgrass high plains of the panhandle.

The ancient granite Wichita Mountains and the east-west-trending Ouachita Mountains rise from the plains, while gypsum karst, red-rock mesas, and the high-plains panhandle (4,975-ft Black Mesa is the high point) add surprising relief.

Oklahoma was designated Indian Territory, the destination of the Trail of Tears, and is home to 39 tribal nations today — more than any state. It became the 46th state in 1907.

Deep and diverse Native American heritage, ranching and Western traditions, and a strong lake-recreation and climbing scene (Quartz Mountain and the Wichitas) define the outdoors.

Protecting and restoring tallgrass prairie and bison, conserving the granite Wichita Mountains ecosystem, and managing water and the panhandle's fragile high plains are key efforts.

Oklahoma City and Tulsa are the main gateways; the Wichita Mountains are reached from OKC and the Ouachitas from the southeast. A vehicle is essential across the long distances.

Severe weather — Oklahoma sits in 'Tornado Alley' — extreme summer heat, and storms are the chief concerns. Carry water on the prairie, watch for bison and rattlesnakes, and heed weather warnings.

State parks charge no general entrance fee, and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation administers licenses; the Wichita Mountains refuge is a free USFWS unit.

Keep distance from bison, and heed severe-weather warnings.

Watch bison roam the granite Wichita Mountains refuge, drive the Talimena Scenic Drive through the Ouachitas in fall, and visit the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve for restored bison herds.

Oklahoma borders Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, linking the southern plains, the Ouachitas, and the Ozark fringe.