Camping. fishing, fun found at Broken Bow

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mary Davis
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Anyone who says Oklahoma is flat and boring needs to take a trip to the blue-tinged mountains near Broken Bow, located in the state's Kiamichi Country.
During the drive down to the southeast corner of Oklahoma, you'll find plenty of forests, lakes and mountains to admire on the way to Broken Bow. If you're not in a hurry, take a few scenic pit stops along the way and visit Lake Eufaula or Sardis Lake.
Once you arrive at Broken Bow, head north to Beavers Bend State Resort Park located on Broken Bow Lake. Take a picnic lunch to the water's edge and enjoy the scenery, or if you're feeling froggy, rent a boat, pontoon or jet skis from Beavers Bend Marina and have some fun on the water. On the high-budget side, if you're willing to part with a few hundred greenbacks, you can even rent a house boat by the day and enjoy the lake at your leisure! If kayaking and canoeing are more your style, you can travel to Mount Fork River, where there are plenty of shops that rent equipment at reasonable prices.
Outdoor adventure enthusiasts can dust off their mountain bikes and hit the two trails in Beavers Bend Resort Park. The first trailhead is on the west side of the spillway. The second trail runs mainly northwest and parallel to the lake. Just make sure you don't crash into the trees while admiring great woodland scenery.
If you love communing with the outdoors, pop the tent or set up your recreational vehicle at the campgrounds. Don't have a tent? Rent one from equipment rental in Bldg. 260 at Vance or call 7348 to see what they have available. They offer tents, ice chests, lanterns, cots or pop-up campers at inexpensive prices.
But if you're a city gal like me who loves the outdoors but wants the conveniences of home, rent one of the hundreds of cabins nested on the lake or in the woods. You can rent a rustic cabin with the bare basics, or go all out and rent a luxury log cabin decked out with a full kitchen, cable TV and hot tub. How's that for roughing it in the wild? Of course you'll pay a luxurious price, but it was worth the splurge for me!
While you're there, check out Beavers Bend Depot -- that's up the road a piece from the marina. It offers horseback riding, hay rides and train rides. It even has a gift shop with hand-dipped ice cream, nachos, funnel cakes and caramel-apple slices to munch on.
Whoa, Nellie! If you're up for a trail ride, they are offered every half hour and will take you through two and a half miles of Beavers Bend Resort Park Game Reserve for about 45 minutes. While trotting through the woods, you'll have a chance to see white-tail deer, coyote, fox and other forest creatures from the trail.
Looking for a good catch? Try your hand at fly fishing downstream at Old Park Dam, or fish at Lower Mountain Fork River, a 12-mile long designated trout stream, holding thousands of rainbow and brown trout. The Oklahoma Fish and Game Department stocks nearly 4,000 fish every other Thursday. Beavers Bend has a year-round fishery located three hours from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Don't forget your fishing license!
As if that's not enough to do, you can also visit Hochatown Amusements about seven miles north of Broken Bow and play a game of 18-hole miniature golf or race on the go-cart track with mini NASCARs. There is also an eatery and Internet café nearby, so you can sip a latte and check your e-mail while the kiddies zip around the roadway, or you can shop for gift items at the prairie shop next door. For wine connoisseurs, there is a winery and tasting room nearby where you can try 16 wine varieties and create your own wine with a private label.
Just in case beanie weenies on the campfire isn't your type of fare, pop into town for a quick bite to eat at one of the many eateries in town or in the nearby town of Idabel.
Wanna know more about the area? Visit the Forest Heritage and Museum Center in the park, where you can read historical documents, see antique forestry tools, wood art, homestead memorabilia and a research library filled with books, periodicals and other forestry materials. The museum is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day and admission is free.
So next time you've got some vacation time and need a relaxing place to go, give Broken Bow a shot. Check it out at www.brokenbowchamber.com or www.beaversbend.com.