MARVAL FAMILY CAMPING RESORT
Gore, Oregon—Started as a small, 28-acre campground 17 years ago, with only 3 water hookups, today Marval Family Camping Resort sits on 106 acres, conveniently located 6 miles north of I-40, just 40 miles west of Fort Smith, Arkansas. When Marc Marcum took an early retirement, his dream was to develop a campground where guests could camp while enjoying one of his own favorite hobbies, fishing. The location he found was just perfect, as the park sits on a half mile of the banks of the Illinois River, famous for its trout fishing
Canoeing
Flint Creek
From headwaters in northwestern Arkansas, waterway crosses border near West Siloam Springs and flows westerly. Near Beckwith, it turns south and shortly thereafter flows into the Illinois River at Fiddler's Bend. It meanders between distant towering bluffs which reach 200 feet above the creek valley, and much of the area adjacent to the waterway has been cleared for agricultural use. Most of the forest land is on the surrounding hills. The stream bed is wide, shallow and rock-filled, and the water is very clear. Broken slabs of sedimentary rock protrude above the surface, and frequent gravel bars obstruct the stream's course. Good canoeing or flat-bottomed boating is possible from March through May. County: Delaware. Length: 11.9 miles. Location: Arkansas-Oklahoma to confluence with Illinois River. More Information: Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, P.O. Box 292, Tahlequah, OK 74465-0292.
Illinois River
The state's best known scenic river, cherished for its beauty and noted for its smallmouth bass fishery, has its upper 70 miles designated as a scenic river. Nestled in the Ozark Hills and bordered by oak-hickory forest, it provides challenging water for paddlers. The river originates in the Boston Mountains of northwestern Arkansas and crosses into Oklahoma near the town of Watts where it forms Lake Frances. It flows westward until it meets Flint Creek and then shifts southwesterly toward the city of Tahlequah. Twelve miles below Tahlequah, it enters Tenkiller Ferry Reservoir, a Corps of Engineers lake. Below Tenkiller Dam, it flows 13 miles to join the Arkansas River near the town of Gore.
Lee's Creek
A small, clear, meandering stream with high bluffs, a fast current, forested hills, and dogwood and redbud along the banks passes through an area that seems to be devoid of human habitation except for a bridge crossing west of Short and an old, uninhabited log cabin on the southern loop of the creek. The section of creek in the state forms a horseshoe-shaped loop that runs westerly from Arkansas into Oklahoma north of OK 101, curves in a southerly direction, then shifts to the east and winds back into Arkansas. Generally, it cannot be floated from July through September. County: Sequoyah. Length: 23.3 miles. Location: From Natural Bridge, Arkansas, to confluence of Webber and Lee creeks near undesignated, unimproved county road that runs south from OK 101. More Information: Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, P.O. Box 292, Tahlequah, OK 74465-0292.
Upper Mountain Fork River
A tributary of the Little River, wide, high gradient waterway in the scenic Kiamichi Mountains begins in Oklahoma, flows eastward into Arkansas then westward back into Oklahoma near Beachton. It flows southwesterly from Beachton to near Smithville where it changes to a southerly direction and empties into Broken Bow Reservoir. The stream reforms below the dam and flows into the Little. Although no lengthy rapids are present on the route, sharp, rock shelf drop-offs encountered periodically make paddling exciting.
Fishing
Oklahoma Department. of Wildlife Conservation
For information on fishing licenses and regulations, contact the Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation, Fisheries Div., 1801 N. Lincoln, Oklahoma City, OK 73105. (405-521-3855).
Arbuckle Lake
A 2,350-acre lake in southern Oklahoma. Located on the southern edge of Sulphur, or about 20 mi. N. of Ardmore, off I-35. Favorite catches: largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and sunfish.
Places to camp nearby: Ardmore, Davis, Madill, Sulphur, Tishomingo
Broken Bow Reservoir
A 14,220-acre lake with a 180-mile shoreline in the southeastern corner of the state. Located 10 mi. N. of the town of Broken Bow, off U.S. 259. Favorite catches: trout, bass, crappie and catfish.
Places to camp nearby: Big Cedar, Broken Bow, Valliant
Lake Eufaula
A 102,200-acre lake in eastern Oklahoma. Located S. of I-40 on U.S. 69. Favorite catches: bass and catfish.
Places to camp nearby: Canadian, Checotah, Cowlington, Enterprise, Eufaula, McAlester, Okmulgee, Webbers Falls, Wilburton
Fort Gibson Lake
A 19,900-acre lake with a 225-mile shoreline in northeastern Oklahoma. Located 20 mi. W. of Tahlequah on Hwy. 51. Favorite catches: largemouth & white bass, catfish, crappie and sunfish.
Places to camp nearby: Braggs, Broken Arrow, Fort Gibson, Gore, Muskogee, Tahlequah, Wagoner
Foss Lake
An 8,800-acre lake in western Oklahoma. Located 11 mi. W. of Clinton on Hwy. 7B, then 2 mi. N. on Hwy. 44. Favorite catches: bass, walleye, crappie and catfish.
Places to camp nearby: Clinton, Lone Wolf
Grand Lake of the Cherokees
A 46,500-acre lake with a 1,300-mile shoreline in the far northeastern corner of the state. Located on the west side of Grove, off U.S. 59. Favorite catches: black & white bass, crappie, catfish paddlefish and sunfish.
Places to camp nearby: Fairland, Foyil, Grove
Keystone Lake
A 23,610-acre lake with a 330-mile shoreline in northeastern Oklahoma. Located 8 mi. W. of Sand Springs. Favorite catches: bass, and blue & channel catfish.
Places to camp nearby: Broken Arrow, Cleveland, Kellyville, New Mannford, Sand Springs, Sapulpa
Robert S. Kerr Lake
A 42,000-acre lake in eastern Oklahoma along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. Located just S.E. of Gore and Webbers Falls and just N. of Keota and Cowlington. Favorite catches: bass, walleye, crappie, sunfish and channel, blue & flathead catfish.
Places to camp nearby: Braggs, Checotah, Cowlington, Enterprise, Fort Gibson, Gore, Heavener, Keota, Muskogee, Sallisaw, Webbers Falls, Wister
Sardis Lake
A 13,610-acre lake with a 117-mile shoreline in southeastern Oklahoma. Located 4 mi. N. of Clayton on Hwy. 2. Favorite catches: bass and crappie.
Places to camp nearby: Clayton
Tenkiller Lake
A 12,900-acre lake in eastern Oklahoma on the Illinois River. Located about 5 mi. N. of Gore on Hwy. 100, or 15 mi. S.E. of Tahlequah on Hwy. 82. Favorite catches: black & white bass, walleye, crappie, sunfish, catfish, and below the dam, rainbow trout.
Places to camp nearby: Braggs, Checotah, Cowlington, Fort Gibson, Gore, Keota, Muskogee, Sallisaw, Tahlequah, Wagoner, Webbers Falls
Lake Texoma
An 89,000-acre lake with a 580-mile shoreline on the Red River at the southern border with Texas. Favorite catches: bass, crappie, and blue & flathead catfish.
Places to camp nearby: Ardmore, Colbert, Davis, Durant, Kingston, Madill, Sulphur, Tishomingo
Hiking
Jean-Pierre Chouteau Trail
Extending about 60 miles along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation Channel in northeastern Oklahoma, it is one of the longest hiking trails in the state. Portions of the trail are also designated as an equestrian trail. The northwestern trailhead is in Catoosa, just east of Tulsa, and the southeastern trailhead is at Fort Gibson. The terrain includes grasslands and oak-hickory forests. It is an easy to moderately difficult, linear trail. For more information, phone (918) 489-5541. Places to camp nearby: Braggs, Broken Arrow, Fort Gibson, Kellyville, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Tahlequah,Wagoner.
Ouachita National Recreation Trail
This major trail spans 186 miles of the Ouachita National Forest between the Talimena State Park on U.S. Hwy 271, 7 miles north of Talihina, Oklahoma, and south of Perryville, Arkansas on Hwy 9. Numerous side trails to major attractions offer opportunities that vary from interpretation to photography to test of physical stamina. Elevations range from 600 to 2,600 feet. The convenient access points provide numerous day and overnight hiking opportunities for exploring the rugged terrain, as well as the enjoyment of quiet woodland walks and weekend excursions. The trail traverses the pine and oak-clad Ouachita Mountains, the highest peaks between the Rockies and the Appalachians. These are unique mountains because they run east-west rather than north-south.
Horseback Riding
Thunderbird Stables
Clear Bay Area. Ride across famous land run territory. 500-acres of rolling hills with wooded trails. Overlooking Lake Thunderbird. Open year-round. For reservations or information call (405) 321-5768.
Scenic Drive
Talimena Scenic Byway
Length: 54 miles.Location/Direction: 9 miles north of Talihina, Oklahoma via U.S. Hwy 271. The Talimena Scenic Byway along Hwy 1.
Here is the auto tour you've been waiting for, where a winding mountaintop drive opens a showcase of enchanting natural beauty and extraordinary views. Wide valleys and majestic peaks stretching to the horizon mirror the changing colors and moods of the South's four distinctive seasons.
Spanning the highest mountain range between the Appalachians and the Rockies, the Talimena Scenic Byway connects Talihina, Oklahoma and Mena, Arkansas by way of a 54-mile drive along the crests of Winding Stair Mountain and Rich Mountain. The Byway lies entirely within the boundaries of the 1.6 million-acre Ouachita National Forest and offers breathtaking vistas and opportunities to explore and inquire into a world of rocks, forests, flowers, birds and animals in endless array.
Spelunking
Alabaster Caverns
On Hwy. 50A about seven miles southeast of Freedom [Alabaster Caverns State Park, Rt. 1, Box 32, Freedom, OK 73842, (405)621-3381], a gypsum cavern—the largest, commercially operated in the U.S., contains massive, colorful rooms studded with crystals, some very large, that form intricate patterns. Temperature varies between 45 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, depending upon the season, because of a light, natural air flow through the cave. Wild caving with permission in five of the smaller caves in the park. Camping is available in the state park.
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