Off-Trail Adventuring in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge - Quanah Creek Gorge

Come along for an big Wichita Mountains adventure through Quanah Creek Gorge. Quanah Creek flows from Quanah Parker Lake over the dam (in wet conditions, anyway). As it flows south it passes through a gorge I've always wanted to explore, so here we are.
I start my adventure at the south entrance to WMWR off state highway 115 north of Cache. From there, I took the dirt service road west then northwest around Quanah Mountain. After reaching a ridge, I drop down the west side until I reach an access point for Quanah Creek.
Once I reached the creek it was just a matter of following it north through the gorge and finding my way to Quanah Parker Lake and following the roads back to the truck. Along the way I passed Cat Cave, Bonzai Tower, and the dam.
My route on AllTrails can be found here: www.alltrails.com/explore/rec...

[@acrprotect4476]

Good evening Sir! I have to say, your adventures are always awesome! Great experience and thanks for sharing! Take care my friend!!

[@valhightower7618]

To borrow a word from a different language, it took real chutzpah for you to do this hike. I am impressed! The wild turkeys were a lovely little bonus.

[@cimarronwoo]

That bushwhacking up Quanah Creek looked like Type II fun. All that rock hopping, creek crossings, and wading through tall grass and brush makes 3 miles feel like 12. Have you hiked up the Elk Mountain trail? There are a lot interesting rock features on top with a couple small arches and rock rooms.

[@Benno101able]

Great video. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge looks like it offers up some pretty awesome views. A friend also suggested Elk Mountain Trail is another popular spot.

[@OklahomoHiker]

It’s a great place to explore. The Elk Mountain trail is a favorite of mine (and I have a video of it). Great views all over the place out there.

[@bwarrentoo]

Great video!

[@OklahomoHiker]

Thanks so much for watching and the nice comment! 😊

[@rungavagairun]

Very nice. Is there any linguistic etymological tie between the words ouachita and witchita?

[@T.K...]

They both derive from the names of native tribes but the Wichita's lived further North and West as you would expect given the place names.

[@cimarronwoo]

The names come from different sources. “Wichita" is named after the native American peoples from the southern plains. "Ouachita" is the French spelling of the Caddo (from eastern Oklahoma) word "washita", meaning "good hunting grounds”.