In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
Welcome to my site, it's about paddling and canoeing.
Don't leave any of the items below at home when you want to go paddling.
| FOOD | If you're going on a one night trip the best thing to bring is some rice and some frozen meat, the meat will stay cold until night if it's frozen in the morning, if the weather is hot you can rap it in some news paper t keep it cool. | |
| FLASH LIGHT | If you don't have a dependable light source you could get into very big trouble if you start running late and the sun starts going down. It's a good idea to bring an extra flash light with you too. Make sure that both flash lights have good batteries and that they both use the same type of batteries. | |
| FIRE STARTER | The most important thing is that you always have the ability to make fire. The best way is to have multiple dependable sources of fire. Don't rely on stone age techniques they take lots of practice to master and even then the condition need to be right. | |
| STOVE | If you bring a
propane stove you will have to bring a huge amount of propane with you,
and you may still run out, not an option. You have to get a canoeing wood
stove. These are very very hard to find in stores, if you can find one
you're lucky but if not you can order one from this website: www.trailstove.com they are pretty reasonably priced. There are some wood stoves out there that use battery powered fans, these are not reliable enough for use in an emergency, you do not want any moving parts or batteries at all. | |
| STRING | Plain old string is one of those items that you always find a good use for, most of the time it just makes your trip more enjoyable and convenient, but once in a while it can save your life. | |
| WATER FILTER | A good water
filter is a very useful item but it's not entirely necessary. If you have
a pot and a light weight wood stove such as the Trailstove you can disinfect all the water you need by boiling it. It's worth it to bring one though just for the convenience of having cool drinking water at once, when you boil it you have to wait a while until it cools down but in an emergency that's ok. | |
| TENT | Big enough tent, (or tents) to house all the people you are bringing. Cheap decent tents from Target or Wal-Mart will do just fine. Don't get tents bigger than they need to be since you have to carry them on your backs. |
CATCH ANIMALS WITH A ROLLING SNARE
Pick a spot where animals have an easy time passing by surrounded by natural obstacles where they would have a hard time passing through and where there is a small tree.
Find a piece of wood about an inch in diameter and a few inches long, cut a notch in it.
Find another piece of wood also about an inch in diameter but about a foot long. Cut a notch in this piece of wood too close to one end. Sharpen the other end of this stick, the notches on the two pieces should be such that they fit in each other and can take a good amount of pull along their axis but let go easily if the smaller stick is pushed sideways.
Make a lasso type knot on the string you will use and tie the
string to the shorter stick in such a way that the lasso reaches the stick when
open.
Bang the sharp end of
the longer stick into the ground with a rock.
Tie the rope to the tree at an appropriate height and with an
appropriate length of string. You may need to adjust this later to get it
right.
Hook the notch of the
short stick to the notch of the long stick.
Suspend the loop in the air with a couple of small twigs. That's it, all done.
Check your snares often since an animal may be able to escape, if
you want you can attach some type of noise maker that goes off when an animal
gets pulled up in the air. It's very important that you beat the animal to death
before you take it out of the snare since they will bite you if they get a
chance.
Sulphur, OK
Springs, streams and lakes are the attractions at Chickasaw National Recreation Area, the first national park in the state of Oklahoma. Visitors to the park find a variety of activities including camping, boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, hunting and enjoying nature. The Travertine Information and Nature Center and its adjacent environmental study area offer a glimpse of our natural world through exhibits, nature walks and other educational programs.
Chickasaw National Recreation Area is one of the most heavily visited parks for its size in the National Park System, with 3.4 million visitors a year. The peak season is from Memorial Day to Labor Day with activities focusing on water recreation and camping. Lowest visitation occurs during the months of January and February.
CONTACTS
Email - chic_web_coordinator@nps.gov
Fax- 580-622-2296
Write to
P. O. Box 201
Sulphur, OK
73086
Phone
Headquarters - 580-622-3161
Visitor Information -
580-622-3165
TRAVEL BASICS
Operating Hours,
Seasons
The park is open year round. The Travertine Information and
Nature Center is open all year except for Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Summers are hot and humid with daytime temperatures near 100 degrees common from July to September. Humidity frequently exceeds 50 percent. Thunderstorms are common April through July. Winters are mild with temperatures rarely dropping below 32 degrees for more than two or three consecutive days.
Getting There
PLANE - Both Dallas and Oklahoma City have
international airports that are served by most major airlines.
CAR - Chickasaw National Recreation Area is located on State Highway 177, just south of the town of Sulphur, Oklahoma. The park is approximately 90 miles south of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and 120 miles north of Dallas, Texas. Driving south on US I- 35 take exit 55 to State Highway 7. Driving north on US I-35 take exit 51 to State Highway 7. Drive through the towns of Davis (3 miles) and Sulphur (10 miles) to the intersection of Hwy. 7 and 177. Drive south on Hwy. 177. Park Headquarters is 1/4 mile south on the right side of the highway.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - Not Applicable
Weather & Climate
Summers are hot and humid with daytime
temperatures near 100 degrees common from July to September. Humidity frequently
exceeds 50 percent. Thunderstorms are common April through July. Winters are
mild with temperatures rarely dropping below 32 degrees for more than two or
three consecutive days.
Accessibility
The Travertine
Information and Nature Center, fishing docks and most restrooms are wheelchair
accessible. Chickasaw National Recreation Area has completed work on wheelchair
accessible campsites and restrooms with showers in the Buckhorn Campgrounds. The
park has completed construction of a two mile long concrete trail around
Veterans Lake that is fully accessible.
Getting Around
In Park: Personal vehicles and bicycles;
foot-traffic and private buses
FEES/PERMITS
Entrance Fee
CHICKASAW
NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Free! for Annual
There is no fee to
enter the park, but fees are charged for camping, boat launching and
reserving the picnic pavilions.
Permits
BOAT LAUNCHING -
ANNUAL
$30.00 for Annual
Permit is valid from October 1
through September 30th. Each vessel that uses the Lake of the Arbuckle
will require a permit. Permits are available at the Point, Buckhorn and
Guy Sandy launch ramp fee machines.
BOAT LAUNCHING -
DAILY
$4.00 for Day
Each vessel that uses the Lake of the
Arbuckle will require a permit. Permits are available at the Point,
Buckhorn and Guy Sandy launch ramp fee machines.
CAMPING -
GROUP
$16.00 for Day
The cost for camping per night per site
is $16.00 for a group site. Persons may camp up to 14 consecutive days,
not to exceed 30 days total between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
CAMPING - NON-UTILITY
$8.00 for Day
The cost for
camping per night per site is $8.00 for a non-utility site. Persons may
camp up to 14 consecutive days, not to exceed 30 days total between
Memorial Day and Labor Day.
CAMPING - UTILITY
$14.00 for
Day
The cost for camping per night per site is $14.00 for an
electrical and water hook-up site. Persons may camp up to 14 consecutive
days, not to exceed 30 days total between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
PICNIC PAVILIONS
$30.00 for Day
The picnic pavilions
at Veterans Lake and Buckhorn can be reserved for $30.00 a day.
CAMPING
Buckhorn - Loop A
There are
19 campsites with 1 handicapped sites in this loop. All sites are first
come-first serve.
For More Information on this campground please
call 580-622-3165
Buckhorn - Loop B
There are 26
campsites with 1 handicapped sites in this loop. All sites are first
come-first serve.
For More Information on this campground please
call 580-622-3165
Buckhorn - Loop C
There are 41
campsites with 2 handicapped sites in this loop. There are 16 electrical
sites out of the 41 campsites. All sites are first come-first
serve.
For More Information on this campground please call
580-622-3165
Buckhorn - Loop D
Open All Year
There are
49 campsites with 3 handicapped sites in this loop. There are 29
electrical sites out of the 49 campsites. All sites are first come-first
serve.
For More Information on this campground please call
580-622-3165
Central
There are 10 group sites which must
be reserved through the Travertine Nature Center.
For More
Information on this campground please call 580-622-3165
Cold
Springs
There are 63 campsites and 2 group sites. These are
non-electrical sites and are for tent camping only. The group sites must
be reserved through the Travertine Nature Center. All other sites are
first come-first serve.
For More Information on this campground
please call 580-622-3165
Guy Sandy
There are 40
campsites. All sites are first come-first serve.
For More
Information on this campground please call 580-622-3165
Rock
Creek
There are 106 campsites and 1 group site. These are
non-electrical sites and can accommodate some RVs, but are mainly for tent
camping. The group site must be reserved through the Travertine Nature
Center. All other sites are first come-first serve.
For More
Information on this campground please call 580-622-3165
The
Point - Loop A
There are 21 campsites. All sites are first
come-first serve.
For More Information on this campground please
call 580-622-3165
The Point - Loop B/C
There are 10
campsites. All sites are first come-first serve.
For More
Information on this campground please call
580-622-3165
FACILITIES
Wilderness
Information Centers
TRAVERTINE INFORMATION AND NATURE
CENTER
Phone - 580-622-3165
Closures - Closed on
Christmas Day and New Year's Day
Special Programs - The
Travertine Information and Nature Center offers the chance to experience
nature up-close. Daily activities are scheduled throughout the summer.
School groups can book programs from September through May. Weekend
activities are scheduled year round. Ranger-led activities include --
nature walks, creek walks, campfire programs and special emphasis
programs. Arrangements for organized groups may be made from September
through May. Contact the park's Division of Interpretation at
580-622-3165.
Exhibits - Exhibits include live birds, fish,
reptiles and amphibians.
Available Facilities - The Travertine
Information and Nature Center and restrooms are wheelchair accessible.
Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service