Camping Oklahoma Bear Country in the Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness along the Ouachita Trail скачать в хорошем качестве

Camping Oklahoma Bear Country in the Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness along the Ouachita Trail

Come along for a night in one of Oklahoma's wildest spots, the Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness. Nestled in the Ouachita Mountains of southeast Oklahoma, the emerald blue waters of the Kiamichi River flow between Rich and Pine Mountains for several miles. There are campsites dispersed beside the river along the Ouachita Trail, which follows the Kiamichi throughout the valley. I begin my adventure at the pullout on the Oklahoma/Arkansas state line. Overnight parking is allowed here, which will come in handy because we are spending a night in the woods. I cross the Talimena Scenic Byway from the pullout and intersect with the Ouachita Trail on the south side of the road. The journey to camp takes us 3.3 miles west, back into Oklahoma, down the south side of Rich Mountain. Over the course of those miles we will see a few peeks of the surrounding ridges and many interesting flowers and fungi. There's even evidence of black bear in the form of a not-too-recent track in the mud. At 3.3 miles we reach a sharp turn in the Ouachita Trail that goes to the west. Keep going straight: it takes us to camp. After scoping out the water situation and a place to put up the hammock I take a nap and recharge for a hunt - for a swimming hole. I take the OT west along the Kiamichi in search for a place deep enough to swim in...not as easy as I might have guessed. At just before 5 miles, I find a spot; a beautiful blue pool that was well worth the long walk to get there. After the swim and hike back to the site I replenish my water and take another nap, because why not?! The evening holds it's share of camp rituals: evening coffee, dinner, and a long unwind in the hammock before bed. The next morning I have some breakfast and work my way toward getting back to the truck, and I find a cool way to haul out some of the trash other campers have left behind. After the hike, I head to the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge to grab a second breakfast (of biscuits, chocolate gravy, bacon, and hash browns) and walk it off with a final stop at Lover's Leap, the park's famed vista. It's well worth the half mile walk to get there.