"Oklahoma - Mountains, Prairies, Forests & Streams" Top 5 Page for this destination Oklahoma by mrclay2000

Oklahoma at a glance does not possess anything extraordinary by world standards. If you didn't live here, chances are you would not come here unless you knew something of its merits. I for one have been a longstanding detractor of this state for a number of reasons, but since joining VT, my paths of discovery have made me reconsider my former prejudices. There is plenty here to dazzle the eye and captivate one's imagination, but between points and all the toll roads, the journey is sometimes indifferent, if not downright annoying.

Oklahoma joined the Union in 1907, the 46th state, after serving for seventy years as the Indian Territory. Our highest point is about 4,600 ft above sea level, the Black Mesa near the Colorado border (most states touching Colorado have their highest point almost on the Colorado border also, so no shame there). There is a national recreation area in the south-central area (Chickasaw National Rec Area), another in the rolling and forested ridges of the southeast (Winding Stair Natl Rec Area), and a national forest to the east (Ouachita Natl Forest). To the west are the Black Kettle National Grasslands, and the Fort Washita National Battlefield near Erick. Fort Washita, built in 1842 to honor commitments to the Choctaws and Chickasaw tribes nearby and reputedly under the auspices of Zachary Taylor, lies outside Durant.

As for scenery, there is not a great deal to dazzle the eye. The state is 22% forested. The broken hills in the west still show earmarks of once being at the bottom of an inland sea. The central third of the state is relatively flat and unbroken, a place for hawks and eagles, while the eastern third is by far our prettiest, having all the hardwood forests known to the eastern seaboard. All said, there is a vast diversity of topography here, from treeless plains, to ancient mountains, to cutbanks and desert buttes, to lush streams and rivers, to grassy prairies, to thick forests, punctuated throughout by an endless list of frontier towns and villages.

• Pros:A vast diversity of topography and things to do
• Cons:We're deliberately slow, and slower than we ought to be
• In a nutshell:Endless points of interest but only at some pains in between