HIKING
Hiking Trails in Beavers Bend State Park
Lace up your hiking boots, grab a water bottle and point your compass towards southeast Oklahoma! As one of the state's most popular outdoor oases, Beavers Bend State Park, home to the Forest Heritage Center Museum, offers miles of hiking trails to whisk you away on a great outdoors adventure.
Ready to hit the trails; hike amidst the towering pines, trek through the rippling creeks and experience our state’s diverse terrain and outdoor wonders? Five nature trails and approximately 12 miles of hiking trails, for every skill level are displayed on the map below.
Whether you’re an expert hiker or just enjoy recreational hiking trails, observe the trail descriptions, level of difficulty and safety information before you venture out.
Don't forget the binoculars!
Trail Descriptions
Nature Trails (marked with blue on white tree blazes)
Forest Heritage Tree Trail:
This is a 1.1 mile looped trail that starts (and ends) at the Forest Heritage Center. It takes you down the hill to Beaver Creek, along the floodplain of the creek, over a covered bridge, and back to the Forest Heritage Center. It is fairly easy to walk, but you do have a couple of climbs. It has a series of informational signs at key points and trees for more information on the area you are walking. Remember this trail crosses the hiking trail twice. Watch for wooden signs that say TRAIL. The hiking trail is marked with white paint on the trees.
Level of difficulty: fairly easy to walk, but you do have a couple of climbs.
Approximate Trail Length: 1.1 miles
Cedar Bluff Nature Trail:
Cedar Bluff starts across from Dogwood Campground. This trail is designated to be walked CLOCKWISE. Start on your left and at each junction turn right, you will come out where you started. The trail is marked with blue on white tree blazes. Stay on the marked trail, NO SHORTCUTS PLEASE. CAUTION: occasionally the creek floods causing the lower portion of this trail to become hazardous.
Level of difficulty: Both easy grade and a hill climb.
Approximate Trail Length: 1 mile
Pine Ridge Nature Trail:
Pine Ridge is almost a figure-eight trail – but it DOES LOOP! The 1st loop starts right across from the tennis court, and then branches to the right. It will take you up though pine/hardwood forest, by a sewage lagoon (No Swimming, Please!) then across the top of a ridge. The trail branches to your right, and then to your right again, taking you through a bottomland forest and the floodplain of Beaver Creek.
Level of difficulty: fairly easy to walk, two up-hill and two down-hill grades.
Approximate Trail Length: ¾ mile
Hiking Trails (marked with red on white tree blazes)
David Boren Hiking Trail (DBHT):
The southern 12 miles of the DBHT run from the low-water dam at the south end of Beavers Bend to the Beaver Lodge Nature Trail that runs from the hydro-electric dam to the spillway. The trail was built (and is best marked) from south to north. If you are walking the trail, please be aware of the fact the trail DOES NOT LOOP – be prepared to walk the trail back or walk on the road back to your starting point. The hiking trail is marked by white spray paint on the trees near the trail.
There are 4 major trail heads:
- South Park: starts at the southern end of the park, just below the old low-water dam. It is a fairly easy walk to the creek but there are some hills. Approximate Trail Length: 1 mile
- Beaver Creek: can be entered just up from the Nature Center (enter near the CCC monument; the trail will cross the creek further upstream). Another entrance is off the Forest Heritage Tree Trail which parallels a portion of the Beaver Creek Trail (trail head is near the Forest Heritage Center Museum’s Indian sculpture). The Beaver Creek Trail follows the creek until it intersects the South Park Trail. The hiking trail is marked with red on white tree blazes and since the trail primarily follows the floodplain it is mostly flat except for the creek crossing near the Nature Center entrance. Approximate Trail Length: 1 mile
- Deer Crossing: connects Lookout Mtn Trail with Cedar Bluff Nature Trail. It has some climbs but is MODERATELY DIFFICULT. Approximate Trail Length: 2 mile
- Cedar Bluff: is a nature trail AND an entrance to the DBHT. It is located between the miniature golf course and river floats, across the road from Dogwood Campground. It is the south entrance to the Skyline Trail. It is 5 miles from Cedar Bluff Nature Trail to the juncture with Beaver Lodge Trail. This trail has steep climbs and several creek crossings. Trail is for EXPERIENCED HIKERS ONLY; it is a DIFFICULT HIKE.
3 Mile Loop: from the Nature Center, go south on Beaver Creek Trail, east on South Park Trail and back on the park road.
Challenging 3 Mile Loop: from the Nature Center, go south on Beavers Creek Trail, west on Lookout Mtn Trail and back on the path leading to the Forest Heritage Center Museum.
SkyLine Trail:
This trail shown on the map has recently been re-located to avoid private land.
Level of difficulty: For EXPERIENCED HIKERS ONLY; it crosses steep terrain.
Approximate Trail Length: 7 miles
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