Chickasaw National Recreation Area

The mineral springs around Sulphur had long been valued for their cold, distinctive waters. As the town grew and speculators moved to buy up and profit from the springs in the late 1800s, the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations acted to protect them. In an agreement with the United States, the tribes sold the springs on the condition that the land be preserved and remain public.

The result was Sulphur Springs Reservation, established in 1902 and soon renamed Platt National Park, one of the smaller national parks of its era. In 1976 it was combined with the nearby reservoir lands and reorganized as Chickasaw National Recreation Area, its name a lasting acknowledgment of the nation whose foresight kept the springs public. The Chickasaw remain a thriving present-day nation, headquartered nearby.

The park takes its historic fame from its springs, which bubble up cold and mineral-rich from the ground: sulphur springs with their distinctive smell, bromide and iron springs, and others, each once believed to carry its own healing power. In the early twentieth century, people traveled from across the region to drink and bathe in these waters, and Sulphur became a bustling spa town.

Handsome stone pavilions and springhouses, many built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, still mark the springs today. Visitors come now to see the history and the craftsmanship rather than to drink the water, and the springs make a fascinating window into an era when mineral waters were prescribed like medicine.

The real draw for most visitors is the fresh water. Travertine and Rock creeks run cold and clear through the park, fed by springs, and famous swimming and wading spots like Little Niagara draw families all summer long to their stone dams and shaded pools. It is one of Oklahoma's beloved warm-weather traditions.

Easy wooded trails follow the creeks and climb the low hills, passing more CCC stonework, quiet pools, and shady picnic groves. The forest of oak and elm, the sound of running water, and the cool of the springs make the park a refuge from the summer heat that settles over the plains.

The southern part of the recreation area holds Lake of the Arbuckles, a clear reservoir set among wooded hills, popular for swimming, boating, and fishing for bass, catfish, and crappie. Its rocky shoreline and quiet coves broaden the park well beyond the springs of Sulphur.

The woods and waters support white-tailed deer, wild turkey, beaver, and a rich birdlife, with herons and kingfishers working the creeks and migrating songbirds moving through in spring and fall. Between the springs, the creeks, the lake, and the neighboring Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur packs a remarkable amount into a small, welcoming corner of the state.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.