State Park Challenge: 2020 Update

When the coronavirus pandemic made it's way to America, we decided it was the perfect time to visit more state parks! Looking at the old pictures mixed in with new pictures had me cracking up over how Elise has always loved to dress in Carter's clothes! She sure loves her big brother. We visited enough state parks to earn our second medallion and are one park away from our third medallion. The kids really love getting mail during this time even more so than ever so they were thrilled to get their medallion in the mail after we sent off their certificates. 

The kids with their first state park medallion.

The kids with their second state park medallion.

Teslas came and posed for the picture, the little goober.

1. Alabaster Caverns State Park- March 20th, 2018

• Alabaster Caverns was one of the state parks we were the most excited to visit. When we did our underground learning theme and talked about caves Carter really wanted to visit a cave. I looked up caves in Oklahoma and came across this state park. It was on our list of places we really wanted to visit but at 3.5 hours away was a bit of a drive for a day trip. When we started planning a spring break trip I gave Carter lots of options for cheap things to do in Oklahoma and his first choice was visiting this cave. We went on the cave tour, played on the playground, and ate our snack at the Cedar Canyon Overlook. Carter saw a hiking trail leading from the overlook and wanted to go on a hike. It was a little nerve wracking for me because it was a narrow path with a steep drop off to the side, but we survived!
  
  
  
  

2. Beavers Bend State Park

3. Black Mesa State Park and Nature Preserve

4. Boiling Springs State Park

5. Cherokee Landing State Park

6. Clayton Lake State Park

7. Fort Cobb State Park

8. Foss State Park

9. Grand Lake State Park- August 2, 2020

• I planned to take the kids to a state park to hike and swim on my birthday but it rained all morning so we went the following weekend instead. We decided on the Little Blue Area at Disney State Park on Grand Lake. It was about half-way between here and my parents' house and it was their anniversary so we decided to invite them to meet us there. I was a little disappointed when we got there and there was no hiking, but the water was shallow and perfect for wading which was so much fun! There was a little spillway and a small waterfall and we enjoyed exploring them both. We did take a little hike down the creek which was fun. Ty got to fish for a while which he really enjoyed.

10. Great Plains State Park

11. Greenleaf State Park- June 30th, 2018

• We had a rare weekend in town with nothing going on so we took advantage of the opportunity to check out another state park. We invited Jeremy and Thomas to go along and Thomas came with us. He and I ran a long run that morning, 12 for him and 15 for me, on a decently hilly course before heading to the park. We enjoyed a nice 2-ish mile hike. Elise was really tired and wanted me to carry her so I wore her in the baby carrier during our hike. It was really hot and she wanted to ride on my front, or as she said, "Ride on your tummy!" Her hair was stuck to my neck in sweat and was making me so hot! When we turned around to head back I switched her to my back and although she was very upset about it, she fell asleep and got a nice little cat nap in. Then we ate lunch and went swimming before heading home. This state park had mini golf and was about 20 minutes away from another state park but the kids were really tired so we decided it was best to just head home.
  

  

  Elise hiking was short lived.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

12. Gloss Mountain State Park- March 20th, 2018

• We were driving to Alabaster Caverns and came upon some beautiful red mountains. Carter was certain one of them was a volcano. We were oooohing and ahhhing over it when I looked over and saw a sign for Gloss Mountain State Park right beside the highway. We pulled off to check it out. We ended up climbing up the mountain using the stairs that were installed and hiked to the end of the mountain. It was so beautiful and the highlight of our spring break trip for both me and Carter.
  
  

13. Great Salt Plains State Park- May 1-3, 2020

• We went on a camping trip to Great Salt Plains State Park. It was during the shutdown due to covid-19. Ty took the day off work on Friday and we left after Carter's Zoom Meeting with his class. After arriving we enjoyed setting up our campsite, playing at the beach by our campsite, and making dinner. On Saturday we went to the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge to dig for salt crystals. We really enjoyed it and came out with a few pounds of salt crystals. We also went hiking, checked out the spillway, and waded in the water. It was the perfect state park for our first 2 night camping trip! 
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Digging for salt crystals.

  

  The salt plains were really cool!

  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Going for a hike.

  

  Checking out the spillway.

  

  Elise didn't want to be in the picture with us.

14. Hugo Lake State Park

15. Keystone State Park- July 29th, 2017 and April 18th, 2018 and many other times for hiking, fishing, and swimming

• Keystone is the state park closest to our house. It was a good one to start with and was the first state park we visited. We went on a hike and enjoyed swimming at the beach area along Keystone Lake. My birthday was on a Saturday so I cashed in the birthday card for this fun visit.

  

  Ready to go for a hike at Keystone State Park.

  
  
   

  

  Swimming at Keystone Lake.

  
  
• On April 18th we went to Keystone State Park again while I was watching Jake. It was absolutely beautiful weather for hiking and we were a bit tired of the hiking area that's less than a mile away so we sprung for Keystone State Park which is still only about a 25 minute drive. Carter was really excited to get another sticker for his passport book since we went last summer before we knew about the passport books. We went for a hike and then got ice cream in the gift shop. We tried out the playground and then went down to the swim beach to play in the sand. Now that we know how much fun this park is, we will definitely be hitting it up a fair amount this summer. You really can't beat a place to swim for free! 

• May 25th-26th, 2020 we took Tesla on her first ever camping trip at Keystone State Park. We figured it would be good to stay close to home. She did wonderfully so we decided to go camping again the next weekend for a longer trip. We enjoyed our time cooking over the campfire, fishing, playing games, and playing in the sand and rocks by the lake. We also went over to the dam on Sunday morning which we had never done before. We all went on a hike. Then I ran on the trails over there while Ty and the kids fished. The kids ended up spending most of their time playing on the rocks.

16. Lake Eufaula State Park- April 18, 2020

• We visited Lake Eufaula State Park during the coronavirus close-down. It was the first one we went to during that time. The kids were thrilled when we went on a hike and found tadpoles in a big puddle at the beginning of our hike. It was a little weird being there during the social distancing because the visitor's center was closed and there were signs up everywhere reminding you to stay 6 feet away from other people and to be in groups less than 10. Our hike led down by the lake and the kids enjoyed playing there. Then we ventured over to the bluffs after our hike and played around on the rocks and skipped rocks on the water. That was definitely the best part of our trip and I was glad we went over there because we almost headed home after our hike.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

17. Lake Murray State Park

18. Lake Texoma State Park

19. Lake Thunderbird State Park- March 21st, 2018

• We visited Lake Thunderbird State Park during our stop in Norman over spring break. We planned to check out the nature center but it was closed Sunday through Wednesday and we were there on a Wednesday. Instead we played at the playground and made some friends who went on a hike with us. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand down by the lake during our short hike.
  
  
  
  

20. Lake Wister State Park- November 8th, 2020

• We stopped off here on our way home from our camping trip while doing the Talimena Scenic Drive. It was a nice state park and they were setting up a Christmas lights display which was to open the following week. The state park employee in the visitor's center heard Carter say snakes are his favorite animal so he took us in the back to see a couple snakes they had and let Elise pet them. He said they are in the process of turning that building into a nature center with snakes to view. This is definitely a park we need to re-visit in the future. We played mini-golf which was only $3 a person, enjoyed the playground, and walked up to the lake. The kids were pretty tired from our busy weekend so we skipped out on hiking and headed home.
  
  
  

21. Little Sahara State Park

22. McGee Creek State Park

23. Natural Falls State Park- August 20th, 2017 and May 13, 2018

• I was excited to check out the Natural Falls State Park because it was close enough to go for a day trip and it had a waterfall. I read that most of Where the Red Fern Grows was filmed there so I figured it must be beautiful. It did not disappoint. We enjoyed hiking to the top of the waterfall to look down and then hiking down to the bottom to view it from there as well. We hiked on one of the longer trails too. We also played at the playground and had a picnic at the park. Before we left the kids wanted to go look at the waterfall again and we saw a rainbow at the top which was beautiful!

 

 

• We went again for Mother's Day on May 13, 2018. When I thought about what I really wanted to do, I decided I wanted to go back to Natural Falls State Park. We had visited it before we found out about the passport program so we needed to go so we could get our sticker and it was one of my favorite parks we've visited so far!
  
  
  
  

24. Osage Hills State Park- April 14th, 2018 and June 17, 2018

• We planned to head to Woolaroc and Osage Hills State Park one Saturday after Carter's soccer game. It was super cold and windy that morning with a feels like temperature in the 20's. My weather apps showed it would warm up to 50 by the afternoon so we decided to go ahead and go. We started with Woolaroc since it's mostly inside with a petting barn, a museum, and seeing the large animals during the 2 mile drive to the museum. The wind was wicked, just so darn freezing and strong! Ty was hoping to cut the trip short by skipping Osage Hills but I was convinced the wind wouldn't be as bad in the trees so we went. We stopped in the guest office to get Elise a passport book since they only gave us one at Alabaster Caverns. The park ranger there was super nice and gave us a fun activity book to complete as we explored. We went on a hike to the waterfall and did the scavenger hunt page as we walked. Then Carter drew a picture of the waterfall and wrote a little bit about it. It was getting late when we finished our hike to the waterfall so we drove to lookout point rather than hike there. Thankfully the wind was blocked by the trees on our hike so it didn't feel nearly as cold. The kids had a blast and I think Ty even enjoyed himself a little bit down by the water even though he was really cold.

Elise was thrilled with this "waterfall" so I can't wait to take her back to Natural Falls State Park this summer!

Family picture at the overlook.

• Ty and I ran a trail race at Osage Hills State Park on Father's Day. Mom and dad watched the kids while we were at the race and then they brought the kids out and met us after the race. Read more about my race here. We enjoyed swimming after the race as a family. Ty and I both really enjoyed the race and he has decided he'd like to make it a Father's Day tradition.
  
  
  

  

  Playing at the playground.

25. Raymond Gary State Park

26. Red Rock Canyon State Park- March 22, 2019

• We went to Red Rock Canyon State Park over spring break. We found out when we arrived that it's no longer a state park. Apparently the state sold it to a family who now run it. The prices are all the same as when it was a state park and it was well maintained so I was impressed. It was one of the busiest state parks we've been to which may have been in part because it was spring break. The kids were a little tired because we had a very busy spring break and they swam at the hotel for 2 hours before leaving for the park. They didn't enjoy hiking as much as usual because they were tired but it was beautiful out there. We had fun on the playground and Carter had a blast doing some rock climbing. The red dirt and sand was a hit to play in.
  
  
  
  
  

27. Robber's Cave State Park- July 13-14, 2019

• Robber's Cave State Park was our first family camping experience. Carter camped out for the 2nd time (his first was with boy scouts back in April at Greenleaf State Park) and it was Elise's first time. It was a wonderful experience with beautiful views and the kids both did great. We played it easy with hot dogs and Lunchables for food. We ran an evening race that Saturday night. We also enjoyed hiking, rock climbing, swimming, fishing, a guided cave tour, the Nature Center, watching a rattlesnake eat a rat (behind glass in the Nature Center), seeing a spider with a lizard in it's web during a hike, miniature golf, and sno cones. It was an absolute blast and our overall favorite state park to date!
  

  

  
  

  

  
  

  

  Inside the cave.

  
  

  

  
  

  

28. Roman Nose State Park

29. Sequoyah State Park/Sequoyah Bay State Park- 2018

• We went to Sequoyah State Park for a free fishing derby. The kids weren't really into fishing that day. We'd gone fishing the weekend before and Carter caught fish after fish. This experience was more of a waiting game so he lost interest quickly. They really just wanted to swim but Carter had recently had his ear tube surgery and hadn't been fitted for ear plugs yet so he couldn't swim in lake water (he only has to wear ear plugs in dirty water like oceans and lakes, not in swimming pools). We gave up on the fishing derby and went to their nature center which was actually pretty cool. After walking around looking at the animals we headed back over to the fishing derby area for free lunch and the prize drawing. Elise lucked out and had her ticket drawn first, winning a fishing pole. Carter won spiderman bobbers. We were really close to Sequoyah Bay State Park so we headed over there and were disappointed to find they were out of stickers and there wasn't a playground so we just headed home.

30. Talimena State Park- November 7, 2020

• We planned to camp here before doing the Talimena Scenic Drive but there were very few tent campsites and when we went to book they were all full. We stopped off at the state park on our way to our campground to get our sticker and check it out. It was super small and we barely made it in time before the visitor's center closed so we lucked out and got our sticker! There wasn't much to this park other than the spectacular views. The kids played on the small playground for quite a while. I took Tesla on a short little hike down a trail to see the view and then we were headed on to our campground.
  

31. Tenkiller State Park

32. Arrowhead State Park

33. Okmulgee and Dripping Springs State Park- April 27, 2018

• We picked Carter up from school on a Friday and then drove to the state park. It was our 6th state park so we were really excited to get our passport book signed in the park office. Then we'd send in our page to get our first medallion. We were a little disappointed to find out that they are still in the book but are no longer actually a state park so they couldn't sign off on the passport page. We'd have to wait until our next state park visit. We still had fun with some rock climbing and a short hike. Then we went to the playground for a while and tried to find the dam so we could see the "waterfall". The map wasn't very good and we couldn't locate the road we needed to take so we didn't get to see the waterfall. I was disappointed because Elise was really excited to see the waterfall but she didn't seem to mind very much. Before we left we went on another short hike and found a trail that went along the lake which was pretty. We checked out a dock and the kids had fun playing in the piles of leaves.