Roman Nose State Park
Watonga
Roman Nose State Park is one of Oklahoma’s seven original state parks. Located near the town of Watonga, it’s just over an hour west of Oklahoma City. This park’s site was once a favorite area for the Cheyenne tribe, with towering cedars, canyons, mesas, buffalo grass and wild blue sage. Visitors will find abundant Native American culture and Western heritage.
“Many Western movies have been filmed at the park’s Simpson’s Mercantile,” said Stallbaumer. “Groups can take a three-hour tour that includes lunch, and either participate or watch as a movie is created for the group.”
The park’s 22-room lodge, originally constructed in 1956, has been renovated to blend into the area’s natural landscape. The reconstruction emphasizes its original midcentury design while updating to today’s modern standards, which include a full-service restaurant.
Among the activities are an 18-hole golf course, two swimming pools, and hiking and mountain biking trails. Boecher Lake and Lake Watonga offer fishing, plus canoe, kayak and paddleboat rentals. Miniature golf, riding stables and hayrides are also popular.
Sequoyah State Park and Lodge
Hulbert
Sequoyah State Park is located in eastern Oklahoma on the shores of Fort Gibson Lake, just 45 minutes southeast of Tulsa. It’s a haven for water lovers, with 225 miles of shoreline.
The Sequoyah Lodge reopened in January 2015 after a total renovation. It overlooks the lake and is the state’s largest lodge with 104 guest rooms, plus numerous cottages and a bunkhouse that sleeps 44 people. There’s also a restaurant, meeting rooms and a zero-entry swimming pool. Group camp facilities include A-frame cabins that can accommodate 150 people and a dining hall.
“The lodge has one of the most beautiful entrances that I’ve ever seen,” said Logan. “The three-mile road meanders through the tall pines that support an abundance of wildlife.”
The park’s Three Forks Nature Center offers programs with an on-site naturalist. The two-mile paved trail invites hiking, biking, walking and running. There’s also an 18-hole golf course and 18-hole disc golf. The Sequoyah Riding Stables hosts Cowboy Camp, trail rides and hayrides.
Robbers Cave State Park
Wilburton
In the scenic, hilly woodlands of the Sans Bois Mountains of southeast Oklahoma, Robbers Cave State Park is a nature lover’s paradise, especially for rappelling, horseback riding and hiking. It also enjoys notoriety as an alleged hideout for outlaws Jesse James and Belle Starr. Inside the park, groups will find Lake Carlton, Lake Wayne Wallace and Coon Creek.
At the newly updated, 20-room Belle Starr Lodge, every room commands a view of Coon Creek Lake and the forested valley below. Two indoor community rooms offer lake views. In addition to the lodge and 26 cabins with fireplaces, two group camps accommodate 160 to 250 people from March through November.
Activities include hiking, a miniature train, an amphitheater, disc golf and group picnic shelters. Groups can swim or canoe at Lake Carlton and end the day with a campfire dinner and s’mores.
“Their riding stables are top-notch, and they offer everything from hayrack rides to camping trips with outdoor cooking,” Stallbaumer said.
