Thrifty Vacation: McCurtain County’s Beavers Bend State Park,Oklahoma

McCurtain County in Southeast Oklahoma - Broken Bow, OK is the place to go if families wants to experience nature at its majestic best. Located in the heart of the Kiamichi Mountains, McCurtain County is home to Broken Bow Lake, Pine Creek Lake, the Mountain Fork, Eagle Fork and Glover Rivers and Beavers Bend State Park - where outdoor learning is fantastic. McCurtain County offers deep mountain lakes surrounded by National Forests; log cabins and camping grounds nestled in the towering pines and clear running rivers.

At the Beavers Bend Nature Center injured birds and other animals are rehabilitated and released back into the wild. This is wonderfully educational for folks of all ages. It is FREE of charge.


Beavers Bend Naturalist, Frank Griffith leads story-telling, nature hikes and crafts. He can also guide you through the nature center and can make possible a program lineup that includes campfires on the river bank, nature hikes, arts and crafts classes, water sports, sunset hikes, nature films, and astronomy outings. Your family can also take a night tour into the wilds of the Kiamichi Mountains and listen to night sounds and view "night" animals. The tour is lead by Beavers Bend Naturalist, Frank Griffith. You will see all kinds of night critters. Very interesting and fascinating for folks who have never been in the wilds at night. FREE



The Beavers Bend State Park offers an interpretive nature center, and hiking trails in a deep forest setting and you will have access to thousands of acres of the Ouachita National Forest and the Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area where you'll find great hiking trails, nature photography, bird watching. FREE




Museum of the Red River is home of the Acrocanthosaurus dinosaur found in McCurtain County - if the kids like dinasaurs this is wonderful. FREE


Forest Heritage Center tells the story of the forest through dioramas created by Haary Rossell, the man who created Smoky the Bear. FREE


In McCurtain County, your family can golf, horseback ride, take an ATV adventure, canoe, hike, bike, parasail, jet ski and, of course, fish Oklahoma’s best trout stream. In McCurtain County, there’s something for the entire family. Your vacation or weekend getaway can include almost any kind of lodging you prefer--from a rustic cottage or “fisherman’s retreat” to modern motels to elegantly appointed log cabins nestled in the towering pines, as well as unique bed & breakfasts and luxury resorts .....and of course, you can pitch tent or park your RV in Beavers Bend State Park.

There is a lot to learn and enjoy for the whole family in the out of doors. Broken Bow is one of those fabulous areas. McCurtain County is an easy 2 ½ to 4-hour drive from Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, OK, Tyler, TX, Little Rock, AR and Shreveport. LA. To make reservations, visit their website at http://www.mccurtaincountygetaways.com or call 800-528-7337.