Oklahoma High Point Trail Is An 8-Mile Hike In Oklahoma That Is Near Where Dinosaurs Once Roamed
By Liz Oliver|Published January 29, 2020
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Liz Oliver
Author
Liz is a Missouri native with a B.A. in English from Mizzou and a M.A. in Non-Profit Administration from Lindenwood University. She works for a STL metro-area community college and enjoys writing, traveling, and indoor cycling. Her true passion is forcing her encyclopedic knowledge of Missouri facts on uninterested strangers from across the globe!
Some of the most beautiful sites in the United States can be found right here in Oklahoma. You can find stunning waterfalls, vast prairies, dark caves, wide rivers, and magnificent mesas all within the borders of our great state. Did you know you can also find traces of the Mesozoic era stamped right into the Oklahoma dirt? Head west to the Black Mesa State Park and Nature Preserve and take this one of a kind hike! Follow the eight-mile Oklahoma High Point Trail to the highest spot in Oklahoma and then take a small detour to see these incredible dinosaur tracks.
Black Mesa State Park and Nature Preserve sits on the border of New Mexico and is one of Oklahoma's most beautiful parks. The stunning views, wildlife, and history make it the perfect place for a day trip.
Black Mesa is the highest point in the state and many hikers find this trail to be very easy. The most difficult aspect of the hike is the length, four miles to the top of Black Mesa and four miles back. Luckily, most of the trail is flat and well maintained.
Mile three begins the climb to the top of Black Mesa. In the summer, the hike can be a bit brutal due to lack of shade. Hiking the trail in the winter can be extremely cold. Always be prepared with the proper clothing for the conditions and bring plenty of water.
Wildlife can be easily spotted by observant hikers. Deer, antelope, lizards, and snakes can often be found within the park boundaries. Even America's great predator, the black bear, can be found at Black Mesa.
However, there is one type of animal you can no longer find in the park. Dinosaurs once roamed the Black Mesa area but today footprints are the only remnant.
You can walk or drive to an area just north of the trailhead to view these huge dino tracks. About one-third of a mile north of the parking lot is a dirt road that leads directly to a creek bed full of dinosaur tracks. These tracks are on private property and can only be accessed during the day.
Scientists do not know what kind of dino made these tracks, but they do know the creature was a theropod. Theropods were bipedal, carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex.
After taking in the gorgeous views and seeing the awe-inspiring dinosaur tracks, you'll never want to leave Oklahoma's Red Carpet County. Plan the perfect hiking and history trip to Black Mesa State Park and Nature Preserve. It's an Oklahoma experience you will never forget.
Have you been hiking at Black Mesa State Park and Nature Preserve? Have you seen the dinosaur tracks of Black Mesa? Tell us all about your wild adventure in the comments below.
