Charon's Garden Trail

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
32 Refuge Headquarters
Cache, OK 73505

Charon's Garden Trail

Address:
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
32 Refuge Headquarters
Cache, OK 73505
Phone:
580-429-2197
Phone:
580-429-3222

Located within the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma is a hiker's dream - the Charon's Garden Trail.  This is considered an intermediate to expert-level trail, as it offers many challenges along its 2.4-mile-long path. This area of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge consists of a rocky, rugged landscape, with areas featuring huge granite boulders, scattered around on the granite surface. Trail visitors will find opportunities for boulder hopping and rock climbing as well as hiking. 

Charon's Garden Trail begins at the Sunset Campground, starting off to the southwest. The path is fairly smooth at the start and leads across a small creek, then through a wooded area. After about a half mile, you'll make a sharp left and begin to head to the south. As you continue along the trail, you'll enter into the area west of Elk Mountain, where the boulders start to appear. Soon after, you'll see the landmark known as Apple and Pear, two massive boulders that seem to resemble the fruits. This section of the trail is located in a major boulder field, and you'll have to do some boulder hopping to continue. 

After the boulder field, the trail leads through some dense brush and trees. Granite boulder-covered hills surround you in this area, providing unique scenery, and a waterfall just off the trail provides a great place to take a break. The path from there follows a winding creek around to the east and back to the south, then down to Treasure Lake, where the trail ends. 

Photos

Amenities

Hours

Hiking allowed during daylight hours only.
Front desk hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm.
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