Waterfalls in Oklahoma

Oklahoma's waterfalls: spring-fed drops in the Arbuckles and beyond

Thirty-one named waterfalls turn up across Oklahoma, most of them short, spring-fed drops rather than tall plunges. The densest cluster sits in the Arbuckle Mountains, where an aquifer in ancient granite and limestone surfaces as travertine-lined creeks; a few more break from harder rock in the Wichita and Ouachita ranges, and scattered prairie-stream falls fill out the map.

Where the waterfalls are

Murray County holds 14 of the state's 31 listings, in the Arbuckle foothills. Chickasaw National Recreation Area's Travertine Creek drops in a chain of small falls near Sulphur — Little Niagara, Cave Island, Sycamore, Bear and Garfield among them — while Turner Falls tumbles over Honey Creek a few miles away near Davis. The same range extends into Carter County, near Lone Grove and Dickson, and Johnston County, where Pennington Creek and the Blue River carry falls near Tishomingo.

Delaware County, in the far northeastern corner, sits on the Ozark Highlands edge rather than the Arbuckles; Natural Falls State Park there, near the Arkansas line, holds Dripping Springs Falls.

The folded Ouachita Mountains reach into McCurtain County, where the Mountain Fork carries Presbyterian Falls below Beavers Bend State Park, and Le Flore County, where the Poteau River holds Hontubby Falls. The granite Wichita Mountains give Comanche County its lone listing, Forty Foot Hole. Atoka, Cherokee, Lincoln, Muskogee and Wagoner counties each add one, on plains streams beyond these ranges.

Waterfalls worth the trip

• Dripping Springs Falls, 50 feet, sits in Natural Falls State Park; the lot sits about 150 feet from the platform, and "Where the Red Fern Grows" was filmed here in 1974.
• Turner Falls, 60 feet in two tiers on Honey Creek, is a short walk into a wide swimming pool at city-run Turner Falls Park near Davis; the park's own materials still give 77 feet.
• Little Niagara Falls, 3 feet on Travertine Creek in Chickasaw National Recreation Area, is a short walk from parking, alongside Cave Island, Sycamore, Bear and Garfield falls, all within 0.4 mile.
• Forty Foot Hole, about 12 feet despite the name, sits at the end of the moderate, 1.1-mile Kite Trail in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
• Presbyterian Falls, an 8-foot run of ledges on the Mountain Fork below Beavers Bend State Park, is better known to paddlers than hikers, with parking and a portage path close by.
• Bridal Veil Falls, 7 feet, drops on Honey Creek about 0.1 mile from Turner Falls, close enough for the same visit.

When to go

Turner Falls and the Chickasaw creeks run fullest in spring and after rain. Turner keeps a summer season from May 1 through September 30, with lifeguards and higher admission; 2026's lifeguard shifts ended September 21, and winter rates and hours run through April 30. Little Niagara can stop flowing in a dry spell. The Mountain Fork below Beavers Bend floats and fishes best from spring through fall, with afternoon dam releases common on hot days; the Kite Trail and Natural Falls State Park stay open all year.

Fees, permits and closures

Chickasaw National Recreation Area charges no entrance fee. Turner Falls Park, run by the City of Davis, charges per person, not per vehicle: summer admission runs $16 weekdays and $20 weekends for adults, with lower winter rates. Natural Falls State Park charges $10 a vehicle for out-of-state visitors, $8 for an Oklahoma plate; swimming is not allowed inside the park. The Wichita Mountains refuge is free to enter, though camping and backcountry permits cost extra. Slippery Falls sits on private Scout-camp land with no public access documented.

Safety

Chickasaw National Recreation Area bans swimming and wading in Travertine Creek past Little Niagara, east of the NE Perimeter Road bridge, and keeps pets out of the water there. At Turner Falls, children 12 and under must wear a Coast Guard-certified flotation device, and swimming after lifeguard season is at the visitor's own risk. A keeper hydraulic forms at Presbyterian Falls around 2,000 to 4,000 cfs; a kayaker drowned there in October 2009 after his boat was caught in it at high water.