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Blog No 24 Backpacking in Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

In 2018, my brothers Alvin, Garner, and I, with a few close friends, camped in this wildlife refuge southwest of Oklahoma City at the beginning of April. Fortunately, our friend Jack T had just acquired a huge shelter that along with a fire, shielded us from a cold front that barreled in with howling winds and chilling temperature. Many years earlier in 1994, Alvin, Jack, and Mike Scott had set up camp in this wilderness area when a helicopter descended from a smoke-filled sky, landing on a nearby plain, and the pilot told them in no uncertain terms they must leave the premises because of an approaching wild fire.

On Easter 2026, Alvin, Garner, Jack T, my nephew Sam Martin, and I (Mike Scott camped the last night with us) returned to this unique wildlife refuge. We camped at Doris Campground on the first and last nights, and we backpacked into the Charon Wilderness (requires an entry permit) for the two middle nights. At the campground, a number of Turkey Vultures circled over us disapprovingly, before landing in the top of oak trees for their nightly roost. Three inches of rain fell the day before our arrival, and supplied us with excellent water. The weather could not have been better: nights in the lower 40’s and sunny days.

The Charon Wilderness has been a longstanding, cherished haunt for our crew with its grassy plains, small oak trees, and valleys with clear streams. Surrounding our campsite on all sides were ancient sandstone rocks saddled precariously on top of ridges (1500 to 2000 ft elevation) that had been worn down over the past 300 million years. On the first afternoon in the outback, we set up our tents at a favorite camping spot and as Garner began to clear a spot in the shade he was startled by a large Western Diamond Back rattlesnake that slithered into crevice underneath an oak tree about 20 ft from his tent.

Early one morning when only Alvin and Garner were up, a large bull bison walked through our camp. We were entertained by 3 male Brown-headed Cowbirds sitting in the top of a nearby tree serenading a single female who seemed to show no interest. We set up our camp chairs on a rocky prominence that also served as our kitchen. One afternoon we shared the warmth of our rock with a splendid male Collared Lizard. The only distraction from our peaceful existence were F-16 fighter jets practicing several times each day with their thunderous roar; stationed at the Ft Sill Amy base just behind the mountain to our west.

All photos by author