McCurtain County: Nature, Wildlife and Cultural Heritage

In McCurtain County, nature watching, water activities and cultural history offer distinct travel interests. When planning your hotel stay, you can first decide whether to focus on forest and birdwatching, time on the water or historical topics. Each place and activity has its own emphasis, helping you organize your stay around your interests.

Nature Among Forests and Wetlands

One notable natural area is Little River National Wildlife Refuge. Its protected forest is home to eleven state-record trees. The Duck Roost Slough observation deck offers opportunities to watch and photograph wildlife; 191 bird species have been identified in the refuge. Fishing is possible at the two small lakes, Yanubbee Lake and Forked Lake, as well as along more than 17 miles of the Little River. The refuge thus brings together forest, wildlife watching and several bodies of water, without limiting your stay to just one activity.

The sizes and landscapes of the other protected areas also differ considerably. McCurtain County Wilderness Area covers about 14,000 acres in northern McCurtain County. Ouachita WMA – McCurtain & Tiak Unit covers 133,000 acres in the central and southern county. Its Broken Bow Subunit surrounds Broken Bow Lake and the Glover River. Red Slough WMA, in turn, covers 5,280 acres and combines mudflats, emerging marshlands, hardwood bottomland forests, lowland and upland prairie, and permanent impoundments. The area is well suited to birdwatching; more than 320 bird species have been documented there.

Water, Trails and More Experiences

Beavers Bend State Park is located on the shores of Broken Bow Lake and the Mountain Fork River. At Broken Bow Lake in the park, you can fish, go boating and scuba dive. If you prefer to explore on foot, the park has the 26-mile David Boren Hiking Trail. Water activities and the hiking trail offer different focuses; the trail’s length is a concrete point of reference for planning, without indicating a walking time or difficulty level.

Other attractions focus on wildlife watching and rides. Beavers Bend Safari Park offers a 1.8-mile safari ride through wooded terrain and along streams. At Walkabout, guests can hand-feed select animals. Check the details about the safari ride and Walkabout before visiting. Beavers Bend Depot & Trail Rides also offers rides on a one-third-scale replica of the C.P. Huntington S.P. train, built in 1863. On a horseback ride, the route covers 2.5 miles over the course of an hour through landscape where native wildlife can be spotted. This offers a train ride and a horseback ride with a more specific duration and distance as two distinct experiences.

History and Regional Culture

Oklahoma’s state dinosaur, Acrocanthosaurus atokensis, is on display at the Museum of the Red River. The specimen is almost 40 feet long. At the Forest Heritage Center, dioramas explore other topics: prehistoric forests, the Caddo, papermaking in the South, the timber industry of the 1940s and appreciation for forests. Together, these institutions offer different ways to explore natural and cultural history—from a large dinosaur specimen to exhibits covering several chapters in the history of forests.

The origins of Wheelock Academy date back to around 1832. The institution was located in McCurtain County and served as a boarding school for Indigenous girls, primarily from the Choctaw community, from 1884 to 1955. Tours of the museum and grounds are available by request; inquire about arrangements before your arrival. Another historic building is the Barnes-Stevenson House, a restored Victorian home with period furnishings from 1912. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 1979. These stops complement the nature and recreational offerings with history, architecture and the development of regional institutions.

Discover more destinations: Valliant, Broken Bow, Idabel, Payne, Stephens, Kiowa County, Pawnee County, Wagoner County.

For the overview of the wider region: Oklahoma.