6 Most Scenic Drives in Oklahoma

Oklahoma is a state of wide-open views, with as much tilled farmland as protected refuge, flat expanses as rocky gaps, and thousands of acres of sacred land visited and maintained by Nations like the Choctaw, Cherokee, and Muscogee. As a place built on the settler promise of westward expansion, Oklahoma's highway system is robust and beautiful, winding through diverse natural lands as well as its cities. Sometimes the road skirts wild country as vast as the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge’s 59,000 acres, where you might spot free-range buffalo and Texas longhorn beyond the shoulder.

Oklahoma's spirit shines through these beautiful drives, a hardworking, hearty land, where the bounty of nature's medicine is understood to be earned and respected, not taken for granted. And when the road delivers you to water, it does so with drama, like Lake Murray’s Tucker Tower, a stone lighthouse watching over the blue expanse like a sentinel. To understand the soul of Oklahoma's pride, make your way through these nine gorgeous drives.

Wichita Mountains Scenic Byway

If you're in southwest Oklahoma, chances are you'll be taking the scenic byway of the Wichita Mountains. Starting at Apache and going west onto Highway 19, the byway will split between north and south. Head south to find the famous beauty of the drive: the Wichita Mountains and Medicine State Park.

While in the area of the Wichita Mountains, there are plenty of stops to make to stretch your legs. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, with 59,000 acres of land to explore outside the car, is the prime spot for spotting Oklahoma wildlife like free-range buffalo, Texas longhorn cattle, prairie dogs, elk, and deer. If you're more in the market for a heart-pumping hike, you can climb up Mount Scott, where a three-mile trek affords breathtaking views of southwest Oklahoma.

But for something unlike any other, you might want to stop at Wichita Mountains Forty-Foot Hole. What makes this area so unique? Well, if you pass the northwest section of the canyon of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, you'll find a cavern where waterfalls splash down onto a swimming hole you can take a dip in during those hot summer months.

The best times to take this byway drive are either during the autumn (late October to Early November) to get photos when all of the trees are orange, gold, and red; or in the springtime, when an abundance of wildflowers will be in blossom. If you are a morning person, the best time to drive down this scenic byway is nine AM. However, if you want to watch the sun setting behind the mountains, then five PM is going to be your best bet.

Talimena Scenic Drive

Talimena Scenic Drive is the "alternate route" when passing from Oklahoma to Arkansas, peaceful and solitary, with a lovely series of stops along the way. The winding, often up-and-down road is 54 miles long, and feels more like a roller coaster than a drive, depending on how you take it. The route starts in Talihina, Oklahoma, heading east, then up north through Talimena State Park, where it continues east and becomes the Scenic Byway in earnest, moving through the Oklahoma forests with vista after vista, trail after trail.

The best thing about this drive is that it goes through the Ouachita Mountains, which leads to breathtaking views. You may take this route in either direction, but if you want to see that gorgeous mountain scenery, you might want to drive east to Mena or back to Talimena for better sun positioning.

At Talimena State Park, located at the entrance to the scenic drive itself, a hiking trail across the Ouachita National Forest and a trek up the Winding Stair Mountains offer comparable views, while Queen Wilhelmina State Park, which is home to hiking trails, a mini train ride, and the famous, luxe Queen Wilhelmina Lodge, suggests a less rustic experience.

Taking the Talimena Scenic Drive is perfect during the last week of October, going into the first week of November. Around this time, autumn has eventually begun and will offer beautiful fall foliage views during your drive. Your best bet is to take the drive on a weekday, as there will be less traffic compared to the weekend.

Lake Murray

One of the more popular scenic drives in the state, Lake Murray is Oklahoma’s first and largest state park. To get to Lake Murray, head three miles east of I-35 to either Exit 24 or Exit 29, to Admore, Oklahoma. When you find a wide, stretching, beautiful, blue lake with a stone tower standing proud and tall atop an island, that’s when you know that you have made it to Lake Murray.

Lake Murray is looped by Scenic State Highway 77, and there's plenty to see on the path, the most famous being Tucker Tower. Intended as the summer home for Governor “Alfalfa Bill”, now the tower serves as a lighthouse that watches over the lake like a sentinel. It sits across the Lake Murray Marina, where you can rent a boat and take a ride on the crystal clear waters, enjoy the scenic views from Tucker Tower, and even dine at the casual CAYA, a food truck on the marina offering burgers, mac and cheese, even charcuterie and other daily specials.

The best time to drive to Lake Murray is during the spring (late March to early June) for views with colorful wildflowers and lush greenery, or in the autumn (mid-October to early November), because that's when you will see an abundance of fall foliage. However, if you come during the summer, you'll be able to beat the heat with plenty of lakeside action. In fact, it's advisable to rent a place on the lake and spend a while driving all over the perimeter, exploring new beaches and boating areas.

Lake Hefner Drive

For a picturesque view of Oklahoma’s urban oasis, the Lake Hefner scenic drive is going to be the way to go. Start the 9.6-mile drive at Lake Hefner Parkway (OK-74) and then take the exit at West Hefner Road or North West 63rd Street and head west to connect to the loop. Next, from I-44, take the Lake Hefner Drive exit and follow the road around the lake before you reach your final destination, the lake itself. You will also pass the lighthouse in the southeast, Star & Stripes Park, and the fishing pier on the north side of the loop.

After parking the car and stretching your legs from the long car drive, now would be the perfect time to grab your bicycles and ride along the same route. The Bert Cooper Trail is a 9.5-mile loop along the same path, made for cyclists and pedestrians.. Along the path, you will be able to see the Lake Hefner Lighthouse on the east side of the warf. It stands as the second-oldest light station in America. If you are feeling hungry, Lake Hefner has two restaurants on the waterfront that will satisfy your appetite: Hefner Grill and Louie’s Grill and Bar. Both restaurants provide great grub, but also views of the lake.

In terms of when to go, the spring and the fall are preferred to enjoy the more pleasant weather. However, summertime is probably the best time to go to enjoy all of the summer activities like fishing, boating, or enjoying a picnic lunch under the shade of the trees and the breeze of the lake. Please note that Lafe Hefner buildings operate all day, every day, but have a strict curfew from 11 PM. through 5 AM.

Cherokee Hills Byway

Cradled securely in the Ozark Mountains is the Cherokee Hills Byway, a breathtaking showcase of Eastern Oklahoma and all of its beauty and diversity. To start this scenic byway, you must first take Highway 10 N (Carlisle Road) on the north side of I-40 in Sequoyah County. Then, the byway continues to go north along Highway 10 and then keeps going northward to US-412 in West Siloam Springs, passing through Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation, and Cookson, which is home to beautiful lakeside fun and lodging accommodations. The drive itself is 2.5 miles long, which is perfect if you plan to take a day trip driving this scenic route.

Cherokee Hills Byway is steeped in Cherokee history and Ozarks beauty. Famous for its seventy-seven-foot waterfall, Natural Falls State Park is a lush, serene, 120-acre environment full of mist-filled canyons, ferns, mosses, flowers, plants, trees, and wildlife all enjoying the beauty of the nature of their home. Aside from the hiking trails and the flora and fauna of the park, movie fanatics will have a fun time looking for specific filming locations along the way, as the park was the film set for the 1974 film adaptation of the book Where the Red Fern Grows. The Illinois River is perfect for all sorts of water sports like kayaking, water rafting, boating, diving, and fishing. To get up close and personal with the waterfowl and other birds that migrate, then come to the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, where keepers work around the clock to make sure that the birds get the proper nutrition and shelter they need.

For peak fall foliage, taking the drive in the autumn is going to be the best time of the year to take this drive (specifically mid-to-late October). However, while autumn is the best time to take the drive, the drive is perfect to take any time of the year, as each season, whether it's winter, spring, summer, or fall, provides majestic views of all of the flora and fauna you may spot along the way.

Mountain Gateway Scenic Byway

If you really want to see the mountains along the winding roads, then you should take the Mountain Gateway Scenic Byway. To take the byway, you need to take Highway 59/270 for twenty-two miles between Heavener and the Arkansas state line. Then, the byway winds through the valleys of both the Ouachita Mountains and the Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area. Be warned, as the byway consists not only of endless open fields that are home to the local flora and fauna, but it also has steep grades and sharp curves. And, if you need to get out of the car and stretch your legs, the byway also serves as a trail for backpackers and horseback riders.

On the drive, Mother Nature has its own display of tourist attractions for you to see. In the springtime, wildflowers are in bloom and put on a beautiful show, and all of the animals are awake from their winter hibernation. Birds and butterflies around this time also have returned from their annual migration. During the summertime, while the heat may sometimes be unbearable, hiking or riding horseback up the winding trails makes for a triumphant type of fun. Finally, when autumn comes, the trees change from their original shade of green to a tapestry of orange, brown, and gold, making the scenery even more magnificent.

What is arguably the best time of year to take this byway is either during the autumn, when the foliage of fall really starts to burst out, or during the springtime, when the colors of the world come out after being concealed all winter long.

Scenic Routes Are Worth The Drive

Some people say that the quickest way to get to a destination of choice, in this case, all of the beauty and wonder of Oklahoma, is to take the fastest route possible. However, gentle readers, refer back to the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. The tortoise won in the end as opposed to the hare because of an old moral: “slow and steady wins the race”. What the moral really tells us is that if you continue to zip past life, you will miss what is lying ahead of you. This moral is especially important when taking these scenic routes throughout your stay in the Sooner State. Take the time to experience the wonders and beauty of nature because it is not only the destination that counts, but how you get there that makes taking these trips worthwhile.