Natural Falls State Park

 Natural Falls State Park is on the list of the top 10 most beautiful state parks in Oklahoma.  It did not disappoint. It is just an hours drive from Tulsa on the Oklahoma/Arkansas state line right off 412.  You would never know from the highway what a beautiful place is just around the bend.

We arrived around 2 on Friday afternoon.  G was out of school and anxious to get on our way.  M was in a band competition and wouldn't be done until late afternoon....So, G and I headed out just the two of us.

I was a little nervous about the two of us setting up camp alone, but G was quite the helper and we did it!  Within an hour or so our friends arrived and Paul and M got there about dinner time.  

(Yes, G's hat is made of duct tape- he is very proud of it)   

First thing Saturday morning we had homemade sticky buns that rose overnight in the dutch oven....a huge hit!  Cooked over the campfire.  Shortly after breakfast we headed out for a hike to the falls.  It is truly beautiful.  It is hard to believe just behind the campground in what they call a canyon (I would call it more of a crevice) is all of this.  The original Where the Red Fern Grows movie was filmed here many years ago.  There are beautiful mosses and ferns you would expect to find deep in the jungle, not in Oklahoma.  The waterfall has created a very unusual ecosystem that is unique to this area.

We had a fun surprise on Saturday morning.  The park was hosting their annual "Touch a Truck" event.  There were emergency vehicles from all of the local little town's fire, police and ambulance services.  Life Flight even landed their helicopter out in the field.  There were games and activities for the kids and free hot dogs (one of G's favorites) and snow cones.  The kids all really liked the wildlife that several state parks with nature centers brought.  This is an albino corn snake.   The chocolate skunk was the favorite.  There was also a hedgehog, a big ground hog, a flying squirrel and a variety of spiders.

One other highlight was the archery set up.  The Wildlife Department brought out their bows and arrows and showed the kids (and adults) how to use them and shoot. I think we even had a couple of bulls eyes for M and G. 
Our menu for the weekend included steaks with dutch oven potatoes with bacon and cheese (yummy!), dutch oven chocolate cake, dutch oven sticky buns, and jambalaya also in the dutch oven.  I bought a new dutch oven cook book in Arkansas a few weeks ago and had to give it a shot.  It was all really yummy!
We really enjoyed our stay here.  Definitely on a list of places to come back to.  The park was clean, quiet and not very crowded.