Osage Hills State Park offers quiet escape with modernized programs
This is a natural environment that is easy to access for people in northeast Oklahoma. It is peaceful, quiet and rustic. What we sell here is the great outdoors.” Nick Connor, Osage Hills State Park manager
Osage Hills State Park is considered one of the real hidden gems in the Oklahoma State Parks system.
“Sometimes when you open that oyster, you find a pearl,” said Nick Conner, Osage Hills State Park manager. “That’s us.
“We’re kind of off the beaten path. When you pass us from the highway, you don’t see any big lake or attraction. You have to drive in here to see what we have. And we’re different. You won’t find any bass boats or ATVs or a SeaDoo in here. This is a quiet, peaceful wilderness.”
And that’s why many urban Oklahomans are starting to discover Osage Hills, packing the few lodging accommodations in the park for most of the summer.
“We used to have a few holidays each year when we were full, but that has changed in the past few years,” said Conner. “Now, for most of the spring and summer, it is kind of hard to get a reservation. In fact, if you want a cabin, it is not crazy to call a year in advance to get a reservation.”
Osage Hills is one of the original seven Oklahoma state parks (there are now 33).
“So we have a lot of that original ‘parkitecture’ that dominates facilities in the National Park System and in our older state park systems around the country,” Conner said. “We understand that a large part of our appeal is that appeal for wilderness adventure.
“Yes, we’ve modernized our cabins and facilities. But we have maintained all of the original feel of this park, and that is very attractive to a lot of people these days.”
Parkitecture, also known as National Park Service rustic style, is architecture that fits into the natural setting. Good examples in the National Park System include the El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon, Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone and The Ahwahnee at Yosemite.
Although no grand structures like those can be found at Osage Hills, all of the facilities in the park are built in the same style.
Osage Hills is the oldest state park in northeastern Oklahoma, celebrating its 80th birthday this year.
However, again taking a cue from some national parks, Osage Hills has added “glamping” and Night Sky hiking programs.
Night Sky programs have proved popular at national parks around the country, especially those in remote locations.
Plus, there are now “glamping” accommodations, a deluxe walled tent already set up, in many national parks.
Things are changing as the demand for wilderness adventures continues to grow.
And Osage Hills believes it can be a part of that opportunity for many in this region.
“We have great night skies up here because we are just far enough (about 65 miles from Tulsa and 12 miles from Bartlesville) to have dark skies,” Conner said, referencing the Night Sky program. “We’ve had a lot of success with our midnight New Year’s Eve hike (59 attended this year). Hiking in the dark is just so different. It is a completely different experience than during the day.
“At night, this is a great place for looking up at the sky. It is a wonderful experience.”
Osage Hills remains one of the best outdoor attractions in Oklahoma. It has eight cabins, a group camp, 20 RV sites and about 20 tent sites.
Plus, there are now two deluxe wall tents, with wooden floors and a wood stove for heat, for rent in the park.
“For $45 you move in for a night of camping without having to set up a tent,” said Conner. “They are new but already very popular. You have a spacious tent with cots and heat, but it is still camping. And the tents blend well into our woodland wilderness.”
Construction on the park roads, picnic areas, cabins and facilities started in 1935. The park was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the “parkitecture” style, meaning these are cabins built by hand from local stone and lumber.
The cabins were updated with all modern conveniences in the past 15 years.
The cabins and all of the facilities fit nicely into the wilderness of one of Oklahoma’s premier parks.
“We’ve been here 80 years, and thankfully this park has been well cared for,” said Conner. “Hopefully, we can continue to care for it for the next 80 years.
“This is a natural environment that is easy to access for people in northeast Oklahoma. It is peaceful, quiet and rustic. What we sell here is the great outdoors.”