We recently spent five days in Altus, Oklahoma while on our 5 year, 50 state road trip.
Altus is a city in southwest Oklahoma which is home to an Air Force base. It’s not really a tourist destination, but we still found plenty of things to enjoy during our time there.
In case you ever find yourself in this city in the Western Prairie region, here’s our list of six fun things to do in Altus, Oklahoma.
1) Hike Up Quartz Mountain
Quartz Mountain Nature Park is about 20 minutes to the north of Altus and is somewhere you can go camping, swimming and hiking.
We hiked the New Horizon trail up Quartz Mountain and highly recommend doing that. There’s no set trail to take – you just sort of find your own way up to the top.
It gets pretty steep at times, so you’ll need to make sure you have good footwear.
The effort is worth it though as there are beautiful views all the way up…
…and once you reach the top.
Check out our post about hiking the New Horizon trail to find out more.
2) Swim In Lake Altus
At the foot of Quartz Mountain is Lake Altus. Lake Altus is a reservoir that’s about 10 sq miles and has almost 50 miles of shore line. There’s a long beach area along one section of it, so it’s the perfect spot for swimming after hiking up Quartz Mountain.
3) Wildlife Spotting At Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Less than an hour’s drive east of Altus is Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. We stopped there on our way from Altus to Dallas and wish we’d had time to spend longer there.
One of the main reasons is because of their prairie dog town. There’s a fence preventing you from walking over to them, but they still hang out incredibly close to the fence. Getting to be so close to them in their natural habitat was amazing as they’re so cute.
In addition to prairie dogs, the wildlife refuge has bison roaming freely. We’d seen some from a distance while driving through, but they were too far to get any good photos. We were lucky enough to find another herd a little further along that ended up crossing the road right in front of us.
There are all kinds of trails there, so they’re probably another great way to see more of the wildlife. We sadly didn’t have time to go hiking there, but would love to return in the future.
4) Relax At Great Plains State Park
Just before you get to Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, you’ll pass by Great Plains State Park. We’d planned to spend all afternoon there one day, but had to leave early to take our dog to the vet.
We did get to spend an hour there relaxing by Tom Steed Reservoir before heading to the vet. It’s a quiet and relaxing location, so perfect if you’re looking for somewhere to get away from it all.
There’s a swimming beach area at the reservoir with trees helping provide some shade.
5) Eat At The Cotton Pickin’ Chili Cookoff
Our time in Altus coincided perfectly with the 24th annual Cotton Pickin’ Chili Cookoff that took place on October 6, 2018.
The way it works is that you pay $5 and you’re given a small container for chili samples and a spoon. You then walk around the 50+ vendors and sample as much chili as you possibly can. We only managed to try about 25-30 as we were so full, plus we had to check out of our hotel shortly after.
You’re also given a slip of paper to vote for your favorite chili. I voted for the chili made by the Altus Fire Department; it was the first one we tried and was incredible – meaty, flavorful and spicy.
Shae loved that one too, but she voted for a chili made by someone called Kendra McConnaha. Kendra had created a Dr Pepper infused chili which was topped with sprinkles and a savory donut.
If you happen to be in Altus in the fall, check out the Cotton Pickin’ Chili Cookoff but be sure to arrive hungry!
6) Tour The Museum Of The Western Prairie
Before heading to the chili competition, we visited the Museum of the Western Prairie.
The museum tells the history of the region of southwest Oklahoma that Altus is found in. It’s an interesting small museum that’s definitely worth the $4 ticket price.
Question
Those are six fun things to do in Altus that we enjoyed during our stay there. If you live in Altus or have visited there before, what would you recommend? Let us know in the comments below.
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