Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge hike
My family and I recently moved to Lawton, OK from Washington state. We love going for short family friendly hikes and most of them in Washington included waterfalls. The Lake Jed Johnson tower trail is only about 1.1 miles long and is considered easy and family friendly. If you have a dog it can come along but needs to remain on a leash the entire time.
We had tried to do this same hike a week ago but the trails were all closed after 10am due to extreme heat in the area. Well yesterday was wonderful with clouds and in the 80’s so we decided to go since the heat restrictions were lifted. I knew I wanted to go near sunset so my pictures would be great and my family wouldn’t be squinting from the harsh sun. hahhaha.
Short trip from home
We left our house around 7:20pm and arrived at the trail head around 7:45. Luckily it was nice and comfortable out because although we all brought water for the hike…only I remembered to actually grab mine from the car.
The trail is fun with some small climbs and hills to not be boring. Right away within probably 2 mins you arrive at a body of water. There is some shade along that area and lots of big boulders to sit on. Probably a great place to enjoy a lunch after your hike. There are no tables or garbage cans so make sure to pack out what you bring in. Oh and there are no restrooms available at the trail head or along the hike.
The Tower
When we got up to the Lake Jed Johnson tower (old fire watch tower) which was built in 1941 by the Civilian Conservation Corps we were just in awe of the surrounding beauty all around. With it being golden hour the sky was amazing and the landscape just like a painting. We made sure to get a family photo and several others to remember this hike. The Tower is closed off because it is believed to be unsound. It is sad that you could see graffiti inside of it’s upper window. Had we come a little earlier we would have walked down to the lake and up the hill more to climb some rocks.
Time to head back
The sun was quickly slipping away so after about 30 mins we made our way back down the trail. On our hike we passed 7 people total and one dog two leashed dogs.
Mini photo shoot fun
I highly recommend this short hike to other families and those who want to explore more of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. I don’t think I got even one mosquito bite. Those things love me. We had fun playing with my off camera flash and my Sony a6000 mirror less camera once we got back to the car. I bought this small compact camera for such a time as this. It can easily fit in a small purse along with the flash and reciver. It is light around my neck and I do not have to worry as much about it as my professional gear for my business. Here are some portraits. My oldest son held the flash and my daughter took a pic of me and hubby and of her youngest brother Zeke. I took the others.
I hope this post helps you decide if you want to go check out this hike or maybe find something a little more challenging. Feel free to leave me a message below. Thanks for stopping by.
Check out this fun hike we did to the famous Ape Caves in Washington state along with a hike up to June Lake.
“As an Amazon Associate when you buy through my affiliate links I do get a small percentage of the sale. Thank you for supporting me and my family in this way. I really appreciate all of it! Every penny counts.”