Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own..
Cedar Bluff Nature Trail at Beavers Bend State Park is a 0.9 mile popular loop trail that’s located near Broken Bow, Oklahoma. The trail features elevations changes, a bluff, that overlooks a river, and beautiful displays of color during the fall color change season. According to AllTrails.com the trail is rated as moderate.
Cedar Bluff Nature Trail at Beavers Bend State Park – Location
My wife and I have hiked Cedar Bluff Nature Trail twice in the last year. The first time was at the end of October and it was difficult to find. We had to use the trail map provided by the park. Even then the trail was not easily seen from the road. There wasn’t a large sign. Just a small one near the trail head. On our last visit we could see the trail from the road. They added a huge wooden trail head sign above the trail entrance that can easily be seen from the road!
As to the location, the trailhead is across the street from the Dogwood Campground and near the miniature golf & kayak rental place on the Lower Mountain Fork River. There is parking along the road on each side.
Once on the trail, keep an eye out for the blue tree blazes and follow those. You will see trail crossing for Deer Crossing and Skyline. Those trails will have red tree blazes. Do not follow those paths unless you are looking to add extra miles to your hike.
Our Hike
As I mentioned before, my wife and have hiked this trail several times. This trail is steep with a few switchbacks (depending on which trail you take). Make sure to keep an eye out for the blue tree blazes. They can be difficult to spot. We missed a couple of them on our second trip and took the trail counter clockwise when the trail was designed to clockwise.
From the trail head, follow the path until you see a t intersection. There turn left and follow the tree blazes. From there you walk down into a small valley and gradually your elevation will rise. After a few minutes you will have the option to take switchbacks up or take another trail that is a little easier to get you to the bluff. Both trails are about the same distance. I’m sharing links to each hike.
The first visit was gloomy, cold and drizzling. But still a fun hike. The view at the top was impressive. But in October, no fall colors. Going up the steep incline wasn’t fun but it was short compared to other steep hill climb trails at Beavers Bend.
During our second visit we somehow missed the Tree Blazes and went directly to the bluff. So much easier that way. The view was beautiful but the sun was at the wrong angle making it difficult to see the fall colors. Although sources say fall colors at the parked during that week, I think if we gone the a week later the colors would have been better. We decided to finish the trail in reverse and found it much easier this way. The difficulty goes from moderate to easy this way,
Tips for Trail
- Cedar Bluff Nature Trail is a short trip and should only take about 30 minutes to an hour to complete. You still need to take a few precautions while on the trail.
- In the summer it gets hot so bring a bottle of water.
- If you are planning to spend the day on the trails. Wear sunscreen on any exposed skin. You can still burn under the trees and start burning in a very short amount of time.
- Wear sturdy shoes. While on the trail we saw women in fancy duck boots and other shows that do not belong on a hiking trail. No sandals or canvas style shoes. I saw several guys wearing them and they offer no support or protection against rocks. Trekking poles are optional. They aren’t needed unless you just need them. I only used them when climbing down the trail on several slick and rocky spots.
- Make sure to use AllTrails to track your progress and keep you on route for the trip. I suggest getting the pro version so can download the map and use it offline. As long as your phone/tablet has GPS it should keep track of your location the trail map.
Follow me on AllTrails for all the trails I visit and review. I don’t always share my hiking adventures here, or share them right away.
About the Images
Some images were shot early on a gloomy and damp afternoon. Others were shot on a sunny afternoon causing glare and what washing the images. I had some issues getting the images to stay in focus and removing noise from the images. I was able to fix some of the issues in post. I used my Sony a6000 using my Sony SELP18105G E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS. I then edited the images with Adobe Lightroom CC and Topaz Labs Denoise AI and Topaz Labs Sharpen AI and DXO NIK Collection.
I also used my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Snapseed for some of the images shared here.
I will be adding more images soon.
About James
Leave a Reply