From prehistoric times to the present, a combination of cool water and breezes, mineral springs, deep shade, and rich wildlife have created a unique environment at what is now the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. The park is named to honor the Chickasaw Indian Nation, the original occupants of this land. The partially forested, rolling hills of south-central Oklahoma and its springs, streams, and lakes are the setting for swimming, boating, and fishing as well as picnicking, camping, and hiking. Many people come to drink the water from several mineral springs.

Chickasaw lies in a transition zone where the Eastern deciduous forest and the Western prairies meet. It has flora and fauna from both environments, and other flora and fauna specific to such transition areas. The view over Veterans Lake, especially beautiful at sunset, illustrates this transition.

More than 18 miles of trails provide everything from ten-minute saunters on quiet walkways to day-long excursions along the shoreline at Lake of the Arbuckles or Rock Creek. In the same hike, you can view intricate artistic rock work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps, catch a glimpse of a beaver building a dam, or a bison grazing on the prairie.

• Hike some of the 18 miles of trails through the mixed woods and prairies of this ecological transition zone.
• Watch bison grazing on the prairie, then take in the sunset over Veterans Lake.
• Enjoy classic examples of 1930's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) architectural craftsmanship and ingenuity in one of the largest and most intact designed landscapes of that period.