Who, What, & Where Age levels: All ages Activities: fishing, swimming, canoeing, camping, hiking, interpretive programs Hours from Dallas: 2.5

Beaver's Bend — north of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, on the Mountain Fork River — has been a hideout for summer-weary Texans since the days when Sam Houston himself was sweating out sultry Lone Star summers.

Kids love the paddle boats and huge war canoes there, some of which hold a dozen people or more. On hotter days, kids will appreciate the snake exhibit at the nature center, or an afternoon at the swimming beach. The water of the Mountain Fork is supercooled by regular releases from Broken Bow Dam.

Canoeing the Mountain Fork
near Broken Bow, Oklahoma

While kids splash and sunburn, old folks flock to the designated trout stream section, where tales of six-pound brown trout beckon to fishermen from beneath the cool, clear water.

Canoe rentals are available, and park interpretive programs appeal to visitors of all ages. Stay the weekend in a rented cabin, tent camp, or hook up the RV.

Go Guide: Beaver's Bend State Park Getting there: Take US 75 north from Dallas to the intersection of US 70 at Durant, Oklahoma. Take US 70 east to Idabel, Oklahoma, then US 259 to the Beaver's Bend park entrance north of Broken Bow. Reference: For Beaver's Bend State Park brochures, call (580) 494-6300, or send a request to: information@beaversbend.com. Added value: Hiking on the David Boren Trail through the tall pines of the Ouachita Mountains in Beaver's Bend State Park. Contact: Broken Bow Chamber of Commerce, (405) 584-3393, or visit www.pine-net.com/bow/chamber.htm.

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