Hello all, didn't know where else to post this, but I have lived in the OKC metro my whole life and been pretty much everywhere in OK except for the northwest. Would like to take the wife to visit Black Mesa but don't know what the fastest route is and what other stops there are to check out along the way. I am prepared for a long drive. Anyone ever been that can offer tips or good stops along the way or at whats at Black Mesa if anything.

Hello all, didn't know where else to post this, but I have lived in the OKC metro my whole life and been pretty much everywhere in OK except for the northwest. Would like to take the wife to visit Black Mesa but don't know what the fastest route is and what other stops there are to check out along the way. I am prepared for a long drive. Anyone ever been that can offer tips or good stops along the way or at whats at Black Mesa if anything.

I recently took a really pointless road trip to use up vacation time before I lost it at the end of our fiscal year. From Arlington TX I drove to Manhattan KS; the next day was from Manhattan to Colby KS (look up "Godforsaken" in the dictionary); the next day was from Colby KS to Black Mesa State Park, specifically Black Mesa Bed and Breakfast.

This was on 2-8-10. My drive to BMB&B was through the beginnings of what would become one of the east coasts blizzards a few days later. Almost whiteout conditions for the whole drive. Black Mesa is about 37 miles west of Boise City OK. That 37 miles was as empty as anything I had seen so far, but around one bend the whole Cimmaron Valley opens up in front of you. That day it was frosted in white, easily my favorite part of that road trip! I only stayed overnight at the B&B before moving on, so I didn't have any chance to explore, but I saw enough to know I want to go back.

If you want to go a little further, I'd recommend Palo Duro Canyon State Park, just south of Amarillo. About 4 hrs south of Black Mesa. Then you're already on I-40 foir a straight shot back to OKC.

Enjoy your trip and give us a report when you return!

Black Mesa is about 37 miles west of Boise City OK. That 37 miles was as empty as anything I had seen so far, but around one bend the whole Cimmaron Valley opens up in front of you.

This is so true! It's hard to describe the miles and miles of nothing but sagebrush. From horizon to horizon, about the only trees you'll see are the ones that have been planted around the few farmhouses in the area. About the time you start to think that there's NO WAY anything could be out here, as skyrick said, suddenly there it is! I wish there were a shorter way to get out to the Black Mesa area because it truly is one of Oklahoma's great treasures, but there's not. For what it's worth, there are some cool things to see in the northwestern part of Oklahoma that don't require driving all the way out to Black Mesa. My wife and I just got back from a mini-trip to the area. We stayed in Woodward for a couple of days, then moved to a cabin at the Great Salt Plains. Over the first two days, we visited the Gloss Mountains, the windmill farm in Shattuck, Covington Cycles in Woodward, Boiling Springs State Park (they're reworking the walkway around the springs, so there's not much to see there right now), and took a tour of Alabaster Caverns. We could have taken a dune buggy ride at Little Sahara, but opted to come back in warmer weather. From there, we moved to the Great Salt Plains State Park where we stayed in one of their updated cabins and prowled around the area. Before coming back home to OKC, we drove across to Ponca City, ate at the Head Country BBQ restaurant, and toured the Marland Mansion. My wife had never seen much of Oklahoma, so we've been taking trips like this just so I can show her what Oklahoma has to offer. We're supposed to go to Colorado this summer for a family reunion. I'm planning on making the drive up through Black Mesa then so she can cross that off her list. This is a little thing, but had never seen antelope in the wild before until the first time I went out to Black Mesa.

This is so true! It's hard to describe the miles and miles of nothing but sagebrush. From horizon to horizon, about the only trees you'll see are the ones that have been planted around the few farmhouses in the area. About the time you start to think that there's NO WAY anything could be out here, as skyrick said, suddenly there it is! I wish there were a shorter way to get out to the Black Mesa area because it truly is one of Oklahoma's great treasures, but there's not. For what it's worth, there are some cool things to see in the northwestern part of Oklahoma that don't require driving all the way out to Black Mesa. My wife and I just got back from a mini-trip to the area. We stayed in Woodward for a couple of days, then moved to a cabin at the Great Salt Plains. Over the first two days, we visited the Gloss Mountains, the windmill farm in Shattuck, Covington Cycles in Woodward, Boiling Springs State Park (they're reworking the walkway around the springs, so there's not much to see there right now), and took a tour of Alabaster Caverns. We could have taken a dune buggy ride at Little Sahara, but opted to come back in warmer weather. From there, we moved to the Great Salt Plains State Park where we stayed in one of their updated cabins and prowled around the area. Before coming back home to OKC, we drove across to Ponca City, ate at the Head Country BBQ restaurant, and toured the Marland Mansion. My wife had never seen much of Oklahoma, so we've been taking trips like this just so I can show her what Oklahoma has to offer. We're supposed to go to Colorado this summer for a family reunion. I'm planning on making the drive up through Black Mesa then so she can cross that off her list. This is a little thing, but had never seen antelope in the wild before until the first time I went out to Black Mesa. Sounds like a pretty good trip. How was Covington Cycles?

Sounds like a pretty good trip. How was Covington Cycles?


Very low-key. I had forgotten that they were in Woodward. I'm trying to remember if they even had their name on their building. Their trailer was parked to the side and it had their logo on it, so I really should have noticed the shop before I did. We were actually enroute to somewhere else when I happened to spot the bikes out front. I gave them a quick glance at first, thinking it was just another bike shop, but did a double take when it sank in that those weren't regular motorcycles. The were REALLY nice bikes! That's when I remembered that Covington was in Woodward, so we did a u-turn and went back. We didn't go back into the shop area. We just admired the bikes in the showroom, bought a couple of t-shirts, and headed on to our original destination. The bikes were sweet!

Very low-key. I had forgotten that they were in Woodward. I'm trying to remember if they even had their name on their building. Their trailer was parked to the side and it had their logo on it, so I really should have noticed the shop before I did. We were actually enroute to somewhere else when I happened to spot the bikes out front. I gave them a quick glance at first, thinking it was just another bike shop, but did a double take when it sank in that those weren't regular motorcycles. The were REALLY nice bikes! That's when I remembered that Covington was in Woodward, so we did a u-turn and went back. We didn't go back into the shop area. We just admired the bikes in the showroom, bought a couple of t-shirts, and headed on to our original destination. The bikes were sweet! Thanks..I have visited their website and I am very interested in buying one of their scooters. Just wondered what their shop was like.

You must see the great salt plains, you can dig up selenite crystals there for free and all you need is a shovel, bucket and water. There is also a nature presereve and trail there as well. Alabaster Caverns is a must see also. It is one of the largest gypsum caves in the world. Boiling Springs state park is pretty nice, but once you enter the panhandle it is a pretty flat and boring.

As far as the best way to travel there I would suggest Google maps. It allows you redraw the route any way you wish to see the spots along the way. The shortest route I saw was through the Texas panhandle at 7hr and 29min.

This is so true! It's hard to describe the miles and miles of nothing but sagebrush. From horizon to horizon, about the only trees you'll see are the ones that have been planted around the few farmhouses in the area.
I have come back through the panhandle a couple of times when Eastern Colorado was snowed in but I-25 North/South was still open. One thing that I have noticed is the telephone poles along the highway just seem to go on forever, it almost lulls you to sleep, the perspective seems to keep going.

If you're thinking the panhandle, I would heartily agree with the earlier comment about checking out the Palo Duro canyon south of Amarillo - it's really amazing. I snapped this photo on a camping trip there last year:

http://gallery.me.com/mikey1976#100028/5089_1169679808330_1418025122_454256_759774_n

I can highly recommend the Duster Inn Motel in Beaver, Oklahoma. Small and really nice.