Black Mesa State Park and Nature Preserve

Lake Carl Etling creates a small oasis in the Panhandle of Oklahoma.

Black Mesa State Park is near Boise City.

The Wedding Party rock formations near Black Mesa State Park.

The Black Mesa, in the Oklahoma Panhandle, offers a great diversity of vegetation and wildlife. Because of its proximity to the Rocky Mountain foothills, wildlife commonly associated with the Rockies is found here.

Black Mesa gets its name from the thick layer of black rock, left from a lava flow, that caps the mesa. The various layers of igneous rock, sand, gravel, sandstone and shale that form the mesa represent 140 million years of geological history.

The portion of the mesa that juts into Oklahoma lends its name to both a state park and a 1,600-acre wildlife refuge 15 miles from the park.

The nature preserve features an 8.4-mile hiking trail to the top of the mesa. At 4,973 feet, this is the state's highest elevation.

It is a birder's paradise with golden eagles, scaled quail, black-billed magpies and pinyon jays. Animals of the region include black bears, bobcats, mule deer and antelope.

No vehicles, horses or bicycles are permitted in the preserve.

The state park has 33 RV sites and more than 30 primitive campsites. The park abuts Lake Carl Etling, which offers excellent rainbow trout fishing.

Groups of 15 and individuals over 14-years old can enroll in a challenging ropes course that includes five elements, a zip line, climbing wall, a rappelling wall, and several low elements.

Kenton, where the park is located, is the only Oklahoma town that observes Mountain Time.

Access roads for both the preserve and the state park are off Route 325 between Boise City and Kenton.