News Release

Chickasaw National Recreation Area continues to increase recreational access

Date: June 2, 2020
Contact: Megan Wilkins, 5806227234

Sulphur, Okla. – Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Chickasaw National Recreation Area is increasing recreational access in accordance with Oklahoma’s “Open Up and Recover Safely” plan. The National Park Service (NPS) is working servicewide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.

Beginning Monday June 8, 2020, the following areas at Chickasaw National Recreation Area will become available:  

• Water access to Travertine Creek

• Northeast Perimeter Road will open to Bear Falls for day use only

• Rock Creek Campground sites 1 through 78

In addition, the following areas continue to be available:   

• Trails

• Boat Launches

• Fishing docks

• Picnic Areas

• Buckhorn Campground Loops C and D

• The Point Campground

The following facilities remain closed at this time:

• Buckhorn Campground Loops A and B

• Rock Creek Campground group campsite and sites 79 through 99

• Guy Sandy Campground

• Cold Springs Campground

• Central Campground

• Southeast Perimeter Road

• Northeast Perimeter Road east of Bear Falls, which includes the following areas:

  • Travertine Nature Center, Parking, and Restrooms

  • Little Niagara Parking Lot

“We will continue to make areas of the park accessible as staffing and continued COVID-19 mitigations allow,” says park superintendent Bill Wright. “The health and well-being of the public and our employees continues to be our top priority.

“We still want to stress the need to follow the CDC and Health Service guidelines for social distancing, maintaining smaller groups, and practicing good hygiene in order to continue to combat the spread of the virus.”

The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners continues to be paramount. We continue to work closely with the NPS Office of Public Health using CDC guidance to ensure public and workspaces are safe and clean for visitors, employees, partners, and volunteers.  

While these areas are accessible for visitors to enjoy, a return to full operations will continue to be phased and services may be limited. When recreating, the public should follow local area health orders, practice Leave No Trace principles, avoid crowding and avoid high-risk outdoor activities.

The CDC has offered guidance to help people recreating in parks and open spaces prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We will continue to monitor all park functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19, and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health.  

Details and updates on park operations will continue to be posted on our website www.nps.gov/chic and social media channels. Updates about NPS operations will be posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.