Like a Wild West bathhouse town that learned to love hiking
Medicine Park: 48-Hour Escape from Oklahoma City
Oklahoma's first resort town, a cobblestone village of 400 at the gate of a bison refuge.
Medicine Park: Oklahoma's first resort town, a cobblestone village of 400 at the gate of a bison refuge.
At a glance
Medicine Park, Oklahoma is a 1 hr 25 min drive from Oklahoma City, best visited April-May, September-October. Like a Wild West bathhouse town that learned to love hiking. Top things to do: Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Bath Lake, Holy City. Where to eat: The Old Plantation Restaurant, Meers Store & Creamery, Lawton's restaurant row. Stay at Cobblestone cottages in the village or Lake Lawtonka cabins and rentals.
75
of 100
Escape score
A solid 48 hours
A modest weekend: reasonable rooms, plenty to do.
- Drive
- 1 hr 25 min from Oklahoma City
- Best window
- April-May, September-October
- Typical stay
- ~$147/night
Escape score: what there is to do and eat (40%), typical weekend lodging cost (30%), drive time (25%), rounding (5%). Computed from our own guide data, never from paid placement.
Why here
Medicine Park was built in 1908 as Oklahoma's first resort town, a health retreat in the Wichita Mountains where cabins went up in native red cobblestone and visitors came by train to swim in Bath Lake. The railroad stopped coming a long time ago, the town shrank to about 400 people, and then Oklahomans rediscovered it. Today the same cobblestone cottages are galleries, cabins, and porch bars, and the swimming hole at the center of town still has a diving rock.
The real draw is what surrounds it. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge starts at the town's edge, 59,000 acres of granite and prairie where bison, Texas longhorn, elk, and prairie dogs live behind the fence line, and the 2,464-foot summit of Mount Scott has a paved road to one of the best views in the state. Holy City, a rock shrine built into a granite hollow in the 1920s, sits a few minutes south. Meers, a 1901 mining store with a burger counter, is ten minutes up the road.
A weekend here is a hike-and-swim weekend. Swim at Bath Lake in the afternoon, drive Mount Scott for sunset, and spend the next morning on the refuge trails looking for bison. Eat a Meers burger and a slice of cobbler, and sleep in a cobblestone cottage. Come in spring for the wildflowers and the buffalo calves, or October for cool mornings. Two nights is right, and holiday weekends fill the village months ahead.
The plan
48 hours in Medicine Park
Same town, two different weekends. Pick the arrival that matches your Friday.
Friday, on arrival
Check inCobblestone cottages in the village
From ~$165/night
The 1908 stone cabins, rebuilt inside and rented nightly, most within a two-minute walk of Bath Lake and the restaurant strip. The whole point of the...
Leave Oklahoma City after work: the 1 hr 25 min drive lands you here in the evening.
Friday night
Dinner, then the main streetThe Old Plantation Restaurant
A 1910 cobblestone landmark serving hand-cut steaks, catfish, and southern sides in a dining room that has been feeding this town for generations. The...
Eat first and walk it off after. Most small-town kitchens stop seating by 9.
Saturday morning
First stopWichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Free entry. A 59,000-acre refuge with free-roaming bison, longhorn, and elk, plus prairie dog towns, Charon's Garden boulders, and the paved drive up...
Saturday midday
LunchMeers Store & Creamery
Ten minutes north, a 1901 mining store with a long line, a legendary longhorn beef burger, and peach cobbler. Cash-friendly, no reservations, worth th...
Saturday afternoon
Second stopBath Lake
Free. The spring-fed swimming hole at the center of the village, ringed by cobblestone walls with a diving rock and a lawn, warm enough to swim May th...
Saturday night
DinnerLawton's restaurant row
Fifteen minutes south on Cache Road, the nearest full-service dining when the village kitchens close early, including the Korean and German spots loca...
Sunday morning
Last stop, then homeHoly City
Free, donations welcome. A 1920s rock shrine built into a granite hollow south of town, with stone terraces, a chapel, and a short walk to the overloo...
1 hr 25 min back to Oklahoma City still leaves you the afternoon.
Timings are a suggestion, not a schedule. Shift the whole plan by how late you leave.
The Basecamp
Where to stay in Medicine Park
Cobblestone cottages in the village
The 1908 stone cabins, rebuilt inside and rented nightly, most within a two-minute walk of Bath Lake and the restaurant strip. The whole point of the trip.
Lake Lawtonka cabins and rentals
Waterfront and near-water cabins five minutes west, with decks, boat access, and room for a group. The lake-morning pick.
Lawton hotels
Standard chain hotels 15 minutes south, for travelers who want a pool and a late check-in after a long drive. The practical base.
What to do
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Free entry. A 59,000-acre refuge with free-roaming bison, longhorn, and elk, plus prairie dog towns, Charon's Garden boulders, and the paved drive up Mount Scott for the best sunset in southwest Oklahoma.
Bath Lake
Free. The spring-fed swimming hole at the center of the village, ringed by cobblestone walls with a diving rock and a lawn, warm enough to swim May through September.
Holy City
Free, donations welcome. A 1920s rock shrine built into a granite hollow south of town, with stone terraces, a chapel, and a short walk to the overlook. Quiet, odd, and worth twenty minutes.
Pack for Medicine Park
River & paddle kit
Curated for swimming holes, float trips, and slow rivers in Medicine Park.
Waterproof phone pouch
Lanyard-sealed, touchscreen-friendly, and cheap enough to distrust.
See price on Amazon →Inflatable paddle board
Rolls into a backpack, floats all day on flat water.
See price on Amazon →Quick-dry water shoes
For rocky put-ins, gravel bars, and hot parking lots.
See price on Amazon →Floating sunglasses retainer
Because the river keeps every pair it is given.
See price on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, book2escape earns from qualifying purchases.
Where to eat
The Old Plantation Restaurant
A 1910 cobblestone landmark serving hand-cut steaks, catfish, and southern sides in a dining room that has been feeding this town for generations. The special-occasion dinner.
Meers Store & Creamery
Ten minutes north, a 1901 mining store with a long line, a legendary longhorn beef burger, and peach cobbler. Cash-friendly, no reservations, worth the wait.
Lawton's restaurant row
Fifteen minutes south on Cache Road, the nearest full-service dining when the village kitchens close early, including the Korean and German spots locals drive in for.
Most reviewed on Yelp
The most-reviewed restaurants in Medicine Park. A solid indicator of where locals actually eat.
The Old Plantation Restaurant
Seafood
Chad’s El Sabores Mexican Restaraunt
Mexican
The Healthy Hippie Cafe & Bar
Vegan
Review counts and ratings are curated from Yelp and may change over time.
On the calendar
Coming up in Medicine Park
Events happening in town, refreshed weekly.
Refreshed weekly
Dec 5
Medicine Park Christmas Parade
Medicine Park · Downtown Medicine Park
Celebrate the holiday season with a festive small-town parade winding through the historic cobblestone streets. Visitors can enjoy holiday entertainment, local shopping, and the town's unique winter atmosphere.
Getting there
Drive logistics
From Oklahoma City, take I-44 southwest to US-62 west toward Lawton, then OK-49 north into Medicine Park. About 85 miles, roughly 1 hour 25 minutes. Parking is tight in the village on summer weekends, so arrive before 10am. The refuge entrance is 5 minutes west, Meers 10 minutes north, and Lawton 15 minutes south.
Drive time
1 hr 25 min
Best time
April-May, September-October
Questions & Answers
Medicine Park weekend FAQ
Medicine Park is about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, roughly 1 hour 25 minutes via I-44 and US-62 toward Lawton.
Yes. At 1 hour 25 minutes, Medicine Park is the best mountain-and-swimming weekend from Oklahoma City, with cobblestone cottages, Bath Lake, and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge at the town's edge.
Yes, almost always. The 59,000-acre refuge holds a free-roaming herd of about 650 bison along with Texas longhorn and elk, and the scenic drives and Mount Scott road pass through the grazing areas.
It was Oklahoma's first resort town, founded in 1908, and is built almost entirely of native red cobblestone. It is also the gateway village to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and Bath Lake.
Yes. A cobblestone cottage, a swim at Bath Lake, a sunset drive up Mount Scott, a Meers burger, and a porch evening are about as easy as a romantic weekend gets.
Sometimes. Spring and fall weekends book out weeks ahead and holiday weekends fill early, but Lawton has chain hotels 15 minutes south that almost always have rooms.
The Dispatch
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