Woods: Dunes, Museums and History

Discover Woods through its striking contrasts: motorized activities take center stage on the sand dunes, while museums and historic markers tell stories of settlement, railroads, and regional work. Sandhills WMA also lends the landscape a distinctive character with its sand hills and river bottomland. You can tailor your trip to the nature experiences and cultural themes that matter most to you.

Dunes and Sand Hills

At Little Sahara State Park, riding dune buggies and ATVs across the sand dunes is the main attraction. The park covers more than 1,600 acres of dunes, ranging from 25 to 75 feet high. Visitors can use RV sites with water, electricity, and sewer hookups, tent sites, picnic areas, and restrooms. These figures convey the scale of the dune area, while the listed amenities complement its active focus with options for camping and picnicking.

Sandhills WMA in southeastern Woods County offers a different landscape: it covers 5,212 acres and consists mostly of rolling sand hills, along with about 1,500 acres of river bottomland. An area for primitive camping is designated along the main road, about 0.25 miles from the entrance. Comparing it with Little Sahara can help you choose what interests you: dune riding and park amenities here, versus a landscape of sand hills and river bottomland with a designated primitive camping area there.

Museums: Natural History, Railroads, and Local History

The NWOSU Museum of Natural History was founded in 1902 by Professor G. W. Stevens, who headed the biology department. It is the second-oldest museum in Oklahoma and has more than 6,000 cataloged objects. If you are interested in natural history, you will find a collection whose size can be expressed in a specific number. The Cherokee Strip Museum also explores the history of the Cherokee Outlet and Alva: its 40 rooms present both subjects. The museum is housed in a former hospital building dating from 1932.

The Cherokee Strip Museum also hosts regular programs and educational events, including blacksmithing workshops and living history demonstrations. A different historical focus awaits at the Waynoka Air Rail Museum. It is located in a complex that includes a Harvey House and a Santa Fe depot; the depot dates from 1910. The exhibits cover Transcontinental Air Transport, the Santa Fe Railroad, and Fred Harvey. The museum is located on the BNSF main line, where 50 to 100 trains pass daily.

Markers and Stories from Alva and Freedom

In Alva, the Centennial Wall commemorates the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in 1893. It stands at the southeast corner of the Woods County Courthouse. The Cherokee Strip historic marker marks the site of the first land office in the Cherokee Outlet. The two places highlight different aspects: one commemorates the opening of the area, while the other marks a specific site in its administrative history. The Cherokee Strip Museum complements these themes with its account of the history of Alva and the Cherokee Outlet.

Freedom is also linked to the history of cattle ranching: the marker The Cimarron Cowboy in American Legion Park commemorates the cowboys and ranchers who established and developed that industry in the Cimarron Country of northwestern Oklahoma. Another historical point of interest is the Battle of Turkey Springs marker on US-64, two miles east of Camp Houston. It stands at a site where the last known encounter in Oklahoma between Indigenous groups and the federal government took place on September 13 and 14, 1878.

Experiences for Different Interests

Each year, the Alva Mural Society commissions one or two murals, adding a connection to mural art alongside the museum and marker themes. Bradt’s Menagerie in Alva offers an agritourism experience for children and adults; visiting hours may vary by season, so check them before you arrive. Alabaster Caverns State Park offers guided tours of Alabaster Cavern every hour on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Check the schedule before your visit.

When looking for a vacation rental, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on: dune riding and park amenities, museums and historic sites, or landscapes and primitive camping.

Discover more destinations: Logan County, Cherokee, Pontotoc, Latimer County, Cotton County, Ottawa, and Mayes County.

Discover Alva too.

For the broader travel overview: Oklahoma.