Tishomingo NWR, Oklahoma

The Tishomingo NWR in Oklahoma is just north of Lake Texoma. It is open seasonally and I had been waiting to do it all winter. There are a couple launch sites, but the Nida Point access is supposedly for canoes and kayaks. Another launch is on the other side of the lake where the headquarters is located; this location also allows camping. From Nida Point you can go south using a connecting stream into the Washita River, although there is a big logjam to portage around to get there. I went up the Washita River thinking I could do a loop but the channel back into the Cumberland Pool area was too sandy and shallow so I had to backtrack the same way I came. Once I portaged the logjam a second time I went into the main lake and down the same channel from a different direction. They say that in the Washita River area there is quicksand but I don’t know. Beavers are everywhere here, there are dozens of holes in the bank and sometimes they jump out when you paddle by. All in all a unique and beautiful place…and nobody else there.