Established: July 1^st, 1902

Area: 9,899 acres

Visitors (2011): 1,212,139

The Chickasaw National Recreation Area preserves partially forested hills of south-central Oklahoma near Sulphur. Named to honor the Chickasaw Indian Nation, who were relocated to the area from the Southeastern United States during the 1830s (and who later sold the original 640 acres of land for the park to the Federal government), the park’s springs, streams, and lakes provide opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing, picnicking, camping, and hiking, among other activities. As part of the Chickasaw tribe’s arrangement with the U.S. government, the park does not charge an admission fee.