After hearing about a spectacular a waterfall in Oklahoma’s Arbuckle Mountains, I wondered what to do at Turner Falls with kids. After some research and experiencing the waterfall with our family, these tips will help you know what to do at Turner Falls with kids.
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I live only a few hours from Turner Falls, Oklahoma. Despite the close distance, I only recently heard about this beautiful location. We finally made the trek up to the falls and were rewarded with a day of beauty and fun in the outdoors.
Why You Should Make a Reservation Online
It may be tempting to save a convenience fee and pay at the gate at Turner Falls. However, it may sell out. The website is updated to say when the park is full and they are no longer allowing entrance. On weekends and holidays, it will definitely be full.
There are crowds of people here so don’t expect a nice quiet day in the woods. However, from the blue pools to the falls is nearly a mile of river, so people will spread out throughout the area. You’ll be able to find a spot for your family to enjoy the river.
How to Get There and Where to Stay
From the DFW area, Turner Falls is 2-3 hours depending on where you live. We headed straight north of Fort Worth and were there in 2 hours.
It is possible to do a day trip from DFW. It would be a long day and we wanted to relax a bit so we spent the night near the falls before our visit.
Davis is a super small town just outside of Turner Falls. There are accommodation options here. However, we wanted to stay close by using our hotel points so the biggest town is Ardmore, about 30 minutes from the falls. In Ardmore, there are several hotels right off the freeway and a Wal-mart in town for all your last minute needs.
How Much Does it Cost?
In the summer, Turner Falls costs $14 for adults and $7 for kids 6-12. The winter rates (Oct 1-Apr 30) are $5 per person over 5.
As a budget traveler, it did seem like a high cost for an outdoor adventure. However, once we arrived, I realized it would be an all-day event at a gorgeous location with basic needed amenities. It is well worth the cost for the adventures we had.
What to Bring
Life Jacket
You MUST have a life jacket for every kid under 12. My 11-year old son was not happy about this, since it has been years since he’s worn a life jacket. But the rangers did police this rule. All kids are expected to wear a life jacket at all times even on the shore of the river. The river is slippery with unknown footing. It can be shallow in one place a deep in the next step. The current can be unexpected. This is for the safety of your children and is a non-negotiable rule.
Our favorite life jacket for kids 2-8 is the puddle jumpers. For a kid 8-12 get a life jacket here.
There are no life jacket rentals anywhere in the park. If you forget, you will be subjected to BUY a life jacket at the little gift shop for $30 (any size).
Picnic Lunch
We brought a small picnic lunch and some food. But when we arrived we discovered that many people haul in much, much more. Watermelons, coolers, large boxes of foods, even a BBQ grill were hauled to the falls. Make your party as big or easy as you’d like!
Water Shoes
Water shoes are a must! The ground in the river is slippery and the footing is unknown. My kids who only had flipflops kept losing them in the current. I think even water socks will not have enough support to help have fun in the river. Grab some shoes here.
Towels
Although the heat and humidity make you feel warm the minute you step out of the water, you may want some towels. Use them to dry off or wipe your feet before jumping in the car. Grab our favorite absorbent, but fast-drying, easy to clean towels AND lightweight for travel towel here.
Don’t forget the sunscreen!
You may also want to bring some of these items we saw at the falls.
- Hammock
- BBQ grill
- Music Speaker
- Table
- Chairs
- Pool floats
- Beach toys
- Cooler
- wagon or stroller
- sunglasses
- Piggyback Rider
Where to Park
The lower parking lot with a few parking spots is closest to the falls. But if you don’t arrive in the first hour of the day, you will most likely be parking in the upper lot.
From the Upper lot, there is a shuttle on an old-school bus down to the lower parking lot. Or you can trek down some stairs to the lower lot to head to the falls.
What to Do at Turner Falls with Kids
The best part about Turner Falls is there is no right or wrong way to explore and discover. It is the great outdoors with beautiful scenery and creative options for fun in many different spots along the river.
As you pull into to pay at the booths, you will be waiting by the blue pool area. Here, you’ll see a giant slide and diving board into deeper water. You’ll also find a sandy beach area as well as boulder river bottoms.
At the Falls
Our family drove past the blue pool area, to the parking lot. We then walked all the way to the falls first to get a feel for what we could see and do. We were glad we brought our lunch because we wanted to play for a while at the falls.
At the falls, we enjoyed swimming across the deep water in front of the falls, playing at the sand beach, jumping off rocks and enjoying the view of the falls from the footbridge across the river.
At the falls, a truck pulled train riding around. I’m not sure how to get a ride on this since we were distracted by the river, but it may be the perfect thing for a toddler.
There are restrooms near the falls beach area.
Along the River
After getting our fill of the gorgeous falls, we slowly made our way down the river, pausing for any fun or area that grabbed our interest. We found a rock to jump into deep water.
Nearly to the Blue Pool, we found a swing set to swing on {watch for ants!}.
The river walking was difficult for my toddler, we mostly took the road walkway as the 5,8 and 11-year-old walked downstream. A baby in a carrier would also be challenging since the footing is unsure unless you have really good shoes for the water.
Visit The Castle
When we were nice and wet, we took a break to explore the castle.
The stairs from the upper lot lead through a home {castle} built in the style of a European castle. The castle is a fun, dilapidated building to explore from the bottom or the top.
From the falls or the lower lot, you have to climb up to see the castle. The stairs are steep and not well maintained. Still, I think the various building to climb in or on and explore are worth the small trek.
Playing At the Blue Pools
Finally, we made it down to the Blue pool. We spent the rest of our time here, jumping off the diving board, playing on another beach and a few of us even braved the steep slide.
There are restrooms at the trading post near the blue pool area.
Camping
If you plan to camp at Turner Falls, you will have to pay entrance to the Falls for every day you will be in the park before 8 pm or after 6 am.
Food and Gift Shop at Turner Falls
At Turner Falls there is a small gift shop and trading post. At the trading post and one other foodstand you can find food to purchase. With limited availability, high prices and the distance from the store to the falls, I would recommend bringing a picnic.
The outdoor food stand also sells water shoes, floats, and other water necessities. Like any location, you will pay more for it inside the park.
Now you know exactly what to do at Turner Falls with kids. Anything else I should add?
Need more to do in the area, check out 75 Days of Summer in DFW.
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