A gem of a park sits in the Arbuckle Mountains just north of North Texas
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
There’s just something enthralling about waterfalls. Rivers may be wider, deeper, longer. But there’s just something dramatic about water rushing toward that precipice and falling.
Turner Falls is less than two hours north of Dallas and is the most dramatic waterfall in the area.
Niagara Falls is wider — so wide, in fact, that the Niagara River splits and falls in two countries as the New York Falls and the Canadian Falls. But the best view of either falls is from the Canadian side, and Canada doesn’t want us visiting right now.
Angel Falls is higher. That Venezuelan waterfall plunges more than 2,600 feet and is the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall. Getting there is problematic.
Turner Falls, in Davis, Okla., however, is right off I-35 in the middle of the Arbuckle Mountains, making it the perfect day trip.
While not as mighty as some of the world’s highest or widest waterfalls, Turner Falls is impressive on its own terms. The clear, emerald green water tumbles 77 feet in what’s known as a fan-type falls. That means that rather than hit the cliff as a single chute of water, it spreads out across the rocks above and, in this case, descends as four separate streams.
Turner Falls was discovered in 1878 and named after the man who settled in the area and discovered it. The nearby city of Davis acquired the area in 1919 and turned it into a city park. In 1950, Davis leased the park out but then re-acquired the property and has operated it again since 1978.
The falls empties into a pool that flows out into a stream. Although I was there in October, people were still swimming in the stream. And the stream flows over the road that leads to the parking lot closest to the falls.
Park in the first lot inside the park if you don’t want to drive through running water. Foot bridges cross above the stream that runs through the park, and a horse-drawn carriage offers another way to cross the flooded roadway without your car.
And while at Turner Falls, don’t miss the castle. Climb up a steep flight of steps to the stone structure built in the early 1930s by a professor at “Oklahoma University,” according to a sign — presumably today’s University of Oklahoma in Norman. The castle was his summer home.
The architecture style is based on that of old English castles with turrets, winding staircases, low ceilings, parapets and outdoor stairs that lead to higher levels and additional rooms. We took an hour to climb stairs and explore the mountainside that the castle is built into.
In addition to viewing Turner Falls from the base, one of the best views is from outside the park at 777Zip on Highway 77 just before the park entrance. From there, you can see Honey Creek as it flows to the precipice and tumbles over the rocks into the pool below. Get a great panoramic view of the area right from the parking lot.
And for those who love heights — and I don’t — take the 777Zip zip line across the canyon and over Turner Falls Park. This is not the usual zip line that requires some strength and daring. Here, riders are strapped into a seat that zips 1,444 feet across.
777Zip is open Thursday to Monday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and costs $15 for a single rider and $25 for two. A single rider must weigh less than 300 pounds and two riders no more than 450 pounds combined.
Reservations aren’t available. And leave cameras, wallets, phones and anything else that can fall out of your pockets in the car. If you don’t have someone to take your picture soaring toward the opposite mountain, a video and pictures are automatically taken, Six Flags-style, and are available for purchase at the gift shop or later online.
Turner Falls Park is open 6 a.m.-midnight. Tickets are $16 during the summer and $6 from October through April. Online tickets are available and ensure entry, especially around holidays when the park hits maximum capacity, but advance tickets are not normally necessary.
Overnight camping and cabins are available. Reservations are required.
From Dallas or Fort Worth, take I-35 north to exit 47 in Davis. Make a left on Highway 77, go about 4 miles, following the signs, make a sharp left into the park.