Did you know there's a Salt Flat just 2.5-hour drive outside Tulsa at the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma?
What is the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge:
According to Travel OK, "It comprises salt leftover from an ocean that covered Oklahoma in prehistoric times." It is next to Salt Plains State Park, one of Oklahoma's most unique state parks. This refuge was established in 1930 for migratory and breeding birds. Over 315 species have been documented here. It is one of the most extensive salt flats within the central lowlands. It's also home to the world's largest concentration of Selenite Crystals.
We didn't plan to dig for Selenite Crystals:
Sen and I headed to the salt flat during a weekend in April 2022 to explore, take some photos and watch the sunset. We stumbled upon locals digging for Selenite Crystals, and this is the only place in the world where you can find hourglass-shaped Selenite Crystals. They look like this:
Since we didn't plan to dig for the crystals, we didn't bring any tools. We started by walking around the area and watching others dig. We talked to a couple of the visitors and learned more information about the crystals. Some parents brought their babies, tweens, or teens with shovels and buckets. However, we realized we didn't need many tools to dig for the crystals if we didn't care about their sizes and just enjoyed the activity. We had so much fun after we started digging and collecting many crystals.
The crystals have sharp edges, so I used the smaller ones I found next to dig sites to dig for larger ones to avoid getting hurt.
What is Selenite Crystals good for?
"Selenite is said to be a powerful healing crystal that promotes peace and calm, mental clarity, and well-being. It's also believed by some that this crystal can remove negative energy and help you connect to higher realms." according to Healthline.com
When is the digging season?
The digging season is open from April 1 to October 15, from sunrise to sunset, and is free for everyone in designated areas, so make sure to care for the signs. The dig area is closed for the rest of the year to protect endangered Whooping Cranes migrating through, which you can watch year-round from the open observation tower.
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, "Visitors are permitted to remove up to 10 pounds of crystals, plus one large cluster for personal use."
As we get into the summer season, bring lots of water with you to avoid being dehydrated!
Address:
66003 Garvin Road, Cherokee, OK 73728
Parking:
There was plenty of free parking right outside of the dig site.
What about leaving no trace?
This time, it's actually good that people are making big holes in the salt flat! According to National Geographic, "The dig sites they create provide essential room and board for hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds that stop here, such as snowy plovers and interior least terns. They build nests on top of the mounds of dirt and feast on the brine flies that hatch in the water-filled craters before continuing on their way."
What else can we do at the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge?
There are plenty of other things to do at this refuge, like hunting, fishing, birding, and of course, photography! The Great Salt Plains State Park is also right "next door," with hiking trails, a lake to swim in, etc. Sen and I only stayed at the dig site and waited to watch the sunset.
We didn't see much wildlife during our weekend visit other than these birds.
We had a great time digging crystals and watching the sunset. It would be interesting to come back during the migrating season to see the Whooping Cranes and other bird species and check out other locations of this refuge.
