Ouachita Wilderness: Beavers Bend, Robbers Cave & Talimena

A Hochatown institution that draws Beavers Bend visitors from across the state — wood-fired pizzas in a laid-back timber-frame setting a few minutes from the park entrance. The outdoor deck fills up fast in summer; the Grateful Dead-themed walls have their own following.

The Mountain Fork River runs cold and clear through a narrow canyon of eastern red cedar, shortleaf pine, and flowering dogwood. Canoe and kayak rentals are available at the park's Beaver Hut outfitter — the 5-mile float from the dam to the lower launch is the best afternoon on any Oklahoma river.

A well-regarded grill near the park serving steaks, ribs, and burgers to the Hochatown crowd — one of the better dinner options in the Broken Bow corridor, with a patio facing the pine hills.

The cave system at Robbers Cave was reportedly a hideout for Jesse James and Belle Starr — the guided tours navigate tight passages through a sandstone maze that opens into chambers large enough to host the outlaw gatherings the legends describe. The scramble up and over the cave exterior boulders is the best free-climbing in Oklahoma.

Use the afternoon to explore a different side of Robbers Cave — Cave Tours & Scramble — there's more to discover beyond the morning highlights.

A home-cooking restaurant in Wilburton, the Latimer County seat — chicken-fried steak, green beans cooked with ham, and cornbread. The pies are made daily.

Use the afternoon to explore a different side of Robbers Cave — Cave Tours & Scramble — there's more to discover beyond the morning highlights.

The lodge restaurant atop Rich Mountain in the Ouachita National Forest — simple American menu with sweeping views of the forested ridgelines at every table. A straight steak-and-sides situation, but the elevation and isolation make the meal feel earned.

Oklahoma's most spectacular road runs 54 miles along the crest of the Ouachita Mountains between Talihina, OK, and Mena, AR — the only mountain drive of its kind between the Appalachians and the Rockies. The highway stays above 2,000 feet for most of its length, with alternating views north into the Arkansas River valley and south toward the Red River.

A short trail from the lodge area to 2,681-foot Rich Mountain, the highest point in Arkansas. The eastern-facing overlook is spectacular at midday — layers of forested ridges stacking to the horizon in every direction.

The lodge dining room at the top of Talimena serves solid American comfort food — biscuits and gravy, chicken strips, cobbler — with a view of the Ouachita ridgeline from every table. It's a mountain lodge restaurant in the best sense.

The western end of the Talimena Drive in Talihina offers a final overlook across the Kiamichi River valley before the mountains flatten out. The town itself has a good Native American cultural center and arts galleries tied to the Choctaw Nation.