Black Mesa State Park | |
Map: | Oklahoma |
Map Alt: | A map of Oklahoma showing the location of Black Mesa State Park |
Location: | Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States |
Nearest City: | Boise City, OK |
Coordinates: | 36.8459°N -102.8802°W |
Visitation Num: | 18,961 |
Visitation Year: | 2021 |
Visitation Ref: | [1] |
Governing Body: | Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department |
Url: | http://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.631 |
Black Mesa State Park is an Oklahoma state park in Cimarron County, near the western border of the Oklahoma panhandle and New Mexico. The park is located about 15miles away from its namesake, Black Mesa, the highest point in Oklahoma (4973feet above sea level). The mesa was named for the layer of black lava rock that coats it.[2]
The associated nature preserve is open to hiking and contains 1600acres and is home to 23 rare plants and 8 rare animal species.[2]
The nearest community is Kenton, Oklahoma.[2] The nearest town is Boise City, Oklahoma.
The park is the darkest sky for any state park site in Oklahoma; the site is a Bortle 1 zone,[3] thus making the park a big attraction for astronomers to view the night sky.
Lake Carl Etling, also called Carl Etling Lake, was formed in 1959 by a dam built on South Carrizo Creek and is contained within Black Mesa State Park. It has a surface area of 159 acres,[4] a shoreline of 5miles, and an average depth of 11feet, with a maximum depth of 38feet.[5]