Arrowhead State Park
Arrowhead State Park | |
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![]() Sunset at Arrowhead State Park, April 2014 | |
Location | Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States |
Nearest city | Canadian, OK |
Coordinates | 35°09′50″N 95°37′35″W / 35.1639867°N 95.6263756°W[1] |
Area | 2,200 acres (890 ha) |
Governing body | Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department |
www |
Arrowhead State Park is a 2,200-acre (8.9 km2) Oklahoma state park located in northern Pittsburg County, Oklahoma on a peninsula of Eufaula Lake. It is located near the city of Canadian, Oklahoma. Eufaula is one of the largest man-made lakes in the southwest. Arrowhead State Park features 100 tent sites and 91 total RV sites. The park also offers picnic shelters, a marina, playgrounds, trails, miniature golf course, swimming area, mountain biking, equestrian campground, stables, and 25 miles (40 km) of equestrian trails. Group camps with a kitchen and bunkhouses are available and can sleep up to 144 people. Area 51 Marina, which also offers a restaurant, is also located at the park in the Echo Ridge area.[2]
Arrowhead State Park Golf Course is an 18-hole, par 72 course adjacent to Eufaula Lake. Originally part of the Arrowhead Lodge resort, the course was retained by the state when it sold the now-defunct lodge to the Federal government in 1983. It has well-maintained bent grass greens, Bermuda grass tees and fairways, sand bunkers and few water hazards. Related facilities are a putting green, pro shop and a driving range. The pro shop has carts and clubs available for rent, and also offers snacks and drinks. The course is open every day except Christmas, 7 A.M. to 7 P. M.[3]
The park is 18 miles (29 km) north of McAlester, Oklahoma on U.S. Highway 69, then 4 miles (6.4 km) east on State Park Road.[2]
Narconon (Arrowhead Lodge)
At its opening, the park was home to a resort hotel, Arrowhead Lodge. The lodge was one of two lodges built in 1965 by the state on Eufaula Lake, the other being Fountainhead Lodge in present-day Lake Eufaula State Park. Initially operated by the state, financial losses led to the transfer of Arrowhead Lodge to the federal government in 1983 along with Fountainhead Lodge. The lodge was next sold to the Choctaw Nation in 1985, who operated a gaming hotel in the premises. In 2000, Arrowhead Lodge was sold to the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE) for use by Narconon as the new site for the Narconon inpatient drug treatment center then located near Newkirk, Oklahoma. The sale aroused controversy among local residents due to concerns about security and about the affiliation of ABLE and Narconon with the Church of Scientology. The privately operated Narconon facility is surrounded by the state park.[4][5]
References
- ^ "Arrowhead State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
- ^ a b "Arrowhead State Park". Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
- ^ "Arrowhead State Park Golf Course." Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department. Accessed November 17, 2016,
- ^ Ross, Bobby Jr.; McNutt, Michael (May 17, 2000). "Arrowhead Lodge bought by Narconon Some residents oppose drug treatment center". Daily Oklahoman. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- ^ "Narconon Arrowhead". Narconon Arrowhead. Retrieved 15 February 2015.