No, you don't have to go all the way to Bolivia to see salt flats. You can find one in Oklahoma.
Salt marshes like this one make up a very important habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, which makes the Great Salt Plains a great stop for nature lovers.
But what makes this a really unique experience is that you can go crystal digging. If you dig a small home in a designated area, you'll soon find clusters of selenite crystals than naturally form in the salt flats, and you're allowed to remove them and take them home as a really special souvenir!
Salt marshes like this one make up a very important habitat for wildlife, especially migratory birds, which makes the Great Salt Plains a great stop for nature lovers.
But what makes this a really unique experience is that you can go crystal digging. If you dig a small home in a designated area, you'll soon find clusters of selenite crystals than naturally form in the salt flats, and you're allowed to remove them and take them home as a really special souvenir!
Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is located in north-central Oklahoma, about an hour northwest of Enid.
How did a salt flat form in Oklahoma? I'm glad you asked. You see, millions of years ago, the central part of North America was covered by a shallow ocean. As the North American continental place rose, the oceans receded, leaving behind the dry land that would become the great plains. However, little pockets of salt water got trapped as the surrounding land rose too high, forming lakes made of salt water, including one in northern Oklahoma. Over time, the water in this lake started to evaporate, leaving behind more and more concentrated salt water. Eventually as the water level in the lake continued to fall, it became saturated, and the salt began crystallizing out. What was left behind on the former lakebed was a vast plain covered in salt.
How did a salt flat form in Oklahoma? I'm glad you asked. You see, millions of years ago, the central part of North America was covered by a shallow ocean. As the North American continental place rose, the oceans receded, leaving behind the dry land that would become the great plains. However, little pockets of salt water got trapped as the surrounding land rose too high, forming lakes made of salt water, including one in northern Oklahoma. Over time, the water in this lake started to evaporate, leaving behind more and more concentrated salt water. Eventually as the water level in the lake continued to fall, it became saturated, and the salt began crystallizing out. What was left behind on the former lakebed was a vast plain covered in salt.
As you can see, the salt plains are big enough that you can easily see them from above. That entire white area on the map is a vast expanse of salt that looks like this:
It's quite a sight. If not for the dark hills off in the distance, you'd have a tough time telling where the salt flats end and the sky begins.
The entrance to the crystal digging area is in the southwestern part of the salt plains. After a brief stop at the observation platform to get an overlook of the area, I continued on to the digging area.
The entrance to the crystal digging area is in the southwestern part of the salt plains. After a brief stop at the observation platform to get an overlook of the area, I continued on to the digging area.
The road is marked by wooden posts. You're not allowed to leave the marked area because the salt flats provide vital habitat for many animals, including the critically endangered least tern, which nests here. You wouldn't think a vast expanse of salt could support much life, but it can. As evidenced by those birds up in the first picture, which were wandering around looking for insects to eat.
I shortly arrived at the digging area, which was clearly marked. You can see the dark patches of upturned earth where other people had been digging in previous weeks and months. They actually have several designated digging fields, but only one is open in a given year - that gives the crystals time to regrow in previously used areas.
I shortly arrived at the digging area, which was clearly marked. You can see the dark patches of upturned earth where other people had been digging in previous weeks and months. They actually have several designated digging fields, but only one is open in a given year - that gives the crystals time to regrow in previously used areas.
About 3 hours in to my Oklahoma road trip, I realized that I had forgotten to throw my garden shovel into the car. I anxiously wondered how I was going to dig without a shovel, but inspiration finally hit at breakfast the morning of my visit to the salt plains and I found what I hoped would be a suitable digging implement.
Improvised digging implement for the win!
Rather than dig an entirely new hole with a paper cup, I decided to find an already-dug hole and just scrape out the sides of it in the hopes that another group of crystals wouldn't be too far off. I got lucky, and only had to widen one side of the hole by about an inch before I found my first crystals.
Thanks to whoever dug this for saving me a bunch of work!
My first glimpse of crystals!
Under the encrusted top layers of salt, the earth turned out to be reddish, and very muddy. The water table is only about a foot down, so there was a little pool at the bottom of the hole.
Once I found the crystals, I was actually glad to be digging with a paper cup instead of a metal shovel. The crystals are actually somewhat fragile. I broke pieces off of a few of them with the cup as I was trying to dislodge them from the ground. A shovel would have gone right through them and shattered them all to bits. Thank you hotel cup!
After only a short time, I had several crystals and decided I was satisfied enough to stop. If I had kept going I'm sure I could have found many more. I've seen other people's photos that have even found large masses of crystals all stuck together. The crystals are a mineral called selenite - a form of gypsum. Selenite is usually transparant and glassy, but the selenite here (due to the soil composition) contains these brown hourglass-shaped inclusions.
Once I found the crystals, I was actually glad to be digging with a paper cup instead of a metal shovel. The crystals are actually somewhat fragile. I broke pieces off of a few of them with the cup as I was trying to dislodge them from the ground. A shovel would have gone right through them and shattered them all to bits. Thank you hotel cup!
After only a short time, I had several crystals and decided I was satisfied enough to stop. If I had kept going I'm sure I could have found many more. I've seen other people's photos that have even found large masses of crystals all stuck together. The crystals are a mineral called selenite - a form of gypsum. Selenite is usually transparant and glassy, but the selenite here (due to the soil composition) contains these brown hourglass-shaped inclusions.
My unearthed treasures!
After I cleaned all the muck off of them.
Crystal digging on the salt flats would make this a worthwhile stop on its own, but there are also a few excellent nature trails as well.
My favorite was the short Sandpiper Trail that takes you through the wetlands on the northern edge of the refuge. The salty water provides a great habitat for migratory shorebirds and other animals. You may see different species depending on what time of year you visit. I was here in April.
My favorite was the short Sandpiper Trail that takes you through the wetlands on the northern edge of the refuge. The salty water provides a great habitat for migratory shorebirds and other animals. You may see different species depending on what time of year you visit. I was here in April.
Many birds are attracted to the shallow ponds and streams here
sandpipers
avocets
I was also lucky enough to see a big flock of pelicans fly by, though they didn't stop to land.
pelicans
Next, I explored the Eagle Roost trail, which travels through a more wooded area. It is supposed to be prime nesting grounds for bald eagles, but it must have been the wrong time of year because I didn't see any. I did see a few big groups of ducks, ibis, sandpiper, and other birds.
And finally, at the eastern end of the lake, is Great Salt Plains State Park, which has a nice large camping area. The state park is small - the nature trails are all in the wildlife refuge, but the state park provides the only access to the lake for boating or any other water activities. And I managed to see some wildlife here too - a couple ducks and a big group of herons.
Visiting the area? You're not too far from Alabaster Caverns and the beautiful Glass Mountains!
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