The Glass Mountains: Northwest Oklahoma's Surprising Scenic Beauty

When I visited northwestern Oklahoma for the first time earlier this month, I was completely blown away by the scenery. The area is full of tall mesas with red cliffs, and it's something that's really unexpected. The surrounding areas of Kansas and central Oklahoma are mostly made up of hilly grasslands, so the appearance of these brilliant red hills and cliffs really takes you by surprise. 

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I crossed into Oklahoma from Kansas on Highway 34, and I wasn't quite in the Glass Mountains yet, but even at that point you can start to see pops of orange peeking out of the hills. 

My destination was Gloss Mountain State Park, which is located about halfway between Woodward and Enid on Highway 412. The park itself only occupies about one square mile, but the range of "mountains" (they're actually mesas, not mountains) extends across quite a distance of the surrounding area. Long before I reached the park, I started seeing stuff like this: 

Gorgeous, right?! And that's not even the park yet - I pulled off on the side of the road to take those pics. Just the edge of someone's cattle pasture. You know. 

The scenery inside Gloss Mountain State Park is just as stunning: 

So why is this place called the Glass Mountains, anyway? I'm glad you asked. You see, this entire region is abundant in a mineral called gypsum. In the Glass Mountains, the gypsum often takes the form of selenite crystals, which have a sort of glassy appearance. Little bits of selenite in the mountains catch the sunlight much like glass does, so the early settlers called this place the Glass Mountains (it was also often mistranscribed as the "Gloss" Mountains, so today you will see both terms used interchangeably). You can see these crystals up close, poking out of the little hills surrounding the parking area of the State Park. 

selenite crystals twinkling in the sun

The best way to see the area is from above! A short trail will take you up to the top of the mesa, giving you great views of the surrounding hills. 

The path up

and the view back down

The mesa also extends a fair distance back, and you can walk all along the top of it, getting views of the surrounding countryside in every direction. 

looking out at the northern extent of the mesa

The mesa's shape comes from that light-colored gypsum-filled top layer, which is harder and more erosion-resistant than the red siltstone layers. The easier erosion of the lower layers gives the mesa its characteristic tabletop shape.

You can also see evidence of more selenite in the top layer of rock, which is now below your feet. 

selenite crystals in the rock

Being so high up also puts you on the same plane as the birds - in this case vultures. There were about 30 of them around when I visited. A few were perched on the edge of the cliffs, but most were effortlessly riding the wind and gliding around. It was kind of a magical feeling to be up there among these soaring birds that you typically only see from far below. 

Before this year I never even knew this was here, but I'm so glad I visited! I really can't say enough good things about this area - it's really one of the most beautiful regions in America. 

Other great (and truly unique!) attractions in the area include Alabaster Caverns and the Great Salt Plains!