After the “drive up” highpoint in Kansas, we were happy to be able to get out and hike a bit. The Oklahoma highpoint is Black Mesa at 4,973′, located in the Black Mesa Nature Preserve. Interesting facts about Black Mesa are that it is one of the largest mesas in the world, extending 40 miles into New Mexico and Colorado, and it is the point where the Rocky Mountains meet the short-grass prairie.

We camped in the Black Mesa State Park which was a short drive to the trailhead the next morning. We got up fairly early in anticipation of a non-shaded, desert hike and ended up being the first to the parking lot. The hike is a total of 8.4 miles and classified as moderately strenuous … not sure where that rating came from … It was an easy walk around the base of the mesa, a short climb to the top and then another walk along the top of the mesa to the summit marker. The total elevation gain for this highpoint is 775 feet!