On our way west to New Mexico, we decided to spend a few days at the Optima National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) last week. It’s located smack-dabbed in the Oklahoma Panhandle along Highway 412. Upon researching the area, we discovered a “ghost” campground that was to be part of a recreational area that never came to be.

The central feature of this area was to be the Optima Preserve, designed for flood control, providing water to nearby towns, and recreation. It was authorized by Congress in 1936 as part of a massive flood control project following alternating floods and droughts in Oklahoma.  Two other reservoirs on the North Canadian River and flood control projects in Oklahoma City were completed in short order by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but the Optima Project languished for 30 years. Finally, in 1966, the Corps of Engineers began constructing an earthen dam to create a lake. After 12 years of construction and almost $50 million, the completed dam stood 120 feet high and was nearly three miles long. It was designed to hold over 600,000 acre-feet of water at flood stage and extend 10 miles up the North Canadian River (locally referred to as Beaver River) and 9 miles up its tributary, Coldwater Creek.

In 1975, the Optima NWR was established in lands around the planned reservoir to furnish a habitat for migratory birds. The Corps also constructed four elaborate campgrounds in anticipation of the area being a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. For anyone who has traveled through the Oklahoma panhandle, you’ve probably noticed that it’s hardly a tourist destination. There were bathrooms and showers, fresh water, electrical hookups, dump stations, boat launches, overlooks, and more: everything a traveler or avid angler could hope for.

Unfortunately, the Corps didn’t realize that the North Canadian River was fed primarily by the underground Ogallala Aquifer and not rain runoff. During the 1960s and 70s the use of center-pivot irrigation exploded, especially in more the arid areas of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. By the time the Optima Reservoir Project was completed, the underground water table had dropped by a stunning 10 feet, and the North Canadian River and Coldwater Creek were now reduced to a trickle or even dry much of the year. Water levels were so low that the lake/reservoir never reached its minimum level. In 1980, Optima Reservoir filled to its highest level of only 5% of capacity, and only 20 feet deep at the center of the “conservation pool.” It has only dropped since, and was just an expansive mudflat when we visited.

With no prospects for solving this dilemma, the Optima project crumbled, and in 1995 the Corps of Engineers ceased all operations. With no lake and no amenities, few people came to visit. The County took over for a year, then local volunteers tried to keep it going to no avail. Then in 2010, the Corps officially threw in the towel and “for safety reasons” removed all the restrooms, bathhouses, picnic tables, fire rings and the like that had been built, down to the ground. Nothing remains but concrete pads and disintegrating asphalt.

Today it the Optima NWR consists of 4,333 acres of prairie grasslands and wooded bottomlands, and the wildlife officials adjusted their mission to focus on the grassland environment and wildlife management.

Although the campgrounds have been abandoned, camping is still allowed and it’s free. Of course, without water, pit toilets, picnic tables and fire rings, there is little attraction for most campers. Luckily for us, we are more adventuresome than most and our van is self-contained, with a water tank and a newly-installed cassette toilet.

Being the only campers there, we really enjoyed the solitude and the vibe of this unique, and “ghostly” camping area, although it did have its challenges. First off, we were expecting temperatures in the 90s, but the high was a staggering 108 degrees one day. We hiked the area in early morning, but by noon we had to retreat to our van and just rest quietly and drink lots of water until sundown. Also, the wind here was remarkably strong, with gusts up to 45 mph, and after two days of camping in the searing heat and wind our eyes and skin became inflamed and itchy. Whew! What an experience! It made us respect the native people who lived on these lands without amenities that us modern folk enjoy, like air conditioning and unlimited water.

But weather aside, the Optima NWR is a stunning place, with rolling prairies of buffalo grass, yucca, prickly pear cactus, sage brush and desert flowers. We slept to coyotes howling throughout the night, and birdsong to wake us up every morning. If you can handle the raw, ruggedness of this place, it’s a fascinating place to visit!