Climbing Near Optima, Oklahoma

A small oasis of climbable rock accessible to the public in the otherwise flat and privately owned expanses of the northern Panhandle. Not to be confused with the more well known Palo Duro Canyon which is located 2 hours south, the Panhandle's "other" Palo Duro Creek and it's tributary Horse Creek have carved out a handful of canyons in the limestone caprock resulting in small stashes of boulders, caves, and bluffs. Bouldering is the name of the game here as most of the faces are 15 feet tall or less. The limestone varies greatly in quality from bullet hard to crumbly and sandy and like a lot of limestone some of the holds tend to be on the sharp side. On the flip side it is highly featured with crimps, pockets, knobs, and edges that provide plenty of problems and the texture lets sticky rubber stick like glue. Development here is pretty recent so a large number of projects remain to be climbed. Like most areas in the southwest the best weather conditions are found in late fall through early spring. Winters are typically cold and dry while summers are very hot and in wetter years the canyons can feel like a sauna. The major hazards are the usual insects and rattlesnakes which are typically not an issue Dec-March. The well signed turnoff to the lake is located approximately  4 miles east of Spearman on TX Highway 15. After 9 miles the dam and the entrances to the lake are reached. Take the left (west) entrance and proceed to a self service pay station. The park user fee is $5.00 per day and although the sign is a little vague about which user groups are required to pay I recommend paying the fee and getting a permit to ensure a good relationship with the park powers that be. (*Discovered after this page was created a season recreation pass can be purchased for 50 dollars from the office on the far side of the lake and is good for 1 year.) From the pay station follow the good road down toward the lake, then it will curve around past a port-o-potty and head south toward Horse Creek Canyon. The road turns to dirt here but is passable for passenger cars when dry. Proceed south up Horse Creek, staying left where several spur roads branch off to the right (west) and reach a dead end and sharp left turn at 1.4 miles from the lake entrance.. From this turn a hundred feet will lead to a circular parking spot from which the climbing is accessed. **As of 2020 lake levels are very low, and it can be seen that the entirety of this access road lies below the high water mark of 2010. Should the lake ever fill back up then alternative access would have to be found.

These boulders are briefly mentioned in the main bike trail area intro. With recent development here it was decided to create a separate page due to the distance between these blocks and the main area further up the canyon. The boulders here are generally shorter and scruffier by comparison but there are a few gems scattered about and many easy and fun lines on highly featured rock. As it faces south this area is generally sunny but various shady areas can be found depending on time of day, boulder orientation, and proximity of any trees. Access is easy as the rocks are just a few minutes walk from parking. Follow the bike trail up and over a small rise, and then the trail will descend and cross a gully where there are the remnants of a bridge. Cross this gully and look for a faint trail exiting to the left and climbing up into the obvious cluster of boulders on the south facing hillside. The trail will end at a small alcove where a religious cult has spray painted on some boulders. Here you are located pretty much in the heart of this sector.

This is a previously undiscovered little gem of a boulder with a nice overhanging arete. Where the side trail ends at the spray painted rocks, scramble down and to the left for about 100 feet. Alternately, exit the trail to the right before it starts to climb up into the boulders and traverse above a grove of trees and watch for a cairn at the base of a small gully. Climb up this gully for about 50 feet and you are there.