Our First Visit to Blue Hole Park

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Well, we checked another item off of our Tulsa-area bucket list. We finally went swimming at Blue Hole Park! As expected, the water was cold – but refreshing as the day warmed up – but everyone had a great time. I’ll share a little bit about the park along with some tips to help you make the most of your day.

Getting There

Blue Hole is about an hour east (and slightly north) of Tulsa. It is located in Salina, near Locust Grove. When a former TulsaKids blogger wrote about visiting Blue Hole back in 2013, she reported having difficulty finding the park. Thankfully, Google Maps seemed to know what they were doing, and we had no trouble finding it. After turning off the main highway, it was easy to feel slightly lost, having never been there before, but we kept trusting the route, and it worked.

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Sign for the turnoff to Blue Hole Park

Admission and Parking

We arrived shortly after the park opened, around 9:30 a.m. Blue Hole is open from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily during the season (Memorial Day through Labor Day). There were already a few people there when we arrived, but still plenty of parking. We found a spot underneath a shady tree near a picnic bench.

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The downside to this location, as you can see from the picture, is that it was a little removed from the swimming hole. Which wasn’t a big problem, but maybe we would have remembered to put on sunscreen more often if we had parked a little closer! Some people parked right next to the water and popped up a tent in the water, which would be incredibly convenient.

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You can also drive across a dam to get to more parking, so there are plenty of options.

Admission is just $15 per vehicle. (Cash only.) We had five people with us and stayed about 5 hours. So it’s pretty cheap entertainment! (Even factoring gas, food and supplies.) Camping is also available, ranging from $25-35.

As the day wore on, starting around 12-1 p.m., the parking areas quickly filled up. Even the swimming area, which is fairly large, started to feel a little crowded. So I’d definitely recommend getting there early.

What to Bring

The Basics

The number-one recommendation people say when it comes to visiting Blue Hole is to bring water shoes. And yes, you definitely want to do this, as the bottom of the lake is made of uncomfortable rocks. You will not enjoy walking across them barefoot. The next two mornings after visiting, I woke up with sore feet – even with the shoes, I could feel the effects of all those rocks!

Another great recommendation is to bring tubes/floaties. Not only is this relaxing – for adults – but the kids really enjoyed having them and floating around. I imagine it keeps them from getting too tired. Plus, there’s an amazing mini waterfall that is fun to go down in a tube! It was a big hit with everyone, and it would have been a shame to have missed out if we didn’t have a tube. I would actually recommend having one for each member of the party.

ready to go down the waterfall at blue hole park

Heading toward the mini waterfall in our brand-new tube

Now, of course I bought cheap tubes at Target, and they ended up being toddler-sized. Thankfully, Blue Hole has a small shop at their concessions area, so we picked up a larger tube for $10. They also sell sunscreen, water shoes, plasticware, etc. So if you do forget something important, chances are, they’ll have it.

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Another tip, if you’re bringing tubes/floaties, is to make sure you can pump them up easily! I had to blow up a raft and a tube with my mouth, and that is no fun. We thought we were covered because my friend had a bike pump with attachments that could be used for blowing up pool inner tubes – but the nozzles were the wrong size, so it didn’t help us out! So check that beforehand, even if you think you’ve got everything you need. (And then look up a YouTube video on how to quickly deflate them before heading home.)

A couple other people had recommended bringing a net and bucket. My friend’s daughter really enjoyed hunting for tiny fish. I don’t believe she caught any, but if you have a kid who would enjoy this activity, it’s a good recommendation.

And of course, bring plenty of sunscreen! Apply it liberally every couple of hours. We definitely lost track of time and forgot to do this. So maybe it would be helpful to bring a waterproof watch or waterproof phone bag so you could set a timer. We didn’t have any of these things, so the phones stayed in the car for the most part.

Bring life jackets if your kids aren’t strong swimmers. We saw a toddler run into the water before their parent realized it, so please keep in mind your basic water safety tips and make sure you have what you need. (And are keeping a close eye on the kids!) Miller Swim School recommends having life jackets around natural bodies of water, even for kids who know how to swim.

Also, a quick note about bathrooms. They had a brick-and-mortar restroom up near the concessions area, but that was a hike from our car. So plan on using the porta-potties stationed around. So, may not be a bad idea to bring some extra hand sanitizer just in case.

A Little More Luxury

So, other than food, which I’ll cover next, that is basically what we brought. As I’ve mentioned, some people brought pop-up tents and chairs to set in the water. We even saw grills, dogs with portable fences, etc. You can go all out. I’m definitely not the best person to ask about camping/lake-type set-ups.

Food and Drinks

Concessions

Blue Hole has a nice concessions area with plenty of food options. I decided that’s what Joss and I would do for lunch, to minimize packing stress.

concessions menu at blue hole park

I thought they might have hot dogs and burgers and some snack-y items. But as you can see, they’ve got a pretty decent menu! Yes, burgers and hot dogs, but also pizza, burritos, Frito pie, chicken, etc. Joss went for nachos and fried pickles. I got a hot dog. All perfectly satisfying. It’s hard to see in the photo, but I think the fried pickles were one of the pricer menu items, at $6.50. So everything is pretty cheap.

And do note that it is CASH ONLY. This goes for admission to the park as well.

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Bring Your Own

We made it to Blue Hole with plenty of snack options, too. Chips, Nutella sticks, Lunchables, etc. It would have been nice to have had a larger cooler, in order to pack more things like fruit and cheese easier. Something to consider.

As far as drinks, you can purchase those on-site as well. But I’d recommend bringing plenty of water, just because that’s always a good idea in the summer. Alcohol and drugs are prohibited, so you can’t cool off with “a cold one.” So just bring whatever non-alcoholic drinks sound refreshing. I was grateful my friend packed mini cans of soda.

Swimming and Wading

And now, the most important part! Swimming! There is a main swimming area, and then it also meanders down past the mini waterfall for a ways. West of the waterfall, it is all pretty shallow and good for wading. East of the waterfall, there are still shallow parts, but also a large, deeper area as well. (I hope I have my directions straight.) I’m not sure how deep it gets, but definitely deeper than I could touch the bottom.

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Deeper part of Blue Hole

In the shallow parts, the water is very clear and you can see the bottom easily. Again, going down the waterfall was a super popular activity, as was just lying on pool rafts and enjoying the experience. The water is cold, but we got used to it. Bring goggles if your kids like using those.

a shallower wading area at blue hole park

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OK, I hope that was helpful! All in all, we had a wonderful experience. The kids were grumpy off and on because it was a long, hot day. But overall, a good time was had by all, and I think we’d all be happy to go back anytime.


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