Fall in Southwest Oklahoma: Pumpkin Patch Dates, Lawton's Trail of Fear, and When the Wichitas Peak

Fall officially begins Tuesday, Sept. 22, but southwest Oklahoma is already moving. Saville’s Market in Snyder opens its pumpkin patch Sept. 18, Bigfoot Ranch opens Sept. 25, and Sweet Pickins opens the first weekend of October. If your family’s fall tradition involves a hayride, a corn maze, and a pumpkin that weighs more than your toddler, the season starts now.

October belongs to the thrill-seekers. Lawton’s Trail of Fear scream park runs Oct. 2 through Oct. 31, so there’s a full month of opportunities to get scared. Prefer your fall a little gentler? The Lawton Farmers Market Fall Festival is Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the calendar also includes Chili Fest in Frederick and Lawton’s International Festival.

For the leaf-peepers, timing matters. Fall foliage at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge typically peaks the first week of November, when the hills turn gold and rust and the bison don’t seem to care one bit. Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area near Frederick is another quiet option, especially for fall birding. Add in Friday night football, fall fishing, and the first pumpkin spice latte of the season, and you’ve got a full slate.

So what’s first on your fall list this year, the pumpkin patch, the scream park, or the refuge drive?