If your in the mood for a bit of a hike and some nature, take the paths behind the cabins. Use these paths at your own risk as they are truly more of a hike than a walking path. There are no safety rails and the steps and terrain are uneven. But if you do decide to make the trek, you will be rewarded by some beautiful scenery and many chances to view local wildlife that may include eagles, foxes, and groundhogs. Follow the path over the arched bridge until it switches back towards the “tower.” It is easy to imagine, because of the history of this area, that indigenous people once perched atop this vantage to await the wildlife that would come to drink in the waters below. From the tower you can look to the south and see the pond below the White Buffalo Lodge. This is actually a natural aquifer, fed by the valley beyond. The valley was named Elim decades ago, after Elim in the book of Exodus. Elim had 12 wells; this Elim has 12 streams that flow year round. The cistern was a stop for the stagecoach that used to travel through in the days before the lake was made. Fun fact, there are no natural lakes in Oklahoma.Between the tower and the cliffside, you will find some steep and uneven wooden steps leading to the creek bed below. With the cabins at your back, follow the creek bed to the right and along the cliffs. Be sure to keep an eye out for arrowheads; many have been found along this path. At the end of this wash, you will find beach beneath the west cliffside. This is the beginning of a ground fed spring that flows into Woodard Hollow. This is where the passengers of the stagecoach would camp for the night and replenish their water supply. The water is a cool 65 degrees coming out of the ground, making it a great place to cool off in the summer heat. When the lake froze over in ’21, this shallow creek continued to flow. 65 degrees waspretty balmy when compared to 14 below. The creek was filled with thousands of shad that the local wildlife feasted upon. Follow the creek towards the lake and you will see a cave on the left in the cliffside. We are told they used to house prisoners there for the night before they were ferried across the Grand River. There is a lot of history here. I met an elderly man, who grew up here in the 1930’s before the lake was created. He told me that there is a massive cave under the cliff that you drive over on the way to the cabin that is now hidden beneath the water. The locals would store their hay inside the cavern to keep it out of the elements. He also told me that he’d hike so far into the cave that he would catch fish without eyes in the waters of the cave. As you travel back take note of the stones that are scattered around. Many are covered in crinoids and other fossils.