Chicken Creek Trail

Chicken Creek is a great destination for camping or picnicking inside Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. This trail can be run as a "down and back" or there are multiple other trails to return. This is not recommended if unfamiliar with the area, as conditions vary greatly. The trail starts with a sandy-bottom water crossing and several hundred yards of deep, loose sand. The vast majority of trail surface is packed clay/dirt. Any precipitation will rapidly, significantly and severely degrade trail conditions on the packed dirt/clay. The trail ends with a sandy-bottom river crossing at the confluence of the Canadian River and Chicken Creek. There is an open area great for primitive camping. There is no cell service. The area often has potentially life-threatening weather in both winter and summer. That, combined with trail conditions that are weather dependent, creates a situation where packing to be prepared and checking the weather are absolutely essential. Any 4WD with more than 6" ground clearance should have no problem, and any 2WD vehicle with more than 6" ground clearance would have no problem as long as they deflate tires for the deep sand portions.