After reading dozens of posts on Hochatown/Beavers Bend/Broken Bow, my wife and I decided to schedule an extended vacation for the whole family (two of us, two young boys, and two lazy dogs). Below is a condensed review of an outstanding vacation.
Cabin - we rented a cabin through Sundown Cabin Rentals and were VERY pleased. For an 8-person cabin, it was right at $200/night for 8 nights (basically the same as a room at a Hampton Inn). The cabin was on a running creek and had all of the amenities anyone would need (flat screen TVs, hot tub, fire pit, washer/dryer, etc). To sum it up, the value is hard to beat for such a nice cabin.
Mountain Biking - the trail at Lakeview Lodge was exceptional. There are three loops (shortest being a mile or so and the longest being 7 miles). There were dozens of drops, climbs, and features (water, rock gardens, root runs, etc). The trail goes right along the lake and has several elevated views of Broken Bow Lake. The trail was very well maintained and I didn’t see another rider any of the 4 times I rode the trail.
Food - the food in Hochatown was incredible! I don’t know what I expected but the food was one of the biggest surprises of the trip. The “Grateful Head Pizza” was as good as any pizza in the metroplex. Great beer and a cool outdoor patio made it a go-to spot after a long day on the water. The “Mountain Fork Brewery” was a great spot as well. It was within walking distance of our cabin and had the best beer in town (IMO). We were also able to stop in to “Shuck Me” the day it opened and I anticipate it will be the go to place in town in a very short time. Great location, great food, and the best patio/feel in town. Last, but definitely not least, was the Rolling Fork Takery. It’s hard to believe the home-grown ownership duo put together that good of a menu without any classical culinary training but they are definitely worthy of their Yelp designation as “Oklahoma’s Best New Restaurant to try in 2018”.
Fishing - thankfully, with the help of the Beavers Bend Fly Shop, I was able to put my two boys on fish within hours of getting into town. They set me up with gear and a strategy that proved to be very effective and had my boys hooked (pun intended) for hours. The next day, I took my 5 year old on a guided trip with a local guide. Since this is a simple review, and not an attempt to publicly shame someone, all I’ll say is that we caught plenty of fish (one of which was a REALLY good fish) but the guide was on the phone most of the time. My son had a great time but I will not book a trip with him again. Now, to our two guided fishing trips with Trey Prater (Beavers Bend Fly Shop). I have fished/hunted with dozens and dozens of guides and Trey is the best guide I have ever fished with. I took my FIL on a guided fly fishing trip and neither of us had ever been fly fishing. Trey was extremely patient in teaching us and by the end of the day we had learned a handful of different casts and landed 40+ rainbows (including the 17” in the in the pic below). The next day I took my wife on a trip with Trey and, even though she had never been fly fishing either, he had her hooked up in 30 minutes of getting in the water. We got into some browns and rainbows, capping off the day with my wife catching two 15”+ rainbows at our last spot. Again, I cannot praise Trey enough for both his ability to teach and put you on fish. Thanks to Trey and the Beavers Bend Fly Shop, we have three new Fly Fishing addicts in our family!
Check out the slo-mo video (below) Trey put together of me releasing my biggest trout.
Great trip and plenty of memories that will last a lifetime!
Cabin - we rented a cabin through Sundown Cabin Rentals and were VERY pleased. For an 8-person cabin, it was right at $200/night for 8 nights (basically the same as a room at a Hampton Inn). The cabin was on a running creek and had all of the amenities anyone would need (flat screen TVs, hot tub, fire pit, washer/dryer, etc). To sum it up, the value is hard to beat for such a nice cabin.
Mountain Biking - the trail at Lakeview Lodge was exceptional. There are three loops (shortest being a mile or so and the longest being 7 miles). There were dozens of drops, climbs, and features (water, rock gardens, root runs, etc). The trail goes right along the lake and has several elevated views of Broken Bow Lake. The trail was very well maintained and I didn’t see another rider any of the 4 times I rode the trail.
Food - the food in Hochatown was incredible! I don’t know what I expected but the food was one of the biggest surprises of the trip. The “Grateful Head Pizza” was as good as any pizza in the metroplex. Great beer and a cool outdoor patio made it a go-to spot after a long day on the water. The “Mountain Fork Brewery” was a great spot as well. It was within walking distance of our cabin and had the best beer in town (IMO). We were also able to stop in to “Shuck Me” the day it opened and I anticipate it will be the go to place in town in a very short time. Great location, great food, and the best patio/feel in town. Last, but definitely not least, was the Rolling Fork Takery. It’s hard to believe the home-grown ownership duo put together that good of a menu without any classical culinary training but they are definitely worthy of their Yelp designation as “Oklahoma’s Best New Restaurant to try in 2018”.
Fishing - thankfully, with the help of the Beavers Bend Fly Shop, I was able to put my two boys on fish within hours of getting into town. They set me up with gear and a strategy that proved to be very effective and had my boys hooked (pun intended) for hours. The next day, I took my 5 year old on a guided trip with a local guide. Since this is a simple review, and not an attempt to publicly shame someone, all I’ll say is that we caught plenty of fish (one of which was a REALLY good fish) but the guide was on the phone most of the time. My son had a great time but I will not book a trip with him again. Now, to our two guided fishing trips with Trey Prater (Beavers Bend Fly Shop). I have fished/hunted with dozens and dozens of guides and Trey is the best guide I have ever fished with. I took my FIL on a guided fly fishing trip and neither of us had ever been fly fishing. Trey was extremely patient in teaching us and by the end of the day we had learned a handful of different casts and landed 40+ rainbows (including the 17” in the in the pic below). The next day I took my wife on a trip with Trey and, even though she had never been fly fishing either, he had her hooked up in 30 minutes of getting in the water. We got into some browns and rainbows, capping off the day with my wife catching two 15”+ rainbows at our last spot. Again, I cannot praise Trey enough for both his ability to teach and put you on fish. Thanks to Trey and the Beavers Bend Fly Shop, we have three new Fly Fishing addicts in our family!
Check out the slo-mo video (below) Trey put together of me releasing my biggest trout.
Great trip and plenty of memories that will last a lifetime!
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