Broken Bow, Oklahoma

This map shows cabins and places to stay in Broken Bow, with prices. Add your dates to see what's open.

Broken Bow is the area's hometown. It had 4,228 people in the 2020 census. U.S. 70 and U.S. 259 both run through town, so most drives into the area pass through here on the way north to the lake.

A town built on timber

The name does not come from a local Native word. It comes from Broken Bow, Nebraska, where the Dierks family ran a lumberyard in the 1880s. Around 1900 the family business moved south and bought large tracts of timber. Its Choctaw Lumber Company founded Broken Bow. The town became official, and its post office opened, on September 23, 1911.

The town was laid out at the east end of the company's railroad, the Texas, Oklahoma and Eastern. Homes, schools, churches and stores went north of the tracks. The mill and company houses went south. The company paid for a doctor and built a hospital that was open to anyone who needed care. By 1920 the town had 1,983 people.

In 1919 the company said in public that it would manage its land so a second crop of trees could grow. The family company was sold in 1969, but its mark is still here, from Dierks Street to Dierks Elementary School. The city also keeps Dierks steam engine No. 227, built in 1927. Timber is still an important part of the county's economy.

Plan a day in town with our Broken Bow activities and attractions page and our Broken Bow restaurants list.

Hochatown's town plan says the lake and the state park draw visitors from across Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas. Road miles and drive times to Broken Bow below assume no traffic and no stops, so plan on a little longer.

• Dallas: about 183 miles, about 3½ hours
• Fort Worth: about 215 miles, about 4 hours
• Oklahoma City: about 251 miles, about 4½ hours
• Tulsa: about 214 miles, about 4 hours
• Shreveport: about 153 miles, about 3 hours
• Little Rock: about 168 miles, about 3 hours 20 minutes
• Texarkana: about 79 miles, about 1 hour 45 minutes

From Dallas and Fort Worth, one fast route heads to Hugo, then east on U.S. 70 through Idabel. From Texarkana, Shreveport or Little Rock, drive to De Queen, Arkansas, and take U.S. 70 west. From Oklahoma City or Tulsa, take the Indian Nation Turnpike south to Hugo, then U.S. 70 east.

Once you're here, Hochatown is about 9 miles north of Broken Bow on U.S. 259, and Beavers Bend is about 10 miles. Idabel is about 12 miles south. Eagletown is about 11 miles east.

The weather numbers below are NOAA's 1991-2020 averages for the Broken Bow and Idabel weather stations.

• Spring: April averages a high near 74°F and a low near 48°F. Spring rain helps floats on the upper Mountain Fork. May is the wettest month.
• Summer: It gets hot. July and August highs average about 93°F. This is lake season. Swim at Stevens Gap on the lake or at River Bend below the spillway. The trout water below the dam stays cold.
• Fall: October averages a high near 77°F. Fall color usually peaks from late October into mid-November. Pine and hickory fill these woods, so the colors lean gold and rust, with less red. The free Beavers Bend Folk Festival & Craft Show is held at the Forest Heritage Center in November (November 13-15 in 2026).
• Winter: Winters are mild. January lows average about 29°F, and snow is light, about 2 inches a year. Bald eagles winter on the lake and the Mountain Fork. You may spot eagles as soon as November, and the most show up in January and February. Your odds are better at the start of the day and in late afternoon.

The Broken Bow station gets about 55 inches of rain a year, so pack a rain jacket in any season.