The Alibates Quarry Hike Goes Beyond the Visitor Center

Alibates flint can run red, orange, purple, and white. People worked this stone into tools for at least 13,000 years, and the monument now protects 1,371 acres of quarries and cultural sites in the Canadian River country.

The visitor center, museum, gardens, and two short self-guided walks do not require a quarry tour. The quarry pits are different: reaching them requires a free reserved ranger tour, currently offered at 10 a.m. when staffing and weather allow.

Treat the quarry outing as a hike, not a quick stop. NPS describes it as about two hours and two miles with 170 feet of climbing. Long pants and sturdy closed-toe shoes are required, pets cannot join the hike, and heat, wind, or storms can cancel it.