Watonga is a small city in western Oklahoma, the county seat of Blaine County, set in the red-earth farm and ranch country between the Canadian River and the Glass Mountains to the north. The town was named after Arapaho chief Watonga and retains strong ties to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, whose headquarters are nearby in Concho.
The main reason to visit is Roman Nose State Park, about seven miles north of town. Built in a canyon carved by spring-fed creeks, the park has a lake for swimming and fishing, hiking trails along the mesa tops, and a lodge and golf course. The canyon scenery is surprisingly dramatic for this part of Oklahoma. The park is named after Cheyenne chief Henry Roman Nose.
Watonga itself has a quiet downtown with a few cafes and the Watonga Cheese Festival each October, celebrating the local Watonga Cheese factory. It is a good base for exploring the western Oklahoma plains and the Gloss Mountains State Park farther north, where red-mesa buttes topped with selenite crystals glitter in the sun.