Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area is a protected recreation area in Oklahoma’s Ouachita National Forest, covering 26,445 acres in the Winding Stair Mountains, mostly in LeFlore County. Created by Congress on October 18, 1988, alongside the nearby Upper Kiamichi River and Black Fork Mountain Wilderness areas, it combines mountain scenery with developed recreation facilities. State Highway 1, the Talimena Scenic Byway, crosses the area, and U.S. Highway 271 loops through its summit. Campgrounds, an 85-acre lake, and many hiking trails, including a 45-mile section of the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, support camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, and hang-gliding in a prominent stretch of the Ouachitas.