Tulsa River Parks (OK)

On Sunday, October 12, we arrived in Tulsa, OK and pulled into our favorite "campground" which is a mobile home park.  The heavily wooded park is home to many mobile homes, 5th wheels, travel trailers, and motor homes.  They also have reserved short-term sites for travelers staying less than a week.  We are here for 2 months in the spring and 2 months in the fall.  It is a beautiful place for us to stay in addition to being convenient for visiting our two sons who live in Tulsa, close to shopping amenities, and in particular it is just a few hundred feet to bicycle to our trail at the Tulsa River Parks.

Downtown Tulsa from the West side of the river

The River Parks includes 800 acres of land along the Arkansas River and features 26 miles of asphalt-surfaced trails weaving past playgrounds, wildlife sculptures, fountains, and rest areas.  Improvements over the past few years have included a divided path separating walkers/joggers from the bicyclists on most of the East trail.  We enjoy riding the Tulsa River Parks Trails whenever we can while here.  This particular 14.5 mile ride was selected for being especially level.  This particular day was chosen because of the mild temp of 65 and low winds of less than 15 mph.  A perfect fall day for riding along the river.

Divided trail

One of many places to stop, rest, and enjoy the view

 Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness area offers 45 miles of dirt trails for hiking, dirt bike riding, and horseback riding.  The bicycle trail passes through the Turkey Mountain area and is quite a challenge.  We have made the climb on our bike but normally I try to avoid this area in search of the more level trails.

 

This is the pedestrian bridge which allows cyclists and walkers/joggers to cross the river.  There are benches to sit and enjoy the view, and there are lookout areas.  The river is not very deep and there are always people fishing from the water.

While on the trail we ride next to old Route 66.  There are monuments depicting the old model T encountering a horse and buggy.  A sign of the changing times from days gone by.  

A ride on the Tulsa trails  provides a workout to challenge all levels of fitness as well as providing a few hours of simple relaxation.