Turkey Mountain
4.7(150)google
4.6(56)yelp
HikingNatureOutdoor
Overview
The Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area is a natural oasis within Tulsa. Spanning hundreds of acres of heavily wooded trails along the Arkansas River, it offers rugged dirt paths perfect for hiking, mountain biking, and escaping into nature.
Practical Info
Suggested Duration2-4 hours
Best TimeLate spring or mid-October foliage peaks are optimal for hitting this urban wilderness reserve. Hit the rugged unpaved dirt hiking and mountain biking loops between 6:00 AM and 8:30 AM when morning river mist clings to the oak ridges, offering a pristine, crowd-free lookout window over the Arkansas River.
Getting ThereSituated on the western bluffs of the river corridor at 6850 S Elwood Ave. No public buses service this rustic parkland; driving is required. Take US-75 South from downtown, take the 61st St exit, head south on Elwood Ave for 1 mile, and pull into the newly expanded free asphalt trailhead lot.
Travel Tips
- This rugged space functions as a primitive urban wilderness; the single primary gravel parking lot located off 61st Street costs nothing, but the 45-mile multi-use trail matrix lacks any modern street lighting, enforcing an automatic closure 30 minutes post-sunset.
- The interior Yellow and Red trail systems feature severe elevation anomalies across unstable loose sandstone bluffs and exposed root networks; immediate rainfall liquefies clay pathways, demanding heavy-duty high-ankle trekking boots over urban tennis shoes.
- The heavy timber canopy serves as an active habitat for venomous northern copperhead snakes and dense deer tick colonies; hikers must maintain single-file positioning strictly on marked dirt centerlines, completely coating lower extremities in high-concentration Picaridin formulas.
Reviews
Positive
- As a nature preserve right next to downtown Tulsa, the rugged dirt hiking trails preserve pure wilderness and forest scenery, living up to its name.
- The rocky hilltops and ridge lines offer views of the distant city skyline and wide river, providing top-tier trail fun for hikers and mountain bikers.
- The newly upgraded trailheads feature solid multilingual route map boards, combined with clean public restrooms and plentiful trash bins.
- The park is entirely free with no entry fees and offers a high-capacity free gravel parking area, delivering perfect value for nature-loving families.
Heads up
- Deep in the woods, many natural dirt trails lack clear color codes or fork signs, making it extremely easy for beginners to lose their way without GPS.
- After rain, most trails and rocky slopes turn into slippery, thick mud, posing safety hazards due to a lack of anti-slip warning signs.
- Summer bug and tick activity in the woods is intense, and some non-core paths are overgrown with tall weeds, showing gaps in routine brush clearance.
- On pleasant weekends, the main parking lots fill up completely by 9 AM, forcing late arrivals to park along road shoulders, showing chaotic traffic.