I’m relocating to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a few months starting in mid-September, and I’m bringing my Jack Russell named Milo with me. Where I currently live, there are many parks and trails suitable for dogs. I walk him on a leash and always pick up after him. We also have rivers and lakes nearby where I can take him swimming on a hot day.
Are there any trails or walking paths in the Tulsa area that I could take him to? Perhaps with trees for shade and a few benches? How about rivers, streams, or public lakes that would be suitable for playing fetch with a dog? He can’t handle fast-moving water so it has to be a relatively slow-moving river or stream. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Welcome to Oklahoma! Tulsa is in a beautiful part of the state with lots of hills and trees, and you’re arriving just in time for what is usually great weather.
In Tulsa itself, Turkey Mountain is a very nice area with a variety of trails. It’s (unsurprisingly) a favorite destination so parking can get a bit difficult at times. There is also an extensive network of trails along the Arkansas River that goes through town. There are multiple parks along the way as well.
Speaking of parks, a visit to the Gathering Place is an absolute must. It is truly a wonderful area to visit and explore, and has been nationally recognized and consistently ranked as one of the best parks in the US. I’ve driven from OKC to Tulsa several times just to spend the day at the park. Dogs are allowed two days a week.
There are many, many other options nearby. I would recommend taking a day trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, which is a little less than a 3 hour drive from Tulsa. Depending on where you’ve lived/travelled before, it can be quite a unique experience. They have roaming herds of bison, longhorn cattle, and elk and the view from Mount Scott is just beautiful. There is an extensive network of trails, but bring plenty of water and shade is limited. Also do keep an eye out - it’s quite common to stumble upon bison, longhorns, and elk while on the trail. While they generally tolerate people okay, they are still wild and they are absolutely massive animals and therefore dangerous. I once was riding my bicycle with friends through the refuge and suddenly a herd of elk came stampeding by and across the road - it was an amazing sight!
This is just a small list to get you going. But feel free to ask any questions and I’ll help if I can.
Thanks, liirogue. That’s exactly what I was looking for.
If you end up in OKC (which I am much more familiar with) and want some recommendations, message me.
Will do. I’m looking forward to not spending another winter in Montana.
As you’re coming from somewhere with major winter weather, please be extra careful here if we get any snow - we don’t have much equipment to treat or plow the roads. A couple of inches will shut things down for a day or two until the roads can be treated or the weather warms back up. And we’ve been increasingly prone to icing events lately instead of snow.
But overall the weather will be much more pleasant than you’re used to!
I’ve lived in NW Montana not that far from the Canadian border for the past 15 years, so I’m used to 6-foot snow drifts and -20 degree weather. I used to travel to Raleigh, NC for work and the entire city would shut down if there was 1/2 inch of snow on the ground. At the time I think they only had 3 snowplows for the entire city. I’m retired now, so I don’t really have to be anywhere. If the Tulsa roads shut down for a few days I don’t really care.