Doesn’t that require mountains?
Well, yes. And no.
Oklahoma is notoriously thought of as a flat state. It is easy to look out at the flat, open prairies of Oklahoma and forget that there are four primary mountain ranges in this state. It is in these mountain ranges that many mountain biking hotspots can be found.
Many other mountain bike trails in Oklahoma are located near lakes or in dense forests scattered across the state.
But it’s Oklahoma.. How many trails can a person actually find?
There are 120 registered trails in Oklahoma according to mtbproject.com. These trails are split into two categories — Central and Eastern Oklahoma.
Central Oklahoma trails are scattered throughout the middle portion of the state. The highest concentration of trails can be found at Lake Murray and Lake Stanley Draper. It is also worth mentioning that Medicine Park, located in the Wichita Mountains, features trails with real mountains. Many Oklahomans located in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area will find that the Central Oklahoma mountain bike trails provide lots of bang for your buck without long travel times.
While Central Oklahoma provides a respectable amount of trails and decent scenery, Eastern Oklahoma contains some of the most beautiful landscapes that our state has to offer. There are also more trails to be found in Eastern Oklahoma. Many of the trails in this region are concentrated near the Arkansas border in the southeastern portion of Oklahoma. Some of the trails actually carry over into Arkansas.
The downside to these trails is they are quite far away from Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Talihina, a town with several southeastern OK trailheads, is roughly three hours from Oklahoma City and two and a half hours from Tulsa. However, we feel these trails are worth traveling the extra distance for the wonderful scenery that the area has to offer. Plan a weekend trip with your mountain biking friends and explore one of the most beautiful parts of the country -- in southeastern Oklahoma.
I challenge you to embrace the trails and scenery that the Sooner state has to offer. Out-of-state weekend trips can be a great time (and are highly encouraged), but let’s not forget the formidable mountain biking experience that our great state can provide.
For more information on Oklahoma mountain biking, visit our Trail Directory or https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8009794/oklahoma.
Stay shredding,
Miles