A Sunday view: A few of the trails of Turkey Mountain

This will be more of a photographic post, just because sometimes visual elements say a lot more than words. Tulsa has the good fortune of having a nice-sized parcel set aside for wild land, with only trails and a few markers at hand to disrupt an otherwise natural setting typical to what you’d see in northeastern Oklahoma: hills and woods. I’m not sure Turkey Mountain can accurately be called a “mountain,” but the name has stuck and is permanently part of the Tulsa landscape: the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area.

There are loads of trails here, so the photographs here are just a sampling. Spring is here, and the forest is reawakening just now. Little splashes of green, budding flowers and, of course, the accompanying aroma of those blooms. So let’s take a tour…

This is looking north on the Powerline Trail, the most unnatural of the trails here. But the views are still cool, especially as the downtown skyline comes into view.

This is another look at the Powerline, this time peering south at the low spot between two pretty big hills. If you do an out-and-back on this trail, it’s equivalent to a 5K, but with somewhere between 500 and 600 feet of elevation gain. Stick that 3 miles in the middle of your run and you’ll be in for quite a workout.

This is from a mellower stretch overlooking the Arkansas River and Tulsa’s east bank. Part of the appeal of trail running and hiking is the potential for great views, and there are more than a few of those in this trail system.

Safety first! There aren’t a lot of signs of “civilization” in this place, but the city’s parks authority has placed this and other signs at specific spots to serve as reference points for people who get, hurt, sick or lost and need help. If you know where these markers are before you hit the trails, you can help lead authorities to where you are if you get into trouble. This isn’t a huge park, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to get lost out there. Add something like a bad sprain or heat sickness, and any aids to help rescuers are pretty useful.

Anyway, that’s just a quick tour from the last few days I’ve been out there. I’ve enjoyed the winter — cold weather makes for great running, and the trails are pretty fun when there’s snow. But I’m looking forward to more sunny, windy spring days. Have a great Sunday!

Bob Doucette