Head west on 71st Street from Riverside, cross the Arkansas River, and the road reaches the entrance that has handled all of Turkey Mountain's traffic since June. The lower lot at 71st and Elwood has the restroom building, the climbing boulders, the three pavilions and the bronze "Rio Grande Turkeys" sculpture, all part of entrance improvements completed in 2009. In November it carries more than its usual load.
On two weekends in mid-November, the mountain hosts a trail race and a three-day mountain bike festival. Both happen while the park's other entrance is closed. For anyone in South Tulsa who uses Turkey Mountain for a Saturday hike or an after-work ride, the trip in November comes down to that one corner.
The 61st Street gate is closed until the new year
On June 17, 2026, News On 6 reported that Turkey Mountain's 61st Street entrance would stay closed through the rest of 2026 while crews replace the bridge on 61st Street. Turkey Mountain officials told the station the new bridge will include bike lanes and sidewalks. Until it opens, the only way into the park is from 71st Street and Elwood Avenue.
That second lot on 61st, west of Elwood, was opened and later expanded "in response to demand," according to River Parks Authority. The demand has grown since. River Parks' Ryan Howell, who has overseen the Turkey Mountain Master Plan since it began in 2020, told the Tulsa World that annual visits went from about 160,000 to nearly 300,000 over that time. So a park with nearly twice the visitors it had six years ago has spent this fall with half its entrances. River Parks' page still points to riverparks.org for current information, and checking it before a race-weekend visit makes sense.
Two event weekends, one entrance
November puts two events on that single gate, five days apart.
| Date | Event | What's on the schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Turkey Shuffle | 1-mile, 5K and 10K races at Turkey Mountain Park, 6850 S. Elwood Ave. |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Cold Turkey MTB Fest, Day 1 | Packet pickup, Enduro pre-ride, bike demos, night shakeout ride, Friday Night Lights Jump Jam, Whip Off and Best Trick, cookout, Zingo chainless race |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Cold Turkey MTB Fest, Day 2 | 5 Stage Enduro Party, 3 Stage Mini Enduro, XCC Short Track, bike demos, skill clinics |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Cold Turkey MTB Fest, Day 3 | XC races, Kids Cup races, Downhill Race and shuttle, Foot Down Competition |
The Turkey Shuffle is presented by Bigfoot Running Company. Its shortest distance is one mile, so the start line works for a range of runners.
The Cold Turkey Mountain Bike Festival, now in its fourth year, is the bigger event. Its registration questions go to an [email protected] address. The schedule rewards people who show up without a race number.
- Friday night starts with a guided Enduro pre-ride hosted by Ripple Effect and a shakeout ride with Team Soundpony. After that comes a free cookout and a Jump Jam, with the jumps at the Skyline session area lit up against the Tulsa skyline. Whip Off and Best Trick competitions run for $250 in prize money.
- Zingo Unchained opens the weekend. The Zingo area is strung with lights, riders take the chains off their bikes, runs are timed, and entry costs $0.
- Saturday brings bike demos from Specialized and a free youth clinic from Bike Club Tulsa, with loaner bikes available on request.
- Sunday has the Lil' Shredders Kids Cup. Kids 12 and under race free, and they sign up on site with no preregistration.
The Sunday Downhill Race is new for 2026. The shuttle starts at 9 a.m., and after practice laps each rider gets one timed run. Sunday's XC course runs 3.6 miles a lap. Riders finish each lap through what organizers call the "Yeti Yell" pass-thru tent, which is the spot for spectators who like to cheer. The festival says "spectating and noise makers encouraged."
The festival also lists camping on Friday and Saturday nights. River Parks' everyday posted rules prohibit overnight camping and set a park curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, so festival campers should follow the organizers' instructions for those nights.
With the festival using trails across the whole system, regular visitors should expect company. The 5 Stage Enduro covers about 14 miles including transfers, with stages "spread out across the entire system," and some features were custom-built for the event. If you'd rather have a quiet hike on Nov. 13 to 15, consider a weekday or a different weekend.
The Rock Yard is also on 71st
Another reason the 71st Street side gets busy is the Rock Yard Bike Park. River Parks calls it a first for Oklahoma. It covers three acres of hillside turned into dirt jumps, with two "Stone River Forts" at the top where six trails start and drop 80 to 90 feet past jumps, bridges, wall rides and drops. Its entrance is on 71st Street between the Arkansas River and Elwood Avenue.
The Rock Yard is open to bikes only. Pedestrians can watch from designated viewing areas, which makes it a good stop for a family with one rider. River Parks rates the jump trails from intermediate to expert and suggests beginners start at the Skyline Jumps or Bomb Cellar areas first. If you don't own a mountain bike, River Parks refers rental questions to Tom's Bicycles.
The Rock Yard was finished in 2025, the same year River Parks completed the $19 million Turkey Mountain Master Plan. According to executive director Jeff Edwards in the Tulsa World, the plan added about 30 miles of new trails and brought the mountain to roughly 45 to 50 miles in total. Edwards told the paper the older system was "more of a blue- to black-rated trail system," and the new trails were built so that less experienced riders could use the mountain too. The Sanctuary, a nearly 90-acre addition with six miles of new trails, also opened in 2025.
Check the trails before you drive over
A single entrance makes a wasted trip more annoying, and the most common cause of one is mud. River Parks' rule is simple: "Dirt trails closed when muddy." The Rock Yard follows the same rule and closes when it's raining or muddy. Event weekends are no exception. The festival says all events and races "are subject to weather and trail conditions and may be adjusted as needed."
Checking takes about a minute.
- Open the current trail conditions link on River Parks' Turkey Mountain page. The status comes from trail maintainers through Trailbot.
- For alerts instead of checking each time, install the Trailbot app for Android or iOS, which River Parks links from the same page.
- After rain, think about which trails you plan to use. Trailbot's Turkey Mountain page notes that downhill and jump lines generally take longer to dry than cross-country trails. Paved trails are usually open except when icy, and the gravel pedestrian trail is usually open to walkers.
- Download River Parks' Turkey Mountain map, updated March 2026, so the new trails are on your phone.
A few posted rules matter more on crowded days. Dogs must be on a leash. Cyclists yield to pedestrians, and descending riders yield to climbers. Class I and II pedal-assist e-bikes and OneWheels are allowed, while e-dirt bikes, Surrons and gas mini-bikes are not. Glass containers are prohibited.
The next project is also planned for the lower lot
The 71st and Elwood corner will matter even after 61st Street reopens. River Parks' next major project, the $8 million BOK Hub Visitor Center, is planned for the land directly east of the lower parking lot on Elwood Avenue, according to the Tulsa World. Edwards told the paper that once fundraising is finished, construction will take about 12 to 18 months. The center will have three full-time staff: one program staffer and two maintenance workers.
Edwards rode for the project himself this spring. KRMG reported that he took on a "One Tough Turkey" challenge of 110 miles in a day at Turkey Mountain. He rode 12 laps of 9.3 miles, finished 112 miles in about 12 hours, and raised $52,000 in donations and pledges. As of that April 3 report, the visitor center had $3 million of its $8 million goal. Edwards told KRMG that staffing, safety and programming are "all of that right now out the back of a vehicle." River Parks runs the whole system on a small budget. Its fiscal-year budget is $3.6 million, with 18 full-time employees covering Turkey Mountain, 26 miles of paved river trails, the Katy Trail and Zink Lake.
So this November, one entrance handles the races, the jump park and a park that gets close to 300,000 visits a year. That corner is also where River Parks plans to put the staff and building the mountain hasn't had. For South Tulsa, it's a short drive west on 71st Street.
If Turkey Mountain is part of your week and you'd like to talk through how close you want to be to the trails, the river or the 71st Street corridor, I'm happy to help. Mai Vang knows this side of Tulsa well, and I can tell you what different spots along the river are like day to day. Let's Connect.
