RiverSide Jogging Trail

[sauerkraut]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by unknown

So 9-10 miles roundtrip isn't enoguh for you to run? How bout going west when you get to 71st and run turkey mountain... if 9-10 miles isn't enough turkey mountain will be a great run. Also, isn't the west side of the trails connected to turkey mountain now?

Yep, west side is done from the crap plant to Turkey Mountain.

Sauer, next time you are in town, drive up to the Turkey Mountain parking lot and go running in any direction from there, you will get some challenging hills coming back to your car.

Oh, and make sure you back into your parking spot, sit and listen to the radio for 15 minutes or so before you go run.  I hear it's a great way for out of towners to make new friends in Tulsa.

Yep, I have been there looking to catch the west bank trail, it's all dirt & sand and alot of horse riders are around there and the trail is a dead end, There is no west bank trail there. I  ran across that Jenks bridge from the east side and up the long slope into Turkey Mountain for nothing- but the run back across the river was fast & easy it was all downhill. I don't really like running on hills I like flat level pavement. I like to do my speed runs and timed runs over a known distance 4, or 5 miles down & back and if I have to figure out extra distance because a section on trail is closed it throws me off, I'm sure the cyclists don't like it either. I wish they would just rebuild that new trail first and open it up and then they can take their time and diddle around with the other stuff like tennis courts, pools, ponds, trees or whatever they plan to do.

[sauerkraut]

quote:Originally posted by pfox

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

One wide trail hasn't necessarily improved pedestrian flow along the river.

Now, groups of walkers and joggers can fan out five or six wide, people can let their dogs out on a longer leash, and parents can ride abreast of their four kids on little bikes.

The path will eventually be marked, designating a lane for wheels and a lane for feet...but you are right, No one knows where to walk/ride right now.

The "New" section seems to be poorly designed IMO from what I seen, the trail splits into two trails then back into one wide trail then back into two and then back into a wide trail. Why not just build one wide trail and paint a yellow line down the center and be done with it? I'd also would like to see the Riverside trail extended farther south a few more miles and another good idea would be to build one wide flat trail all the way down the west bank of the river. They could use that trail section to run races such as a 5K, 10K, 15K and Half Marathon, Perhaps they can even run a few marathon races there if they don't have alot of runners. Tulsa can do alot with the river if they work at it. (The Mingo Trail can be made longer too). The west bank of the Arkansas could be a golden optunity to build a great trail and run it all they way down to 101st and beyond. [8D]

[cynical]

Sauerkraut is, of course, completely wrong.  The trail is complete on the west bank from 71st all the way to 11th Street and has been since they started work on the 31st Street to 51st Street stretch of the east bank trail.  No dirt and sand.  There's even room for the Smart Car and my bike on the trail at the same time as I found out Wednesday night.

The climb from the river to the Turkey Mountain parking lot is invigorating.

The main aggravation at the moment is the construction at the Creek casino.  They have the trail torn up in order to create a new entrance to the south parking lot for the new building, and the pavement has been removed from a section next to the existing main entrance.  For my road bike with its skinny tires it requires some finesse.

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by unknown

So 9-10 miles roundtrip isn't enoguh for you to run? How bout going west when you get to 71st and run turkey mountain... if 9-10 miles isn't enough turkey mountain will be a great run. Also, isn't the west side of the trails connected to turkey mountain now?

Yep, west side is done from the crap plant to Turkey Mountain.

Sauer, next time you are in town, drive up to the Turkey Mountain parking lot and go running in any direction from there, you will get some challenging hills coming back to your car.

Oh, and make sure you back into your parking spot, sit and listen to the radio for 15 minutes or so before you go run.  I hear it's a great way for out of towners to make new friends in Tulsa.

Yep, I have been there looking to catch the west bank trail, it's all dirt & sand and alot of horse riders are around there and the trail is a dead end, There is no west bank trail there. I  ran across that Jenks bridge from the east side and up the long slope into Turkey Mountain for nothing- but the run back across the river was fast & easy it was all downhill. I don't really like running on hills I like flat level pavement. I like to do my speed runs and timed runs over a known distance 4, or 5 miles down & back and if I have to figure out extra distance because a section on trail is closed it throws me off, I'm sure the cyclists don't like it either. I wish they would just rebuild that new trail first and open it up and then they can take their time and diddle around with the other stuff like tennis courts, pools, ponds, trees or whatever they plan to do.

[carltonplace]

quote:Originally posted by Hoss

quote:Originally posted by carltonplace

sauer doesn't live in Tulsa so he can't park at 71st and run. He just likes to lurk here and point out the flaws in our jogging trails and lack of Wal*Marts.

You did not just say that about Tulsa, right?

in a perfect sauer world there would be a Wmart on every corner.
[]

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by cynical

Sauerkraut is, of course, completely wrong.  The trail is complete on the west bank from 71st all the way to 11th Street and has been since they started work on the 31st Street to 51st Street stretch of the east bank trail.  No dirt and sand.  There's even room for the Smart Car and my bike on the trail at the same time as I found out Wednesday night.

The climb from the river to the Turkey Mountain parking lot is invigorating.

The main aggravation at the moment is the construction at the Creek casino.  They have the trail torn up in order to create a new entrance to the south parking lot for the new building, and the pavement has been removed from a section next to the existing main entrance.  For my road bike with its skinny tires it requires some finesse.

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by unknown

So 9-10 miles roundtrip isn't enoguh for you to run? How bout going west when you get to 71st and run turkey mountain... if 9-10 miles isn't enough turkey mountain will be a great run. Also, isn't the west side of the trails connected to turkey mountain now?

Yep, west side is done from the crap plant to Turkey Mountain.

Sauer, next time you are in town, drive up to the Turkey Mountain parking lot and go running in any direction from there, you will get some challenging hills coming back to your car.

Oh, and make sure you back into your parking spot, sit and listen to the radio for 15 minutes or so before you go run.  I hear it's a great way for out of towners to make new friends in Tulsa.

Yep, I have been there looking to catch the west bank trail, it's all dirt & sand and alot of horse riders are around there and the trail is a dead end, There is no west bank trail there. I  ran across that Jenks bridge from the east side and up the long slope into Turkey Mountain for nothing- but the run back across the river was fast & easy it was all downhill. I don't really like running on hills I like flat level pavement. I like to do my speed runs and timed runs over a known distance 4, or 5 miles down & back and if I have to figure out extra distance because a section on trail is closed it throws me off, I'm sure the cyclists don't like it either. I wish they would just rebuild that new trail first and open it up and then they can take their time and diddle around with the other stuff like tennis courts, pools, ponds, trees or whatever they plan to do.

Cyn, thanks for the head's up on on the trail tear out at CCN, I ride a road bike as well but have not ventured south of 71st for some time.  I was thinking about riding from the boathouse at Riverwest Festival Park out to NSU and back Saturday.  How long of a stretch do you need to divert onto Riverside near the casino?  Only thing I don't like about that is all the people flying along at 55 to 65 through the "s" turns between 81st & 91st.

[sauerkraut]

OK- I did not know the trail was finished down to 71st street on the west bank. I was told by someone once on this forum that I needed to cross the river at 21st to catch the west bank trail, I need to do that the next time I'm in "T" Town. The west bank trail can be seen from the I-44 bridge, and it does look nice-
I was farther south and didn't see any trail at the point I crossed the river. Tulsa should run that trail down to 101st and connect it into the Jenks Trail. That would also make one big loop trail. Tulsa can do alot with that river, When I was in Tulsa 3 weeks ago I was working on my speed training, getting ready to enter another race. I pulled 2nd place in a 5K on July 6th in Hilliard, Ohio. I need to improve my time. I did the 5K in 25:30 not too bad but I feel I could of done better.

[sauerkraut]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by cynical

Sauerkraut is, of course, completely wrong.  The trail is complete on the west bank from 71st all the way to 11th Street and has been since they started work on the 31st Street to 51st Street stretch of the east bank trail.  No dirt and sand.  There's even room for the Smart Car and my bike on the trail at the same time as I found out Wednesday night.

The climb from the river to the Turkey Mountain parking lot is invigorating.

The main aggravation at the moment is the construction at the Creek casino.  They have the trail torn up in order to create a new entrance to the south parking lot for the new building, and the pavement has been removed from a section next to the existing main entrance.  For my road bike with its skinny tires it requires some finesse.

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by unknown

So 9-10 miles roundtrip isn't enoguh for you to run? How bout going west when you get to 71st and run turkey mountain... if 9-10 miles isn't enough turkey mountain will be a great run. Also, isn't the west side of the trails connected to turkey mountain now?

Yep, west side is done from the crap plant to Turkey Mountain.

Sauer, next time you are in town, drive up to the Turkey Mountain parking lot and go running in any direction from there, you will get some challenging hills coming back to your car.

Oh, and make sure you back into your parking spot, sit and listen to the radio for 15 minutes or so before you go run.  I hear it's a great way for out of towners to make new friends in Tulsa.

Yep, I have been there looking to catch the west bank trail, it's all dirt & sand and alot of horse riders are around there and the trail is a dead end, There is no west bank trail there. I  ran across that Jenks bridge from the east side and up the long slope into Turkey Mountain for nothing- but the run back across the river was fast & easy it was all downhill. I don't really like running on hills I like flat level pavement. I like to do my speed runs and timed runs over a known distance 4, or 5 miles down & back and if I have to figure out extra distance because a section on trail is closed it throws me off, I'm sure the cyclists don't like it either. I wish they would just rebuild that new trail first and open it up and then they can take their time and diddle around with the other stuff like tennis courts, pools, ponds, trees or whatever they plan to do.

Cyn, thanks for the head's up on on the trail tear out at CCN, I ride a road bike as well but have not ventured south of 71st for some time.  I was thinking about riding from the boathouse at Riverwest Festival Park out to NSU and back Saturday.  How long of a stretch do you need to divert onto Riverside near the casino?  Only thing I don't like about that is all the people flying along at 55 to 65 through the "s" turns between 81st & 91st.

Your right- It's a mess, I did not measure it, but I believe it's a little over a half mile of broken up trail... Trail work is always a pain. I never did like the Casino driveway crossing over the trail. I'm not a cyclist so I don't know how they feel, but when I'm running the last thing I want to do is stop or wait for car traffic to clear or pass. I do alot of timed runs and any stopping messes up my time. Many runners have been going to the Creek TurnPike Trail, Sunday mornings it is full of joggers.

[cynical]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Cyn, thanks for the head's up on on the trail tear out at CCN, I ride a road bike as well but have not ventured south of 71st for some time.  I was thinking about riding from the boathouse at Riverwest Festival Park out to NSU and back Saturday.  How long of a stretch do you need to divert onto Riverside near the casino?  Only thing I don't like about that is all the people flying along at 55 to 65 through the "s" turns between 81st & 91st.

The construction at the casino is mainly happening around the contractors' entrance at the south end of the property.  They have the trail closed a couple of dozen yards on either side of that entrance.  

At first, they blocked off the outer southbound lane of Riverside with orange barrels to allow bikes and runners to use that lane.  I guess it caused a problem, because they now have only blocked the shoulder.  I managed to snake through there yesterday, but there's not enough room for two bikes between the sign bases and the cut out pavement.  If you need to get through you can, but you have to get over a curb on the north end of the construction -- on the south end the curb doesn't exist so you can access the trail from the shoulder and vice-versa without having to stop unless you care about goathead thorns. Kevlar belted tires are a help.

Going back southbound I got on the shoulder at the existing north entrance to the casino parking lot (north of the smoke shop) and stayed there until I got past the construction.  I had to play in the traffic at the 81st Street intersection, but that was about it.  I don't ride against traffic so I stayed out of the shoulder going south.  You do see riders on Riverside from time to time, but as you say, the drivers are going fast and aren't always attentive to two-wheeled vehicles.  With cell phones being used for texting, they're not always attentive to four wheeled vehicles, traffic lights, city buses, etc.  

The only other way is to carry the bike across a couple of canyons left by the construction.  I don't recommend it, though I saw some cyclists doing that.  It's a good three or four foot dropoff.

[Conan71]

Sheesh, I may just ride to Turkey Mountain, then down Elwood & around the airport to the Jenks bridge and back to the trail to complete the mission of riding out to NSU and back.  Of course, I've seen people barrel down Elwood between 71st & 81st as well.

[charky]

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut


I was farther south and didn't see any trail at the point I crossed the river. Tulsa should run that trail down to 101st and connect it into the Jenks Trail. That would also make one big loop trail. Tulsa can do alot with that river, When I was in Tulsa 3 weeks ago I was working on my speed training, getting ready to enter another race. I pulled 2nd place in a 5K on July 6th in Hilliard, Ohio. I need to improve my time. I did the 5K in 25:30 not too bad but I feel I could of done better.

I might be wrong...but I think there are plans for a multi-use trail that would run from Turkey Mtn. south...hooking up with the existing Aquarium Trail. Nothing funded that I'm aware of at this time.

If you want something different...run the Katy Trail. You can access it from the north end Riverside trail. Just keep going north across Southwest Blvd. The trail eventually turns west and heads out to Sand Springs. There's a long stretch of shade...which makes it good for warm weather runs.

[sauerkraut]

quote:Originally posted by charky

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut


I was farther south and didn't see any trail at the point I crossed the river. Tulsa should run that trail down to 101st and connect it into the Jenks Trail. That would also make one big loop trail. Tulsa can do alot with that river, When I was in Tulsa 3 weeks ago I was working on my speed training, getting ready to enter another race. I pulled 2nd place in a 5K on July 6th in Hilliard, Ohio. I need to improve my time. I did the 5K in 25:30 not too bad but I feel I could of done better.

I might be wrong...but I think there are plans for a multi-use trail that would run from Turkey Mtn. south...hooking up with the existing Aquarium Trail. Nothing funded that I'm aware of at this time.

If you want something different...run the Katy Trail. You can access it from the north end Riverside trail. Just keep going north across Southwest Blvd. The trail eventually turns west and heads out to Sand Springs. There's a long stretch of shade...which makes it good for warm weather runs.

OK- Thanks that sounds great, I never ran that trail. It sounds like a great place to run.. I have been just running on the RiverSide Trail and Creek Turn-Pike Trail, I never even ran on the Mingo Trail- I hope there are no street crossings on the Katy Trail, during a timed run the last thing I want to do is cross a street and/or wait for traffic to clear.[]

[charky]

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut
OK- Thanks that sounds great, I never ran that trail. It sounds like a great place to run.. I have been just running on the RiverSide Trail and Creek Turn-Pike Trail, I never even ran on the Mingo Trail- I hope there are no street crossings on the Katy Trail, during a timed run the last thing I want to do is cross a street and/or wait for traffic to clear.[]

There's maybe 2 or 3 street crossings...but very low traffic. After cross SW Blvd...you'll go across a bridge that spans the railroad tracks (nice industrial view)...then you'll hit a short...but significant uphill. After that...it's fairly flat.

[Conan71]

All depends on how far you go out the KATY.  There are approximately six or seven including Chas. Page near Newblock park if you run all the way to highway 97 in Sand Springs.  

[charky]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

All depends on how far you go out the KATY.  There are approximately six or seven including Chas. Page near Newblock park if you run all the way to highway 97 in Sand Springs.  

Yeah...I should have qualified that. I've only run the entire out and back of the Katy once...when marathon training. I usually only go 3-5 miles west on the Katy...then turn back.

Busy street crossings don't bother me...just pay attention.

[waterboy]

quote:Originally posted by charky

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

All depends on how far you go out the KATY.  There are approximately six or seven including Chas. Page near Newblock park if you run all the way to highway 97 in Sand Springs.  

Yeah...I should have qualified that. I've only run the entire out and back of the Katy once...when marathon training. I usually only go 3-5 miles west on the Katy...then turn back.

Busy street crossings don't bother me...just pay attention.

You may also be confusing folks by referring to crossing SW Boulevard. Its actually 11th street at that point. It becomes SW when it crosses the river and turns southward.

I love that stretch if it weren't for the south winds carrying the refinery smells. Very small town feel to it.