River Parks Authority Wants Input For Turkey Mountain Master Plan

Tulsa's River Parks Authority wants your input to help create a master plan for Turkey Mountain. They tell News On 6 the goal is to make sure this one-of-a-kind destination continues to grow in popularity.

Brian Hoover has been coming to Turkey Mountain for a decade now.

"I've been coming out, trying to get what's called a little hill work with my pack on," said hiker Brian Hoover.

He is on the trails getting ready for a 5-month hiking adventure along the Pacific Crest Trail.

"I couldn't imagine how I would train for this hike if it wasn't for Turkey Mountain," said Hoover.

Tonja Carrigg with River Parks Authority says up to 13,000 people a month come through the main trail entrance to visit Turkey Mountain. Some people come to hike and others like Wei Ling come to run or walk their dogs.

"I walk sometimes around the river but too many cars so I really enjoy here it is just peace," said hiker Wei Ling.

Carrigg says with increased popularity at Turkey Mountain over the years, more management, preservation, and activity planning is needed.

"We do need to manage it because things have changed at Turkey Mountain over the years including erosion, invasive species and maybe some changes with the ponds," said Carrigg.

They have several meetings planned. The first one is aimed at developing a master plan for Turkey Mountain.

"We are going to take our time this year reviewing every possible avenue of input. We will be working with local experts, we will be working with ecologists, historians, geologists, and the community," said Carrigg.

“We could easily lose this if we didn’t have, you know, a master plan and people watching out for our playground,” said Hoover.

The next meeting is on March 7. You can find more information here.