Ways To Stay Safe While Hiking On Turkey Mountain During Extreme Heat

The Tulsa Fire Department's mountain bike rescue team has had to rescue several people who got out on the trails on Turkey Mountain, then were overcome by the heat.

This hot weather can make it tough to do outside activities, but hiking or biking at Turkey Mountain can be especially dangerous because the terrain can be challenging.

“People at home, drink water,” says one kid who just finished a hike on Wednesday.

He’s right, the first rule of hiking Turkey Mountain or anywhere, is to stay hydrated. Another rule, finish early. It's almost noon and they're off to get a sweet treat.

"We're gonna go get ice cream," says another kid.

They're playing it safe, but Ryan Howell with Tulsa River Parks says not everyone is taking the heat seriously.

"The Tulsa Fire Department has come out to rescue several people off of the mountain, one time it was three in a day that were suffering from heat exhaustion and heat stroke," says Howell.

Luckily, the fire department has a mountain bike rescue team, and that makes it much easier to get to people faster.

"We've had a foot search that was 45 minutes and with a bicycle, it cuts it down to 10 or 15 minutes," says Captain Danny Kaiser.

Kaiser says there are 1,300 acres to cover at Turkey Mountain, so make sure you have your cell phone with you and charged so you can send your location during an emergency. That’s a huge help to first responders.

"If we're blessed and we receive a pin then we can identify a location for somebody quickly, if not, using bicycles we can actually cover ground faster," he says.

They hope their service is never needed and people take all the right precautions because getting to you in a mountain area isn't easy or fast.

"The time it takes to rescue you is magnitudes longer than if you're at River Parks along the side of the trail, or at your house, or in your front yard, there is no respite from the heat at Turkey Mountain,” says Howell.

The River Parks Authority also encourages people to leave pets at home, because they can get overheated easily, plus, you're always better off hiking with someone, rather than alone.