Have You Ridden Oklahoma?

Just checking to see if anyone here has experience riding in Oklahoma, and if you can offer any suggestions on routes, areas to avoid, any known construction...etc.

I'm planning a three day loop of southern Oklahoma with a couple of camping days in between, from my place in North Richland Hills.

Following is my initial, tentative route:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...6354,-96.435242&spn=0.86626,1.779785&t=p&z=10

Day 1 - from NRH to Broken Bow Lake (and maybe the ORV area there north of the lake)

Day 2 - From Broken Bow Lake to Lake of the Arbuckles

Day 3 - From the lake back to NRH

Day two will have the most scenic riding I think, thanks to motorcycleroads.us and motorcycleroads.com. Plan on riding the Indian Hwy, along with parts of 144, 271 and 43, working my way over to Lake of the Arbuckles and Chickasaw.

I'm trying to keep the milage at an "easy" level as this will be my first real long distance trip, and I don't want to be rushed. Any suggestions, tips, tricks... etc. would be greatly appreciated!

Paved, dirt, or both?

Thanks for the reply Scott. I thought long and hard about that before looking at routes. I am on a DR650 so a mix of dirt/street kind of made sense in the beginning. However, I am somewhat limited on time, and my real focus is to get a couple of good camping nights out of it, so I wouldn't want to spend a huge amount of time navigating dirt/gravel roads. That, coupled with this being my first real long distance/overnight trip, I wanted to make it as easy as possible.

Having said that, I am open to entertaining any kind of surface, as long as it is FUN and gets me there! Thanks again.

I've never been on the Durant - Broken Bow section of your route, but another alternative there is to go through Paris, and take 195 to 37 to Broken Bow. It's a fairly nice, scenic ride; maybe somebody who is more familiar with both options can provide more info.

Have fun on the trip!

I would wander through Paris, to Idabel or Hugo, and on up towards Mena. There are tons of fun paved and dirt roads there, nothing to hard dirt wise, plenty of places to camp, etc,... Then work your way back West towards Clayton, which has a nice state park. I would stay East of US 75. There are lots of fun, scenic, dirt roads between Mena and Heavener, Ok. There is Ok 1 and Ar 88, better known as the Talimena Scenic Byway, which is fun. There is also a campground at Queen Wilhelmina State Park on the Arkansas side near Rich Mountain.

Yep, been there, done that, and got the "Performance Award" to prove it.

Larry
VFRrider

Hello all,
Thanks much for the replies. I do like the idea of Paris to Broken Bow, so I am throwing that into the mix. Not sure why I was focused on heading north so quick, maybe just the mountain lover in me.

Scott - the state park you are referring to near Clayton, is that Clayton Lake State Park? Another option I was considering, instead of a loop, was setting up a base camp somewhere in the southeast part of the state and just do a dual sport weekend.

If I'm based out of Clayton, that gives easy access to the Talimena Scenic Byway and Talimena State park; as well as the Broken Bow riding area... not to mention the area around Clayton itself, Pine Mountain Trails.... Hmmm....

One thing I always warn people about that are going to be going to the Broken Bow area (driving and especially riding) is to be careful of the logging trucks. Those things are constantly throwing things off of them and they don't make a good sound when they hit your hood or windshield. I can only imagine the sound/feel of them hitting your helmet.

Also, while up in the Davis area, a short but entertaining ride is HWY 77 through the Arbuckle mountains. It's not a massive ride or anything, but it'll add some entertainment and you look like you'll be in the area. Here is a map: http://tinyurl.com/oub2n6

Also, you could add this ride to the trip as an extension to what I just mentioned: http://www.motorcycleroads.us/roads/ok77s.html

DrtyRdr said:

Scott - the state park you are referring to near Clayton, is that Clayton Lake State Park? Another option I was considering, instead of a loop, was setting up a base camp somewhere in the southeast part of the state and just do a dual sport weekend.

If I'm based out of Clayton, that gives easy access to the Talimena Scenic Byway and Talimena State park; as well as the Broken Bow riding area... not to mention the area around Clayton itself, Pine Mountain Trails.... Hmmm....

Click to expand...

Yes.

Also, there is a little gas station there in town with a grocery store and grill in it. If you pick out your steak, they will cook it there. Cheap and very good

A lot of the area to the East of Clayton is great riding, but it is private property. Lots of the land has been converted to private hunting leases. There are endless miles of dirt roads. If you get down to Pickens, be sure to stop for lunch. They make your sandwhich for you like your mom might, a loaf of bread and some stuff out of the fridge. The only building I have seen is a ratty looking gas station/store. Apparently, it is also the city hall, hehe.

In July of 2006, I spent a week camping and 4-wheeling out of a campground near Honobia, Ok. I would highly recommend it. I had a blast.
Lots of logging roads to explore, from smooth and easy, to rugged and better have friends or a winch. Very, very scenic.
A couple websites I used to plan out my trip are:
http://www.travelok.com/vacationIdeas/in-depth-detail.asp?row_id=19
http://www.hiddenhillscabinsok.com/atv_oklahoma.html
http://www.atvtrailriding.com/
These were aimed at ATV riding, but should give you some ideas of places to stay, and trails/roads in the area.
Some pictures from my trip:




Couple of the logging roads in the area


Yeah, thats a black bear track on one of the roads

Anyway, it should be a fun trip for you on a bike. I am looking forward to going back to the area myself. Enjoy, have fun, and stay safe.

Just moved here from Eastern Oklahoma. McAlester, to be exact. I have ridden alot around there. Talamena Drive is a must ride for everyone.

All,
Thanks again for the replies. Now I'm really torn! Not sure if I want to stick with my original plan of a loop.... or just head up and base camp somewhere around the Broken Bow area and spend the days playing in the dirt! Maybe I'm thinking too hard. Perhaps I should just head in the general direction of north east and see what happens... Decisions, decisions...