The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Anyone know the status of the proposed Crow Creek Trail from the river to Peoria (Brookside)?  I know it's on the INCOG list of proposed trails.  I would like to see it extended all the way to Zink Park so you could park there and then head down to the river.  It would be really cool if it went all the way to Utica through the Philbrook gardens but I imagine that would be hard to do.

Also I know V2025 provided funds for an extension of the Midland Valley trail from Maple Park into downtown to 3rd Street, what is the status of this project?

That sounds good. I did not know new trails were being built. I hope they use under passes to get across streets. I'd like to know more about that too![:)]

quote:

---

Originally posted by SXSW

Anyone know the status of the proposed Crow Creek Trail from the river to Peoria (Brookside)?  I know it's on the INCOG list of proposed trails.  I would like to see it extended all the way to Zink Park so you could park there and then head down to the river.  It would be really cool if it went all the way to Utica through the Philbrook gardens but I imagine that would be hard to do.

Also I know V2025 provided funds for an extension of the Midland Valley trail from Maple Park into downtown to 3rd Street, what is the status of this project?

---

The Midland Valley trail is complete. It picks up where the old trail ended at 17th and Cincinnati, cuts east through Maple park, crosses 15th and skirts H51 to Peoria. Then across the highway north to Tracy Park, past the cemetery/Fire Alarm building, new Central Park lake and suddenly ends at 3rd.

I hope it gets extended to OSU Tulsa so you can jump onto the Osage trail. The way it ends is really odd, you're not certain where to go after you hit the trial head. All they would need are signs to direct you down 3rd St to Greenwood and then on to OSU.

Per Crow Creek: A private investor has been buying the properties along both sides of crow creek starting at riverside and moving east. He's only halfway to Peoria last I heard.

quote:

---

Originally posted by sgrizzle

Per Crow Creek: A private investor has been buying the properties along both sides of crow creek starting at riverside and moving east. He's only halfway to Peoria last I heard.

---

Strange. At Riverside the creek has apartment complexes on either side. As you move east it runs through back yards to Peoria and then through more back yards to Zink Park.

quote:

---

Originally posted by carltonplace

quote:

---

Originally posted by sgrizzle

Per Crow Creek: A private investor has been buying the properties along both sides of crow creek starting at riverside and moving east. He's only halfway to Peoria last I heard.

---

Strange. At Riverside the creek has apartment complexes on either side. As you move east it runs through back yards to Peoria and then through more back yards to Zink Park.

---

How is that strange?

I brought it up in another thread but I tried out the newer portion of the MV trail recently and, IMO, it could be better.  The southern portion, from the west bank across the Ped. Bridge up to Maple Park, is fantastic and the northern portion, which runs from OSU-Tulsa all the way to Skiatook, is a nice trail even if the scenery is not that great (at least not until you get into the more rural portions of the trail).  The connection between the two is odd, mainly because of the Hwy. 51/75 interchange complicating things north of Maple Park.  I propose a better solution that would connect the best areas of downtown to the river via the MV jogging/bike trail.  Have the trail veer off at 19th before Maple Park and connect to Boston Ave. at 18th.  Then have dedicated bike lane(s) going north and south from 18th up to 3rd where it then goes east through the East End to Greenwood, and then up to OSU-Tulsa to connect with the northern trail.  Thoughts?

Not sure how that is strange. I never said they were buying vacant land. One of the property purchases was in the daily business paper today.

I thought of another idea for this trail last weekend:

Currently the MV trail stops at 17th & Cincinnati and goes through Maple Park up to Madison and then along the BA to Peoria.  The most direct route into downtown is cut off by the Cincinnati flyover being a 1 way street going south.  I propose closing down this flyover to auto traffic and turning it into an extension of the MV trail for bikes and joggers that would join up with the trail at 17th and then go over the highway and up Cincinnati through downtown turning the west lane into a bike/jog lane.  This lane would go through the heart of downtown all the way to OSU-Tulsa at John Hope Franklin Blvd. connecting to the northern MV trail at Jasper (NE side of OSU-Tulsa).  This would allow Cincinnati to be turned back into a 2 way street from 17th to 21st and provide a more direct route into and out of downtown for bikes and joggers to the river.

I was driving down through the Leonard/Stone Bluff area this past weekend and noticed an old railroad right of way along Hwy. 64.  I looked at Google Maps and sure enough it was the old Midland Valley.  On Google I was able to follow its path all the way to Muskogee.  Does anyone know who controls this right of way?  That would be really cool if they could turn this southern portion into a biking/jogging trail like they have done through Tulsa and up to Skiatook.  There is some very scenic 'river bottom' land and farms/orchards from Bixby to Muskogee, and the trail goes by the Arkansas River at many locations.  The area from Leonard to Stone Bluff to just northwest of Haskell is particularly scenic with the Conjada Mtns. (300-400 ft. forested hills) rising above the river valley.  You can clearly see these from south Tulsa but they appear as a huge plateau abruptly ending at the river. 

I know there are future plans to extend the northern trail from Skiatook to Barnsdall and eventually Pawhuska, does anyone know the timetable for that extension?  That is also a very scenic area in Osage County, lots of forested hills and narrow creek valleys between Skiatook and Barnsdall before it all becomes rolling prairie as you get toward Pawhuska.  Absolutely beautiful country northwest of Tulsa.  I could see such a trail from Pawhuska to Muskogee through the heart of Tulsa being regionally famous like the Katy Trail in Missouri, especially for bikers wanting nice scenery without much of an elevation change.

That could be interesting, very neat terrain.

If you look on Google at the southwest side of the Muskogee Airport where the line comes in from Leonard, there is another one that heads southwest toward Wainright, Hichita, Dewar and into Henryetta. I was able to follow it to Dustin, and then lost it southwest of Lamar.

Interesting idea, climbing that flyover bridge south bound would be a nice workout.

The downtown plans I've seen keep Cincinnati and Detroit, 6th and 7th all one way for highway access, but Boulder, Main, 3rd and 1st become two-way.

Yeah that presents a pretty big barrier to doing a 2-way route down Cincinnati.  I just wish there was a more direct route through downtown to connect the MV trail from the river to OSU and northward.  The Cincinnati flyover would be much cooler if you could go north because the view of downtown is fantastic.  Maybe you could do bike lanes along both sides of a 2-laned Boulder through downtown from 21st north to Brady.

I think it may have reverted back to the original land owners.  There are several sections along 64 between Bixby and Leonard that the farmers have removed the grade and are using it for farming.  In Bixby, most of the grade has been removed west of Memorial and it looks like a school athletic field has taken the place of some of the old ROW.

The site below has a downloadable map of the RR in OK in 1915.  Near the top of the page is a spot to click for eastern OK and another for western OK.

http://okgenweb.org/okprojects/xref/railroads.html

Yeah I noticed that, and then it picks back up just east of Bixby.  If the west (or east) bank trails were ever finally extended all the way south to Bixby it could connect to the MV east of town.  It would be cool to explore regardless.

It would have been great if the group trying to start an excursion train from Bixby to Muskogee had raised enough money after the flood to rebuild the track. I think they planned to use a steam locomotive. 

I think you are following the Missouri Oklahoma & Gulf, later the Kansas Oklahoma and Gulf RR.
http://www.trainweb.org/screamingeagle/history_ko&g.html

It served: Denison, TX, Carpenter's Bluff, TX, Achille, OK, Durant, OK, Tupelo, OK, Calvin, OK, Henryetta, Ok, Council Hill, OK, Muskogee, OK, Wagoner, OK, Miami, OK, and Baxter Springs, KS. 

If you go north out of Wagoner and then towards Locust Grove, you can trace a lot of what appears to be the old ROW, including some bridge piers across the river.

There was also another track that departed Muskogee west of Hatbox Field going to Okmulgee.  I haven't been able to follow any of them through Muskogee.

I know the MV used to go all the way to Ft. Smith but I can't seem to find the ROW east of Muskogee.  The stretch between Muskogee and Ft. Smith through the Brushy Mtns. would be really scenic. 

I think it went south out of Muskogee then east.  I'll check later.  Google Mid-Valley RR and you can probably find something pretty quickly.

I'm thinking about hiking the remnants of this railroad from Leonard southward, probably to near Haskell if I get up early.  Anyone ever tried hiking the old MV tracks?  I'm not sure when I'll do it but I'll be sure and take pics and post them.  I also want to keep going north sometime from the trail head in Skiatook, has anyone ever done that?