Thirty years ago, the stretch of the North Canadian River running through downtown Oklahoma City was essentially a dry ditch. Today, it stands completely transformed, and in 2028, it will host the Olympic canoe slalom.
The Oklahoma River Trails form the land portion of this incredible revitalization. Spanning roughly 13 miles of flat, paved paths along both banks of the newly renamed Oklahoma River, the route threads past the vibrant Boathouse District, Wheeler Park, and the Mat Hoffman Action Sports Complex. Because the trails run parallel on either side of the water for nearly seven miles apiece, you can easily ride out on one bank and back on the other without repeating a single stretch.
What the Ride Is Like
The pathways are level and paved end-to-end, which makes this one of the more genuinely accessible entries in this series. There’s no climbing, no gravel, and no technical sections.
The Boathouse District anchors the east end of the northside trail and is the reason to plan around this ride rather than just through it. It’s home to a row of distinctive boathouses, the Chesapeake Finish Line Tower, and RIVERSPORT Rapids, where the whitewater channels run at two different flow levels: lower ones for family rafting, higher ones for elite athletes…