Best Motorcycle Rides Near Tulsa (and Their Hidden Risks)
Tulsa sits in the middle of some of the best riding in the middle of the country. Historic Route 66 runs right through town, the Osage Hills open up empty two-lanes just north, and the lakes and mountains of eastern Oklahoma are an easy day trip in almost any direction. The same roads that make Green Country a rider's country also carry real risks, and Oklahoma law adds a twist most riders never think about until they are already hurt.
Historic Route 66, East and West
You cannot ride out of Tulsa without crossing the Mother Road, so make a day of it. Head east and Route 66 carries you past the giant Blue Whale at Catoosa and into Claremore, all roadside Americana, small-town main streets, and easy miles. Point it west instead and the old alignment runs down through Sapulpa and on toward Chandler with the same slow, nostalgic character. It is a relaxed ride, which is exactly the trap. Route 66 is stitched with driveways, gas stops, and cross streets, drivers slow and turn without warning to gawk at the sights, and long stretches of aging concrete carry patched seams and potholes that will move a bike around. Ride it easy, but ride it awake.
The Osage Hills and Tallgrass Prairie
For empty road and big sky, head north into the Osage. Run up toward Pawhuska and out to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, where the pavement rolls and dips across some of the last big stretch of native prairie in the country, often with a bison herd somewhere on the horizon. It is one of the finest rides in the state and one of the loneliest, and that is the risk. These are open range and rural two-lanes with no shoulder, cattle and deer that step out without warning, blind crests and dips that hide oncoming traffic, and gravel washed across the pavement in the curves. Cell coverage gets thin, and help is a long way off. Fuel up, tell someone your route, and leave margin for what you cannot see over the next rise.
Grand Lake O' the Cherokees
Run northeast out of Tulsa toward Grove and you reach Grand Lake, where the roads wrap around coves and inlets through the wooded hills of far northeastern Oklahoma. Loop the lake and you get shady sweepers, water views, and lakeside towns to stop in, a classic weekend ride in Green Country. The hazards here are traffic and distraction. In warm months the lake fills with tourists, boat trailers, and RVs, drivers turn suddenly into marinas and resorts, and the tree-lined roads keep pavement shaded and damp after rain. Weekend and holiday crowds turn quiet lake roads busy fast, so ride like a truck and trailer could swing wide out of any driveway.
Keystone Lake
When you want the ride without the drive, Keystone Lake sits just west of town, an easy escape past the dam and along the wooded shorelines where the Cimarron and Arkansas rivers back up. It is close enough for an evening loop and pretty enough to feel like a real trip. The catch is the wind and the terrain. The open water and ridgelines out here funnel the strong Oklahoma crosswinds that can shove a bike across a lane in a gust, the roads twist with blind curves and elevation changes, and weekend lake traffic clogs the two-lanes near the marinas. Keep a firm grip and leave room, because the wind out here is not a suggestion.
The Talimena Scenic Byway
For the big one, point the bike southeast toward the Ouachita Mountains and ride the Talimena National Scenic Byway, running the ridgetops from Talihina, Oklahoma toward Mena, Arkansas. It is the crown jewel of Oklahoma motorcycling: 50-plus miles of tight, banked curves along the crest of the range, with long views off both sides and hardwood forest that catches fire with color every fall. It also demands respect. This is a technical mountain road with steep drop-offs and no guardrail in places, gravel and rockfall and leaves in the corners, sudden fog and cold at elevation, wildlife on the road, and sightseers braking mid-curve for the overlooks. Fuel and services are scarce up top. Plan the ride, not just the destination, and save the throttle for the parts you can see.
The Hidden Risks Every Tulsa Ride Shares
No matter which route you pick, riding in Green Country comes with a few constants worth planning around. Ride like the road is not looking out for you, because it is not.
- ✓ Oklahoma wind. Strong, gusty crosswinds are a fact of riding here, especially on open highways, lake causeways, and ridgelines, and a sudden gust can push a bike a full lane.
- ✓ Deer on the rural two-lanes. The Osage, the Ouachitas, and the wooded lake roads are thick with deer, especially at dawn and dusk in the fall rut, and a strike on a bike is a serious crash.
- ✓ Storms and slick pavement. Spring and fall storms move in fast, and the first rain after a dry spell lifts oil to the surface and turns Tulsa streets and highways greasy.
- ✓ The left-turn driver. The most common motorcycle crash is a car turning left across a rider's path, and it happens at Tulsa intersections and on Route 66 every day.
- ✓ Highway congestion. I-44 and Skelly Drive, US-75, the Mingo Valley Expressway on US-169, and the Broken Arrow Expressway leave drivers rushed, distracted, and blind to a bike in the next lane.
Why an Oklahoma Crash Hits Riders Differently
Here is the part most riders never see coming until it is too late. Oklahoma is an at-fault state, so the driver who caused the wreck is the one whose insurance is supposed to pay. But Oklahoma also follows modified comparative negligence with a 51 percent bar: your recovery is reduced by your share of fault, and if you are found more than 50 percent at fault, you recover nothing. That is exactly why adjusters work so hard to blame the rider. Oklahoma law only requires riders and passengers under 18 to wear a helmet, so as an adult you can legally choose whether to wear one, but expect an insurer to try to use that choice against you anyway. On top of that, drivers are only required to carry minimum liability coverage of 25/50/25, which can vanish before a serious crash is paid for, so your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is a Tulsa rider's real backstop against Oklahoma's high uninsured-driver rate. It is worth checking your policy before your next ride, not after a crash. And if you do go down, Oklahoma generally gives you two years from the date of the crash to file an injury claim.
Tony Edwards and the motorcycle accident lawyers in Tulsa at Edwards & Patterson represent riders hurt by negligent drivers. If you have questions after a crash, their team is here to help.