The RIVERSPORT Oklahoma Trailhead and Bike Park expansion opens this fall. New additions will create a trail hub in Oklahoma City’s Boathouse District, which is located at the intersection of I-35 and I-40 along the Oklahoma River, connecting to the OKC metro’s 80 miles of trails. And the construction coincides with trail completions, all while complimenting the Boathouse District’s growing cycling community.
M. Elizabeth Laurent, RIVERSPORT’s chief marketing officer, says the expansion will serve existing state trails, RIVERSPORT Bike Park users, plus the mushrooming numbers of trail users expected to gravitate to the soon-to-be-huge trail haven.
Water fountains, added shade, restrooms, an elevated trail, dedicated parking and a venue for education about statewide trail systems will be other additions, with the bonus of re-channeling cyclists and pedestrians off city streets for optimized safety.
Funded by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation Parks and Public Spaces; Recreational Trails Grant Funding; and individual donors, expansion includes the use of shipping containers to create unique spaces including a gathering hub, welcome center, nature center and ADA restrooms.
With RIVERSPORT located at one of the nation’s busiest interstate system crossroads, Laurent says the bike park’s expansion will draw travelers and be a great gathering spot for cyclists, runners and others using the trail system.
The bike park already offers a mountain bike skills course and three world-class mountain bike/BMX courses for the bike, skateboard and skate communities. As the largest of its kind in the U.S., and with an integrated timing system, the Velosolutions Pump Track is a 15,000 square foot asphalt track featuring seamless paved waves for bikers and skaters. The Momentum Pump Track, the largest composite bike pump track in the U.S., is a fiberglass mountain bike/BMX course designed with a series of berms, bumps and jumps, allowing
riders to utilize gravity and body weight to “pump” rather than pedal the course.
RIVERSPORT OKC is a nonprofit project of the RIVERSPORT Foundation, offering innumerable opportunities to those who are novices, in training or even Olympic hopefuls. Located within walking distance of the Bricktown Entertainment District, RIVERSPORT is an official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic training site, with athlete training facilities and coaching.
The area venues host options for those of all ages who enjoy all levels of fitness, who want to find a sport, pursue a passion, or just have fun. Besides festivals, race events, kids’ summer camps, programs, lessons and leagues, visitors enjoy whitewater rafting, tubing, surfing, adventure courses, high speed slides, extreme jumping, climbing walls, sailing, flat-water kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and indoor alpine skiing. There’s also a 700-foot zip line crossing the river, plus a free-fall experience. Suffice it to say, entertainment options are endless.
Image cutline: The RIVERSPORT Trailhead and Bike Park expansion will create even more outdoor opportunities in OKC. Rending courtesy RIVERSPORT OKC
