Urban Wilderness: The Official Turkey Mountain Podcast · RSU Radio

Meet the Boss: A Conversation With Jeff Edwards

·37 min·2 clips

The rock yard is expected to change what downhill riders can do at Turkey Mountain.

1. Urban Wilderness: The Official Turkey Mountain Podcast centers this episode on current trail development and park management at Turkey Mountain. 2. Tip Crowley and Ryan Howell host River Parks executive director Jeff Edwards, whose prior work at Sand Springs and Keystone Ancient Forest shapes the discussion. 3. The episode asks what Turkey Mountain is becoming as new trails, parking, and bike features move from planning into construction. 4. Jeff says he spent nearly 20 years helping develop Keystone Ancient Forest with Grant Durondale and other staff. 5. He says University of Arkansas researchers studying climate change found 500-year-old cedar trees and 300-year-old post oak trees there. 6. Jeff explains that Nature Conservancy, the Charnafrank family, and Sand Springs helped fund and preserve the site. 7. He notes that trail development at Keystone ran from 2004 to 2007 and that staff built the full trail network. 8. Jeff says his own return to mountain biking came after earlier motorcycle racing and a later shift back to trail riding at Turkey Mountain. 9. He says he now rides about 100 miles a week on a mountain bike, mostly at Turkey Mountain. 10. Jeff describes the sanctuary trails south of 61st East of Elwood as a different experience with more solitude, more rock, and blue-and-black difficulty. 11. He says those trails are punchier and more hilly than he expected, with technical balancing and slower transitions between features. 12. Jeff says the sanctuary system is built to appeal strongly to hikers as well as very experienced riders. 13. He explains that the rock yard will use rock already on the property to create a downhill bike park with jump-focused features. 14. Jeff compares the concept to the Castle in Northwest Arkansas and says the design is intended to be its own feature, not a copy. 15. He says the 71st Street trail connector will be rebuilt in concrete, made more ADA friendly, and linked to a pedestrian-only tunnel crossing. 16. Jeff says new parking lots are planned, including one on the west side near Highway 75 and a rebuilt upper gravel lot. 17. He says Turkey Mountain could pass 300,000 visits this year and that the site currently has one restroom, which creates logistics problems. 18. The episode stays conversational and planning-focused, with Ryan asking practical questions and Jeff answering in a steady, project-by-project style. 19. People following Turkey Mountain trail construction, mountain biking, and Tulsa outdoor access will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a short, general intro without trail-planning details may skip it.

As heard by us

A grounded Turkey Mountain update that links trail progress to the larger master plan.

Urban Wilderness keeps its focus on Turkey Mountain updates, with Tip Crowley and Ryan Howell joined by executive director Jeff Edwards to connect the current trail work to the larger master plan.

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Hear the latest Turkey Mountain updates from the official Urban Wilderness podcast.

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