Keystone Ancient Forest — Attraction in Oklahoma

BEWARE: The park overall is great. Nice trails, clearly marked, easy to follow. Facilities are nice. The new parking lot is fantastic.

So why the 1 star? Stated park hours and the use of the park are way different. The grounds keeps or faculties keeper. Not so friendly. It’s Saturday park stated hours opens from 7/8-6. I drove almost an hour to get to the park. Arrived at 3:45. Geared and ready to go 3:55. Use then restroom and was immediately approached and told I could not run on the trails? I Asked why, “because we’ve already closed the trails.” It’s 4:00 pm. Why are the trails closed? We don’t want people out there late. It’s 4:00 plenty of time to run. Okay, we’ll if you do. You need to back by 5. By 5? Park is open til 6?. Yes but you need to back by 5. Why? We don’t want people out there. Everyone has to be back to the parking lot by 5:30. Hour and half is plenty of time to run 10k. Okay, I’ll be back by 5:30. Well we prefer than you not.

Lady states just doing what was told to do. If you don’t want people running on the trails after a certain time, should be posted on the website. Not arrive and be told you cannot run 2 hours before the park is closing. There is another way to approach the conversation rather than telling me or someone else they are unable to run because you don’t want people on the trails.

My training partner there 2 hours before me. At 2:30 also strongly suggested not be out on the trail after 3.

I understand the safety aspect but to blatantly the first thing you tell someone is they can’t run.

Recommendation: list park hours open. Then list hours of use of trails. If you want trail time don’t waste your time here. Go to Turkey Mountain.

Finished the 10k and back to the parking by 5:22. You’re welcome!

Update: thank you for the response and I do understand why she was explaining this and for safety concerns I 100% agree. I informed her I was there for race training. My reason for complaining is because there was a better way to address this. Example: hi have you ever been here. This is how it works. These are our expectations etc. but had I not gone to restroom, I wouldn’t have had this conversation. I look forward...

Absolutely love Keystone Ancient Forest. Unfortunately for us Okies who love to hike there simply aren't a lot of options nearby to get out on the trail and accomplish any sort of climbing or elevation gain. While KAF isn't like hiking a fourteener in the Rockies, it does offer some well-marked and curated trails with a few technical portions to scratch that itch in between trips to higher elevations. There are some neat geological features, views of Lake Keystone and, at certain times, albeit small, you can even see a couple of waterfalls.

For my money, you get the most bang for your buck on KAF's Falls Trail. It's moderately challenging, allows for about 550 feet elevation gain and, at just about 5 miles, it offers a bit more distance than a lot of other public trails one will find in NE Oklahoma.

The Less Traveled trail (5-6 mile loop) is a good one for trail runners who want to climb a few hills without breaking stride to tackle anything technical. If looking for something a bit more technical, however, the Wilson trail is a 1-mile loop and the only trail at KAF that I would classify as "difficult." All the trailheads basically centrally convene which makes it easy for a mildly ambitious hiker to tackle these trails in combination to allow for more distance and elevation if so inclined.

For the dog lover, your canine hiking buddies are allowed to join you on the trail - but only on designated days, so make sure to check out the website prior to loading up your pooch for a morning on the trails.

What I like best about Keystone Ancient Forest over other popular local trails is the fact that it seems more scenic and removed from the city when you're on the trail. Paired with the fact that you rarely are relegated to fighting a crowd, KAF offers some of the best hiking NE Oklahoma...

Finally did the highest difficulty Falls Trail at KAF. Had to do it this weekend before summer heat arrives. Outside temperature was around 80+.

Best trail in the Tulsa area. It is very well marked and there was a surprising amount of people on it this Sunday. Yes there is actually wildlife in the preserve and if you pay attention you can actually see it. Deer, snakes, lizards etc.

This trail features a couple of waterfalls. Naturally the waterfalls are best viewed after recent rainfall. There are a number of very nice eroded rock features that make the trail very interesting.

The trail is easy the first mile in from both sides. The meat and potatoes of the trail is the 1.5 Mile tough stretch in between. Steep inclines and declines. Rocky terrain. Large boulders. A few narrow ledges and some large drop offs a few feet from the trail.

Proper footwear such as trail shoes or hiking boots will make navigating the trail much easier and enjoyable with less chance of turning an ankle or slipping on the rocks.

Bring lots of hydration to fight of the heat and exhaustion. I weigh 180 and consumed almost all the 64oz I brought. Did not have go use the bathroom once because I...