Wellness Health and
With miles of trails winding through parks and natural areas, Oklahoma City offers plenty of spots to train for your next race or cycling event. Whether you enjoy running, walking, or biking, you’ll find routes that fit your pace and style. If you prefer something more relaxed, the metro area features many public golf courses where you can unwind and enjoy the outdoors. When emergencies happen, you’re never far from world- class medical care at hospitals and clinics throughout OKC. To learn more about staying active and healthy in your new home, visit ABetterLifeOKC.com/health. ACTIVE LIFESTYLES With nearly 250 days of sunshine a year and a growing number of parks, trails and sporting activities, OKC is the perfect place to maintain an active lifestyle. Thanks to OKC’s emphasis on improving infrastructure and community-funded wellness centers, sidewalks, trails and facilities, the city offers a quality of life that promotes healthy, happy residents. There are many ways to enjoy outdoor activities in OKC. The city has nearly 100 miles of cycling and running trails, with more planned. These trails and designated bike lanes total nearly 150 miles, allowing bicycle commuters to travel from northwest OKC to downtown on safe, marked paths. Bluff Creek and Lake Stanley Draper both offer more than 15 miles of mountain biking and hiking trails. Three large lakes—Hefner, Draper and Overholser—provide recreational activities such as boating, fishing, biking, jogging on paved trails and golf. The Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge at the north end of Lake Overholser covers 1,000 acres of pristine land. Hiking here offers close encounters with wildlife and beautiful views of lakes, bottomland forest and marshlands. Its trails accommodate both bicyclists and hikers. You can also rent kayaks or canoes to explore the North Canadian River, which winds through the refuge. The
Oklahoma River, a seven-mile stretch of the North Canadian River running through the heart of OKC, offers world-class canoeing, kayaking and standup paddleboarding. Nearby, an Olympic-level whitewater kayaking facility in the Boathouse District provides training and fun for athletes and amateurs alike. You can even try snow skiing or surfing on new simulators recently opened there. Golfers will find affordable options across the metro. OKC has five public golf courses with fees starting as low as $26 for 18 holes or less ($15.75 for seniors), with lower prices later in the day. The nearby cities of Edmond, Midwest City and Norman also offer public golf courses. For action sports enthusiasts, Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park features 26,000 square feet of terrain for skateboarding, inline skating and BMX freestyle biking. In 2019, the city opened a new skate park at Stars and Stripes Park near Lake Hefner. Each April, OKC hosts the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, attracting more than 25,000 runners and walkers from all 50 states and several countries. For four-legged family members, the metro offers several dog parks. These include Mutts Park in the Midtown District; Paw OK Dog Park in northwest OKC, a two-acre, off-leash area with a swimming pond and separate enclosures for large and small dogs; and Bar K, a dog park, bar and restaurant located in the Boathouse District. Downtown’s Scissortail Park also features a free, enclosed dog park. MAPSfunded senior health and wellness centers already serve multiple parts of Oklahoma City and soon will cover all four quadrants. Open to people ages 50 and up, these centers offer amenities that promote an active lifestyle, social interaction and overall well-being. Two are fully
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