1. Mary K. Oxley Nature Center
City: Mohawk Park, OK
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (918) 669-6644
Address: 6700 Mohawk Blvd.
Description: This is the perfect place to stretch your legs any time of year. On a crisp fall day, enjoy the autumn color; in spring look for shy violets, wild blue phlox, and other early-blooming wildflowers. Even in winter the stark landscape offers its own beauty—and ducks, geese, and other waterbirds can be seen in the wetlands areas. Summer flourishes with butterflies, birds, and lots of green.The Center is the hub of a number of connecting trails—good for short walks or, by joining paths, longer hikes. Maps are available at the visitor center, which is open every day (with the exception of major holidays). Check the Web site for a schedule of nature talks, walks, and other events. The visitor center was renovated in 2009 and now has exhibit space, a gift shop, and classroom space. Displays and exhibits in the visitor center include a life-size tree with buttons that can be pushed to activate the calls of several different birds. There’s also a computer terminal where visitors can find ways to help the environment around their own homes.Most of the trails are wheelchair accessible. Walks in the North Woods Unit are a little more rugged. The longest trail in this area, the North Woods Loop (1.2 miles), goes through the Nature Center’s “wilderness” area. Admission is free.For more information see the Attractions and Kidstuff chapters.
2. Mary K. Oxley Nature Center
City: Mohawk Park, OK
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (918) 669-6644
Address: 6700 Mohawk Blvd.
Description: The 800 acres in the nature center feature 11 miles of well-marked trails inviting exploration of a variety of habitats from forest to prairie to wetlands. The place to start is the Interpretive Center—to enjoy the educational exhibits and to pick up a trail map. There are also frequent interpretative programs and classes scheduled—occasionally with a minimal charge. There is no charge at the nature center, but if you come on the weekend you’ll have to pay a small fee to enter Mohawk Park.Exhibits include a number of hands-on items—buttons to push, specimens to feel, recordings to listen to. If you’re here when school classes are visiting, you’ll hear a nonstop serenade to birdcalls, frog songs, and squirrel scoldings. A busy beehive provides another item of interest. The interpretative center overlooks a small pond that hosts a variety of waterfowl and resident turtles.Trails vary in length from less than a quarter of a mile to just over a mile and can be linked together to provide as long a walk as you want. Several trails of particular interest include the Red Fox Trail, a wooded path designed for a sensory awareness experience, and the Blue Heron Loop Trail, where you’ll find two bird blinds overlooking Sherry Lake. Most of the trails are wheelchair accessible.
3. Mary K. Oxley Nature Center
City: Mohawk Park, OK
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (918) 669-6644
Address: 6700 Mohawk Blvd.
Description: The Oxley Nature Center, in addition to being a great place to take a family walk, offers a number of special programs for kids. Most of the programs are on Saturdays. Examples of past offerings include Discovery Club for 3- to 5-year-olds, Adventure Club for ages 6 through 8, and Junior Naturalists for kids from 9 to 11. Topics range from how birds build nests to what clouds tell us about the weather. Astronomy programs are popular, and several moon walks have been offered. Some programs require registration; others are drop-in friendly. Check the Web site for programs and special events. More information about the center can be found in the Attractions and Outdoors chapters.