A Visitor’s Guide to Oklahoma City’s Scissortail Park

Guide To Visiting Scissortail Park

Scissortail Park is a stunning new addition to the Oklahoma City skyline. Spanning 70 acres, this urban oasis offers visitors a variety of activities and amenities, including a lake, a playground, a dog park, and a performance stage.

With its lush greenery and modern design, Scissortail Park has quickly become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. In this article, we’ll take a look at how it all started, what there is to see and do there, and maybe a few things you didn’t know.

The Beginning of Scissortail Park

On June 29, 2017, Scissortail Park breaks ground, and is to be constructed by Downey Contracting.  They worked for more than two years to complete the Upper part of the park. The urban oasis officially opened on September 27, 2019.

The planning of the Scissortail Park project was organized through a public, resident-led process that included input and direction from professional consultants. The lower 32-acre portion of the park was completed September 23, 2022.

How big is Scissortail Park, exactly?

The Scissortail Park is nearly 70 acres in all.  The Upper part of the park starts at Robinson and Oklahoma City Blvd., stretching over to Skydance Bridge, making up 36 acres of the park. 

It then spans across I-40, which is the Lower 32 acres of the park still in progress. This lower section will have more open spaces and contain a soccer field, pickleball courts, basketball courts, and more.

 

What to See & Do

Scissortail Upper Park

Lake and Boathouse

Here, you’ll be able to rent kayaks, canoes, and pedal boats.  You’ll also find the restrooms here, and a place to grab some fresh eats, treats, and coffee.

Lake Bridge

See the park’s breathtaking views from the Lake Bridge!  Along this 240 foot walk, you’ll see Skydance Bridge, the monumental Union Station, and the downtown skyline.

Love’s Travel Stops Stage and Great Lawn

The park hosts various concerts throughout the year, usually held on the main stage of the Love’s Travel Stops Stage. It’s made up of 5 acres on a lawn that can seat more than 25,000 visitors.

Play Pavilion and Playground

Your children can also explore the park since there is a designated area in Scissortail Park for kids. The play pavilion includes climbing walls, gardens, slides, along with lots of shade to escape the heat, and restrooms. It is also near an interactive fountain so the kids can cool off during a hot summer’s day.

Ornamental Woodlands and Gardens

This area highlights some of the park’s most valuable native trees, such as oaks (Quercus), redbuds (Cercis), and elms (Ulmus). It also features 7 of the 18 “lens gardens” found throughout the park. The Lens gardens are a progressive landscape design that conveys an innovative design strategy incorporating landscape forms with height, depth, texture, color, and form.

Promenade

You can walk or bike along the park’s main walkway, which runs along its eastern border, to get some fresh air or exercise. There are also fountains, play areas, and a rather large art piece on the NE side of the Promenade.

Dog Park

Your dogs can run and play freely on this 1/2 acre fenced area, which features water fountains for your furry friends, and boulders that caters to dogs both small and large.

Activity areas

The Activity areas are a great place to spend your time if you want to fly a kite, play some ball, or simply soak up the sun.  It’s in this area that you’ll see a drainage system that feeds the 3-acre lake with rainwater.

Event Pavilion

Hosting a birthday party or family reunion? You can also rent a portion of the event pavilion for special occasions.  This pavilions provide shaded picnic tables, or even protection from any unforeseen precipitation. You’ll find the pavilion in the SE corner, and even notice a roller rink here during the Winter season.

Indoor/Outdoor Café

You can also enjoy taking a bite at the park café called The SPARK concept, which features burgers, bites, and cold delights.

Food Trucks

The park organizes a different lineup of great local food trucks each month, providing you with even more dining options. You’ll typically find everything from BBQ to Tacos, and Burgers to Boba.  Check out the Food Truck Schedule Here.

 

Scissortail Lower Park

The Lower Park is still a work-in-progress, but you’ll still find some things to do down here.

Overlook Hill

Try climbing the new ‘Overlook Hill’ at the park’s southern end for panoramic views.  You’ll see spectacular views of Oklahoma City and the river. If the weather is nice, you can even enjoy a picnic on the hilltop. And on snow days, you may even see some using the hill as a slope for sledding.

Sports Pavilion

The Sports Pavilion, located in Scissortail Park’s new Lower Park section, offers a shady spot to enjoy snacks while watching the action on the park’s new soccer pitch and practice field. The park will sell concessions and sporting goods from this area. There’s also a newly built basketball court, four side-by-side pickleball courts, and a futsal court enclosed in a metal enclosure.

Nature Playground

This new area comprises tunnels, willow trees, logs, a mulched pathway, sand pit, and some decent sized rocks that you can sit on.  Much of the trees in this area were preserved to provide old-growth woodlands. The area will also host lessons from a real park ranger, such as camping tips and how to build bird houses.

Fields & Courts

• Soccer Field
• Practice Field
• Futsal Field
• Pickleball Courts
• Basketball Courts

Seasonal Events

Farmers Market

The park also offers a direct-to-consumer marketplace every Saturday available only to producers who raise, grow, or manufacture their products. Their market only sells items that are homegrown, handmade, and/or locally made by Oklahoma-based businesses.

Featured Events

Depending on the season, the park also celebrates holiday festivities. During Christmas time, you may see the “Tis the Season Market” and “Cocoa Cottage” alongside the “Menorah Lighting”, Santa Claus, holiday lights, and more!

 

Some Park Rules

 

With the fun comes a few rules and guidelines to protect the park and keep you safe. Some of the rules include: No swimming in the Lake, no outside boats, paddleboards, kayaks, etc., are allowed. Public open fishing is not permitted, but there are scheduled fishing events throughout the year, which you can find on the park calendar here.

Bringing your own skateboards, scooters and bikes are permitted, but motorized scooters are not. Your pets can also enjoy their time in the park, but they should be leashed unless they are inside the Dog Park.

You can find a more in-depth list of the park’s rules and guidelines here.

 

Scissortail Park Hours:

Open Daily:  6 AM – 11 PM

Directions & Parking

Scissortail Park is located between Hudson and Robinson. Although metered parking is available around the park’s perimeter, it is often limited. Thus, scooters, rideshare services, biking or walking, and the Streetcar system are all great alternatives. You can also use this map below to guide you and help you decide which route is best for you.

 

300 SW 7th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73109
(405) 445-6277
https://scissortailpark.org/

In conclusion, Scissortail Park is a must-visit destination for anyone in Oklahoma City. Whether you’re looking for a peaceful place to relax, a fun spot to play with your kids, or a venue to catch a concert, Scissortail Park has something for everyone.

We hope this article has given you a glimpse of what the park has to offer and inspires you to plan a visit soon!