Red Bud Valley Oxley Nature Trail

The area is open Wednesdays though Sundays from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. You may not hop the fence when the Nature Preserve is closed: on Mondays, Tuesdays, city holidays, before 8:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. The gates are locked promptly at 5:00 p.m., so plan your activities accordingly. The Harriet Barclay Visitor's Center is open from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Restrooms, picnic tables and drinking water are available in the shelter adjacent to the visitor's center from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. . Please picnic only in this area. The small gravel parking lot can hold several school buses or about 20 cars.

Phone: 918-669-6644 Website: http://www.oxleynaturecenter.org/redbud.htm

Snakes are not uncommon. Most are non-venomous, but copperheads have been found here, and rattlesnakes are possible. On the uplands, tarantulas and scorpions live among the rocks. The area can also have an abundance of ticks in season, and of course, chiggers, wasps and bees are common. Certain trail portions have some poison ivy. None of these things should deter you from visiting, but you need to be aware that they are here and take appropriate precautions

To get to Redbud Valley Nature Preserve from Tulsa take Highway 244 or Highway 44 east toward Joplin. Exit at 161st East Avenue, which is exit #237. As you come down the exit ramp, move to the left lane. At the stop sign at the bottom of the ramp, turn left, which is north. At this point you are actually on 163rd East Avenue. Go under the highway to the 2nd stop sign, and turn left again (if you don't turn left here, you will go into the parking lot for Bruce's Texaco Truck Stop.) Go to the 3rd stop sign, which is at the corner of the truck stop's parking area, and turn right. That will put you going north on 161st East Avenue. At the stop sign at Pine Street, continue straight. At the stop sign at Tiger Switch Road, go straight again. Cross two very rough railroad tracks, and continue north. The road will descend into a wooded valley, and will cross two small bridges. Look for a sign on the left saying "Nature Preserve Entrance 500 feet". The entrance to the small parking area is on the left. It is neither legal nor safe to park along the county road outside the gates. To get to Redbud Valley Nature Preserve from Catoosa take 193rd East Avenue north toward the Port of Catoosa. At the traffic light at Pine Street, continue straight (north). On the other side of the big hill, watch for an intersection. On the east side of the road is a school. The sign on the west side of the road says "Redbud Drive". Turn left onto Redbud Drive. (If you end up crossing Bird Creek, or at the Port of Catoosa, you missed the turn!) Go west and north on Redbud Drive for 4 twisty miles. The entrance to Redbud Valley Nature Preserve will be on the right.