TULSA, Okla. — River Parks Authority started working on an 88-acre expansion of Turkey Mountain to make it better and safer for hikers, bikers, and walkers.

River Parks Authority, alongside the City of Tulsa and the Daryl and Julie Christner Family Foundation, worked together for at least five years to expand Turkey Mountain.

They will develop another 88 acres on top of the current 650 acres so people can explore more of what Turkey Mountain has to offer.

The expansion will include more trails, a tree house, bike jumps, and more.

Ryan Howell, Turkey Mountain Project Manager with River Parks Authority, said this expansion was long overdue.

“All of our trails were incredibly eroded, the invasive species in terms of the plant life out here were really bad and you know, this place needed a lot of love and care,” he said.

They’re adding over 80 acres south of 61st and west of Elwood that will include all kinds of fun for anyone who visits Turkey Mountain.

“We are building new trails for hiking and mountain biking,” Howell said. “We’re going to be building a treehouse feature, and that will be out in the middle of the woods, an elevated platform overlooking a beautiful pond for people to find as they’re hiking or mountain biking out here in the woods.”

This couldn’t have happened without fundraising, donations, and the Daryl and Julie Christner Family Foundation.

“The Daryl and Julie Christner Family Foundation donated $2 million in order to build all of the infrastructure, the trails, the safe crossings, and the tree house,” Howell said.

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River Parks Authority starts work on 88-acre expansion of Turkey Mountain (River Parks Authority)

FOX23 spoke with Jim Selman, a biker at Turkey Mountain, on Wednesday.

He explained the changes and improvements he’s seen to the trails over the past 30 years.

“They were pretty rocky and had lots of areas where it just kind of washed out, and now that the trail maintenance guys have come in and built trails, so that it actually goes,” he said. “You’ve got switchbacks on the hills and stuff to keep water from running off and it makes the trails a lot safer.”

Once FOX23 told Selman about the expansion, he said he couldn’t wait to see how it all turned out.

“There’s a lot of communication that goes on between the hikers and the bikers, but it seems like some of the trails are multi-use, some of the trails are bikes only, so any expansion is going to be fantastic,” he said.

River Parks Authority said it will take up to six months to complete the expansion project.