Edmond's Parks and Trails: What's Great, What's Confusing, and What's About to Get Better

Let me save you a Saturday of scrolling.

The short answer: start with E.C. Hafer Park for playgrounds and a pond, Mitch Park for sheer size, and Arcadia Lake's Spring Creek Park for dirt trails and water. Edmond says it has more than 40 miles of trails, and the city says the ribbon-cutting for a new connector to the Spring Creek Trail is off for now, after rain washed out an unfinished low-water crossing.

Edmond has a lot of parks, and they're better than they've got any right to be in a state where "outdoor recreation" can mean a parking lot with one tree.

Here's my honest tour of the ones people ask about. I'll also tell you about a new trail that finally connects a couple of paths that have been awkwardly ignoring each other.

Ready? Let's go.

Every number below comes from the City of Edmond, and the sources are at the bottom. I checked them on Oct. 27, 2026. When the city's own documents disagree, I'll point it out. Yes, that happens. It's weirdly comforting.

The short version

• Edmond says it has more than 40 miles of trails and keeps adding more to link Arcadia Lake, downtown and UCO.
• Arcadia Lake adds more than 35 miles of natural-surface trails for hiking and mountain biking, per the city's 2026 trails map.
• City trails are open sunrise to sunset every day.
• Dogs need a leash, kept within four feet. The city means it.

Source: City of Edmond park pages and 2026 Edmond Trails Map. Acreage and commissioning years are from the city's park pages. The park pages and the map disagree on some trail lengths; see the sections below.

E.C. Hafer Park is the one everybody knows

Hafer Park is at 1034 S. Bryant St. The city lists it at 121 acres, and it's been around since 1979.

Plain and simple, if you live in Edmond you've probably been here. If you haven't, what are you waiting for?

You get three playgrounds, a kids' fishing pond, a volleyball court, an exercise station, a stage and an athletic complex. It's open dawn to dusk, and the pavilions stay open until 10 p.m.

Now the trail loop. Here's the deal. The park page says 1.5 miles of paved trail, and the 2026 trail map says 1.7. So which is it?

The map says it winds past a lush forest, a quiet pond and some art sculptures. There's also the mile-long Fink Park Trail across from UCO at 800 E. 2nd St. that links up with Hafer.

Mitch Park is the big one on the northwest side

Mitch Park is at 1501 W. Covell Rd. It's 280 acres and opened in 1994.

It's got two playgrounds, a disc golf course, two basketball courts, an exercise station, a volleyball court, a skate park, an amphitheater and an athletic complex. That's a LOT of park. You get the point.

The trail map says the loop goes past the Mathis Brothers Skate Park, the Edmond Senior Center and the Mitch Park YMCA.

Same story on mileage. The park page says five miles of paved trail and the 2026 map says the Mitch Park Trail is 3 miles. Either way you won't run out of pavement before you run out of motivation, right?

You can also hop on the Kelly Avenue sidepath to the 2-mile Coffee Creek Trail. The half-mile Thomas Trail runs over to Westborough Park.

Bickham-Rudkin Park and the dog park

Down south, Bickham-Rudkin Park sits at East 33rd Street and Rankin Terrace. It's 49 acres and opened in 2006, with a fishing pond, a playground and pavilions.

The Edmond Dog Park is right next door, so your four-legged friend gets a spot too.

The 1.25-mile trail has a north loop around a tallgrass prairie and a south loop around an arboretum.

Cross Smiling Hill Blvd. and you'll find the 2.5-mile Eagle Trail, which circles Oklahoma Christian University's campus.

Arcadia Lake is where the dirt is

The city runs Arcadia Lake, and Spring Creek Park at 7200 E. 15th St. is the main day-use area. It's 194 acres and opened in 1987.

You'll find a boat ramp, disc golf, a swim area, a playground, pavilions and RV hookups. Day use runs 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and fishing is allowed around the clock.

It's NOT free. The city's fee page says $10 per vehicle for up to five passengers, and $3 for anyone on foot, on a bike or on a motorcycle.

Here's the useful bit. The city says you won't be charged if you only go in for the Spring Creek Trail.

That trail is an 18-foot-wide paved path with separate lanes for cyclists and for walkers and runners. It opened Thanksgiving Day 2017 and runs west from Spring Creek Park to I-35.

You'll find trailheads at Integris Medical Center and Fox Lake Trail.

The length depends on which city document you read. You'll see 2.5, 2.9 and 3 miles. Long story short, call it about three and move on.

If you ride dirt, the city's 2026 map has South Trails that suit beginners and West Trails that are harder but still beginner-friendly. The Dam Trails have sandstone obstacles, lumber and rock features and plenty of flowy single track, which the map says suits more intermediate riders.

The city also warns that parts of the multi-use trail can be impassable in rainy seasons. That's Oklahoma for "check the weather first."

What's coming is a trail that connects the dots

The city's EdmondBikes page says the ribbon-cutting for the Arcadia Lake Trail NW Connector is off for now: rain washed out the unfinished low-water crossing, and the city says to stay tuned. The extension of the Arcadia Lake Trail, which runs along the north and east side of the lake, will connect to the Spring Creek Trail about 2 miles west of Midwest Blvd.

Here's the odd part. The city's newest trails map, posted in October, already calls that new segment "recently completed," but the EdmondBikes page now says the low-water crossing wasn't finished when rain washed it out. So don't count on riding the whole connector yet. Check the EdmondBikes page before you plan a trip around it.

A few more are further out, so I'll believe them when the concrete's poured.

• Spring Creek Trail, Creek Bend segment (I-35 to Coltrane Rd.). The city has applied for grant funding and expects construction to start in late 2026 or early 2027.
• KickingBird Trail. The protected bike lanes east of Bryant Ave. should be done in early 2027. The trail that reaches Hafer Park is most likely early 2028.

Do parks and trails affect your home's value?

I'd love to hand you a tidy percentage. I don't have a verified one for Edmond, so I'm not going to make one up. Anyway, I digress.

Here's what I will say. Being near a trail or a big park is the kind of lifestyle detail that belongs in a listing and in a buyer's search, right?

So what say you? Is there a favorite park or trail I missed?

Frequently asked questions

What is the best park in Edmond, Oklahoma?

It depends on what you're after. E.C. Hafer Park at 1034 S. Bryant St. is the classic, with three playgrounds, a kids' fishing pond and a trail loop. Mitch Park at 1501 W. Covell Rd. is bigger and has the disc golf, skate park and amphitheater. If you want dirt trails and a lake, head to Arcadia Lake's Spring Creek Park.

How many miles of trails does Edmond have?

The city says it has more than 40 miles of multi-use trails. According to the city's 2026 trails map, Arcadia Lake adds more than 35 miles of natural-surface trails on top of that. The city's own documents don't agree on some individual trail lengths, so think of them as close estimates.

Is there a dog park in Edmond?

Yes. The Edmond Dog Park is right next to Bickham-Rudkin Park at East 33rd Street and Rankin Terrace. On the city's trails, dogs need to be leashed and kept within four feet of you.

Does it cost money to go to Arcadia Lake?

It does. Day use is $10 per vehicle for up to five passengers, and $3 per person if you walk, bike or ride a motorcycle in. The city says you won't be charged if you're only there for the Spring Creek Trail.

When does the new Arcadia Lake Trail connector open?

The City of Edmond's EdmondBikes page says the ribbon-cutting for the Arcadia Lake Trail NW Connector is off for now, after rain washed out the unfinished low-water crossing. The city hasn't posted a new date. Check the city's EdmondBikes page for the official status.