Fall Foliage Drives Within Two Hours of Norman

Oklahoma color season sneaks up on people. By mid-October the blackjack oaks along US-77 start turning rust and gold, the sumac lights up red, and the cottonwoods down by the rivers go bright yellow almost overnight. If you've got a Saturday free and a full tank, there are four or five drives inside a two-hour radius of Norman that make for a genuinely good day.

Here's a practical guide to the best of them — where to point the car, what to pack, and how to make sure the vehicle is ready for a longer day than your usual commute.

Peak color in central and eastern Oklahoma usually lands somewhere between the third week of October and the second week of November. It shifts every year based on how much rain we got in September and how quickly the first cold front pushes through. A dry, warm September followed by a sharp cool-down tends to give the best reds; a wet, mild fall stretches the season out but mutes the colors.

The eastern half of the state — anything past Okemah heading toward the Ouachitas — colors up first because of elevation and the mix of hardwoods. West of I-35 you'll get more yellows and browns, mostly from cottonwoods and elms along the creeks. Both are worth the drive, just for different reasons.

Take I-35 south to Davis and follow the signs to Turner Falls Park. The drive through the Arbuckle Mountains on US-77 south of Davis is the best part — a winding two-lane through the oldest exposed mountains in North America, with sandstone bluffs and hardwoods that turn deep orange in a good year. Plan for a $12-per-person park entry if you want to walk down to the falls, or just pull off at the scenic overlooks north of the park.

Keep going past the Arbuckles to Lake Murray State Park outside Ardmore. The 12-mile loop road around the lake is slow, quiet, and lined with oaks and pines that reflect off the water. Bring a picnic. If you've never driven the road up to Tucker Tower, do it — the view from the top covers most of the lake.

The full Talimena National Scenic Byway is a little past our two-hour window, but Robbers Cave State Park near Wilburton is the reasonable substitute. The drive out on SH-9 east through Seminole and Wewoka runs alongside creek bottoms full of sweetgum and maple. Robbers Cave itself sits in the Sans Bois Mountains, and the short hikes up to the bluffs put you above the canopy for the best color views in the state that don't require a full weekend.

Head up US-81 to Watonga and out to Roman Nose State Park. This one's a change of scenery — red dirt, gypsum bluffs, and cottonwoods along Bitter Creek. The color is more subtle here, but the light in late October across the canyon is something you don't forget. Good option if the eastern parks are packed on a football Saturday.

A foliage drive is exactly the kind of trip that exposes anything you've been putting off. You're on two-lane roads, often in cell dead zones, with a car full of people who want to be having fun. A few things to check the week before:

• Tires and alignment. Twisty roads and cold morning temperatures both punish tires that are low or worn unevenly. A quick tire rotation and four-wheel alignment catches problems before they leave you stranded outside Wilburton.
• Battery. First cold snap of the season is when weak batteries die. If yours is more than three years old, get it tested — a battery check takes ten minutes.
• Wipers and washer fluid. Wet leaves plus a dirty windshield in low fall sun is genuinely dangerous. New wiper blades are cheap insurance.
• Overall once-over. A multi-point inspection before a longer drive is the kind of thing you're glad you did when nothing goes wrong.

Cell service gets spotty east of Ada and west of Watonga. Download offline maps before you leave. Throw a blanket, a gallon of water, snacks, and a paper map in the trunk. If you're taking kids, plan bathroom stops around actual towns — the rest areas on secondary highways are hit or miss this time of year.

Fall light is beautiful but low. Sunset behind you at 6 p.m. on a curvy two-lane while eastbound traffic has their brights on is a real thing. Try to be headed home by 5, or plan to eat dinner in Ardmore or Wilburton and drive back after dark on the interstate instead of the back roads.

If you've been nursing a car that you don't quite trust on a longer drive, this is the season to fix that. A Tucson or Santa Fe with the available all-wheel drive handles the wet leaves and gravel pull-offs without drama, and the hybrid versions make the gas math on a 200-mile round trip look a lot better. It's worth walking through our new inventory or the used lot and just sitting in a few. We wrote a longer piece on AWD versus FWD in Oklahoma if you're weighing that decision.

Fall in Oklahoma is short. Pick a Saturday, pick a direction, and go.

Stop by Norman Hyundai on a Saturday morning or schedule a 30-minute test drive online — bring the family and any questions about your trade. We'll have the car ready and the numbers waiting.