Lake Hefner

We went there for our anniversary dinner. We had a great time and the service and food was great. Would come back again!!!

Lake Hefner is one of my favorite places in OKC, though I feel like we should clarify that there are about fifty distinctly different parts of Lake Hefner, but for the purposes of Unilocal,there is one central location to review. Individual parks, the golf course, etc., can be reviewed under separate listings.
Overall, I’d have to say Lake Hefner is pretty amazing. The trails are generally spotless and well-​maintained. The picnic tables, benches song the way are always nice and not in disrepair. The city does a great job keeping trash picked up, keeping facilities clean and tending to the grounds. I love the area between Meridian and Portland, down past Stars and Stripes and back down to Grand, and it’s always so nice. I also love the area between Grand and Britton, especially on a busy day. The East Wharf is a wonderful place to grab a drink or a meal and people watch, and I love that they’ve added the Lake Hefner Goats near the dam to keep the grass trimmed.
Nice work OKC, and please keep it up!

Lake Hefner is a busy place with great restaurants, stars and stripes park picnic tables fishing docks, running and biking trails, golf course, boat launch and a paved road that goes around the entire lake. I live one mile from lake Hefner and i enjoy the fun and view. Lake Hefner is a sailing lake so no jet skis or jet boats and that being said makes it less of a party lake like Thunderbird. The fishing is hit miss type, one day you can catch six different types of fish, the next day you will never get a bite. The lake is known for its big fish of all species and clean shore line. Enjoy the benefits of the well patrolled lake with a police and game warden headquarters also a fire station close to you. Take a friend or loved one for a day at the lake Hefner airstrip where remote control planes are cruising the sky doing stunts. Have fun outdoors with the family at Lake Hefner.

I live one mile north of Lake Hefner, from the rock wall side. The rock wall is three miles long, going counter clockwise to Britton Road. The wall is an unsightly, dilapidated stretch of junk with a completely dilapidated stretch of sidewalk beside it. Beneath the rock wall for about a mile are large slabs of old pavement, dumped their by the city. Yes the city used the lake for a dump. The trail areas are the king of weeds. The city mows most of the weeds but leaves a large section on the east side as a «Nature Preserve.» Bunk. The lake is a disgrace to Oklahoma City. I ride the trails all year long, weather permitting. I grew up east of the lake in the 50s, and Hefner was really an eye sore then too. Around it were duck blinds, which hunters would use to shoot ducks flying over. I admit that what we have today at Hefner is a grand improvement. However, the city has no plans for any more improvements. All of the city’s emphasis is on downtown. The restaurant area of the ‘East Wharf” is a mere façade. And about that lighthouse; it has become an icon for the area and one local TV channel. But take a closer look. The path leading to it is mostly mud, accompanied mud puddles when there is rain.
Sincerely,
Mel

Perfect central spot for running, biking, hooping (b-​ball), softball, park toys, fishing, boating … You name it! Ideal spot for date night picnics. Porto potties don’t always have TP and can get raunchy in the heat of the day. Plenty of charcoal grills by Stars & Stripes park and a nice view of downtown OKC and the city lights at night.
If attempting to run/​walk the full ~10 miles around, stash some water in trees to stay hydrated. Dog park down the hill on East side of I-​44 is a fun off leash spot for the pups.
Love me some lake Hefner!

I love biking and walking at Lake Hefner. There is a nice, wide path that goes all the way around the lake and several smaller sidewalks for pedestrians. I always see people fishing, boating, or windsurfing and that’s fun to watch. My only complaint is that on the north and west sides of the lake, people frequently park their cars and then sit in them with the windows rolled down, smoking. This is unpleasant for non-​smokers like me to walk or bike past and have the nice fresh air ruined by the cigarette smoke.

Lake Hefner is fantastic for walking, biking, rollerblading, sailing, flying a kite, taking a stroll, or dining on the patio of one of the many option on the west side of the lake. The lake and surrounding grounds are well maintained and make for a scenic route for outdoor cardio or peaceful strolls

This is a great place to go and enjoy the outdoors! Very pet friendly! Nice wide trails for bikers & walkers to share/​pass each other. Lots of grass area to play fetch away from the foot traffic. Big playground for younger and older toddlers with a nice cushioned ground for all the trips and falls. When it is busy, it can be a little tricky keeping an eye on your little one but, what playground isn’t. The big downfall is that there is not a permanent restroom. There are three port-​a-​potties to use if needed.

The Lake Hefner Trails and Park areas are a very nice addition and quality of life to Oklahoma City. There are trails around the lake for both bike riding, walking, skateboarding. Usually you can see quite a few people taking advantage of the area. There is Stars and Stripes Park, which is a full public park with a pavilion, grills for cooking, basketball and volleyball courts with plenty of parking. Softball fields nearby.
Kid’s park. Usually on weekends, you will see kite vendors and lots of kids and families playing and flying kits. As Hefner is actually an elevated lake, it tends to be one of the windiest areas in the city, so there are lots of sailboats (and there are two main areas… a private boat club and a public doc, along with some rentals available) and wind surfers/​kiteboarders on the NE side of the lake. (They are the only ones allowed to actually swim/​fall into the lake as it’s a city reservoir.) No swimming allowed otherwise. Usually it’s a haven for relaxing fishing but with water levels a little low, you will not see as much shore fishing as normal.
There is also a dog park on the SE side of the lake off Grand Boulevard where the «pooches» have their own pond to frolic in. Sectioned off for large and smaller breed dogs. If weather is good, these areas are usually crowded but a good place to enjoy and watch your pet, along with the antics of others, as they play.
Finally, there is a restaurant area called the East Wharf area. Home to Lakeside Grill (formerly Pearl’s), Redrock Canyon Grill, Mama Rojas (Mexican fare) and Louie’s on the Lake, which has casual dining but a full bar, too.
All in all, something for everyone who lives in the area!

Lake Hefner goes on for miles… seriously! There are great trails, to run, walk, bike, get the dogs out. Really just a great way to get outdoors. Hefner has some beautiful sunsets and is a great place to just look at the view.
If you are in a not working out type of mood there are a couple restaurants close to the lake that are really fun to go to. You will love Lake Hefner. Get outside, get some sunshine, endorphins, Vitamin D, and you will have a great and relaxing time!

Lake Hefner has miles and miles of waterfront trails (9 miles to go around the lake on the bike path) and some of the most picturesque views in all of OKC. It’s a Oklahoma Gazette 2014 finalist for «Best Place to Burn Calories» and it absolutely gets my vote.
I like to run here every other day. Running at any time from 7pm-​9pm is ideal. I’ll see you out there!

Lovely large trail. Sabrina G. and I did the entire trail/​track by foot and it was no joke! Anyways, the nice thing about Lake Hefner is, there are a few nice restaurants you can go to after a jog or run and reward your hard workout with a yummy drink!

I’m very surprised no one has written a review of Lake Hefner… really? Ok so Lake Hefner has 10 miles of trails around it and is 94 feet deep at it’s deepest point. You can look up more info if you want to know the history behind it. On a personal note, Lake Hefner often time feels like a getaway since it’s so far from the ocean. It’s often super windy up there and it’s a good feeling breeze that slightly takes your breath away but leaves your feeling refreshed and sometimes absent of all your cares.
I’ve never walked all the way around because it’s super majorly long. Probably not for people who run marathons or anything but for me it is. All sorts of people drive, bike, walk, run, jog, roller blade, sit down cycle around the lake. There are plenty of places to pull over and get out your car on the one way drive around the lake. It is one way if you turn left at the main entrance fork, but you can take the right turn to go down by the marina and/​or golf course.
Going to Lake Hefner really makes me appreciate this little oasis in the middle of Oklahoma. You get a really good view of the OKC skyline as well and when it’s sunny and the sunbeams shoot through the clouds the lake is amazing. I really miss this little treat of OKC.