Rogers Point Park

The Twin Bridges Disc Golf Course occupies a substantial portion of the park's wooded area along the Verdigris River. The course is named for the historic Catoosa Twin Bridges (the original 1936 and 1957 Route 66 spans across Bird Creek) and is one of the more interesting disc golf layouts in the Tulsa area — the course routes between mature trees and uses the natural river-bottom topography for elevation changes that produce genuinely challenging shots.

The course is free to play and is open dawn to dusk daily. Bring your own discs; there is no on-site equipment rental. The starting tee is near the main parking lot and the course is marked with permanent signage. Local Tulsa-area disc golf enthusiasts use the course regularly, and weekend mornings see steady but not crowded play.

The course is best in spring (April through early June) when the trees are leafed out but temperatures are mild, and in autumn (October through early November) when the wooded portions of the course produce striking fall color. Summer afternoons are hot and humid; winter conditions are typically playable but can be muddy after rain.

The park's two boat ramps and floating dock provide some of the best free Verdigris River access in northeast Oklahoma. The ramps are designed for trailered boats up to mid-sized recreational vessels; the floating dock provides easier access for kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards. There is no launch fee, no daily-use fee, and no boat-registration requirement beyond standard Oklahoma watercraft regulations.

The Verdigris River at Catoosa is part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System and is navigable year-round for small craft. Upstream paddling takes you toward the Verdigris's headwaters and quiet residential waterfront; downstream paddling connects toward the Tulsa Port of Catoosa industrial complex and eventually the Arkansas River. Most casual paddlers stay within a few miles of the park launch — the immediate Catoosa stretch is the most scenic and quiet.

Fishing from shore or boat is legal with a standard Oklahoma fishing license. The Verdigris supports a range of species including largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, and white bass. The floating dock and fishing pier areas are particularly popular with shore anglers on weekends.

Rogers Point Park is home to one of the most genuinely significant Route 66 preservation projects of the Centennial era — relocated truss spans from the historic 1936 Route 66 Bird Creek Bridge, reassembled at the park as permanent walkable monuments. The original Bird Creek Bridge sat about two miles south of the park and carried Route 66 across Bird Creek from 1936 until its 2011 replacement; the 1957 companion span carried eastbound Route 66 traffic until its own replacement project in the mid-2020s.

When the original 1936 span was removed from Bird Creek, preservationists worked with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to save several of the K-truss and Camelback pony-truss segments rather than scrapping them. The salvaged spans were transported to Rogers Point Park (and to Molly's Landing, a few miles away) and re-erected as permanent monuments — visitors can walk across the relocated spans and experience the original Route 66 truss architecture as a hands-on artifact.

Similar plans are in motion for the 1957 span, which is being decommissioned in the lead-up to the Route 66 Centennial in 2026. The Bird Creek replacement project is estimated at $7.2 million and is timed for completion in time for the Centennial. The salvaged 1957 truss segments are expected to also be relocated to Rogers Point Park (or to other Route 66 preservation sites in Catoosa) for permanent display. The park is becoming, in effect, a small open-air museum of original Route 66 bridge architecture.

The park's picnic infrastructure is genuinely useful for families and groups — covered pavilions with picnic tables, grill stands, and access to restrooms and water. The pavilions are first-come-first-served for casual use; larger group reservations can be made through the City of Catoosa Parks Department.

Walking trails wind through the wooded portions of the park along the river edge. The trails are easy enough for casual walking but rough enough that they are not stroller-friendly in all sections. Spring wildflowers and fall foliage are the seasonal highlights.

Rogers Point Park is also the host site for the annual Route 66 Flywheelers Gas Engine and Tractor Show, held the third weekend of October each year. The two-day show is free for all ages and features restored steam traction engines, antique tractors, vintage gas engines, oil-field engines, garden tractors, and tractor pulls. The show has been running annually since 1991 and is one of Catoosa's most distinctive community events. Visitors should expect substantially heavier park traffic during the show weekend.

Rogers Point Park is open dawn to dusk daily, year-round. Best seasons are spring (April through early June) and autumn (mid-September through early November) when Oklahoma weather is mild and the park's wooded areas are at their visual peak. Summer afternoons get hot and humid; the river-edge trails are the best shade. Winter conditions are typically usable but can be muddy after rain.

Free parking is available in two lots — the main lot near the entrance and a secondary lot near the boat ramps. No reservations or day-use fees are required. Restrooms are available in the picnic pavilion area. The park is generally accessible to visitors with mobility limitations on the main paved sections, though some river-edge trails are rough.

The standard Catoosa half-day plan combines Rogers Point Park with the Blue Whale (a five-minute drive) and either lunch at one of the Mexican restaurants or dinner at Molly's Landing (also nearby). For visitors with kayaks or canoes, a morning paddle followed by an afternoon at the Blue Whale and a Mexican-restaurant dinner is the natural full-day plan.