The Best Twisty Roads To Drive In Oklahoma

Cruising used to be a real hobby in Oklahoma. Not a metaphor. Not nostalgia exaggeration. Just driving for the sake of driving.

Years ago, when you could still fly with a pair of scissors, Friday and Saturday nights meant driving up and down Grand Avenue until everyone eventually ended up at Cornerstone for cheese fries and homemade ranch. Gas was so cheap back then that you didn't think twice about filling up. It was all about the drive.

Then gas prices climbed, life got busier, and casual cruising slowly faded away.

Shockingly, cruising is making a comeback.

My nephew and his friends spend their weekends doing the exact same thing we used to do. Sometimes they head to a lake and park their diesel trucks like they're circling the wagons or something... Other times, they'll pick a random dirt road and keep going until they figure out where it went. It's like mindless exploration.

At the same time, my dad’s generation is retiring, and with so much time on their hands, they've rediscovered muscle cars. Mustangs. Camaros. Even one very enthusiastic retiree in a tiny Miata. Completely different drivers. Same hobby. Everyone just wants a good road and a reason to drive it.

Which brings us to the real question.

If you’re going to cruise Oklahoma, where should you actually go?

Oklahoma doesn’t get much credit for scenic driving, but it should. Hidden between the straight farm roads and long highways are some genuinely twisty, surprisingly scenic drives that feel like they were designed for both leisure and speed. Hot, nasty speed.

The Talimena Scenic Byway is the obvious first pick here. It runs along the Ouachita Mountains in southeast Oklahoma and delivers ridge-top views that don’t look anything like "Oklahoma." Catching it in the fall is one of the most popular drives in our region.

There are a handful of other scenic drives across the state, you just have to be willing to go see them.