State park trail under construction near Tom Steed State park trail under construction

A paved trail is under construction at Great Plains State Park.

The main trail is eight feet wide and constructed of concrete. It will be over a quarter mile long and two 5 foot wide spurs will link the main trail to two existing RV campsites that are accessible to the disabled. The trail will connect to the existing Heritage Trail which is also paved. The new trail, which will be American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, passes between the shoreline of Tom Steed Reservoir and the Lower Mountain Shade Campground. Interpretive panels placed along the trail will educate visitors about the reservoir.

Funding for the project includes a combination of state and federal funds. In 2014 the State of Oklahoma Long-Range Capital Planning Commission (LRCPC) awarded $20,000 to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (OTRD) to provide the state match for an $80,000Recreational Trails Fund grant from the Federal Highway Administration. Additional funding was provided by OTRD. CLS and Associates, an Oklahoma City landscape architecture design firm prepared the plans for the project. The construction contract for $145,668 was awarded to WP Construction of Elk City.