Lake Hefner is a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

in northwestern

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

. It was built in the 1940s to expand the

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

supply for the city of Oklahoma City,Lake Hefner, OKC The City of Oklahoma City
Accessed August 28, 2015. It is named after Robert A. Hefner, who served as mayor of Oklahoma City from April 11, 1939, to April 8, 1947, but was originally named the "Bluff Creek Reservoir." It also serves as a major recreational destination, as it is surrounded by of multi-use (bicycle, skating and pedestrian) trails.

Stanley Draper Stanley Carlisle Draper (November 21, 1889 – January 8, 1976) was an American community leader responsible for the growth of Oklahoma City into a regional power during the mid-20th century. Together with Edward K. Gaylord, and other prom ...

was influential in securing the funding to develop the lake.

Description

The capacity of the lake is 75,000 acre-feet. Lake Hefner covers and averages deep. The lake's outflow goes into Bluff Creek which travels north to meet up with Deer Creek, which then flows into the Cimarron River near Guthrie. The lake is situated within the Oklahoma City urban area and is subsequently closely bordered by residential areas to the north, west, and east. The Lake Hefner Dam is located along the entire northern side of the lake (with Bluff Creek Park being located below the dam, on the other side of Hefner boulevard).

Lake Hefner Parkway State Highway 74, usually abbreviated as SH-74 or OK-74 (or simply Highway 74) is the numbering of two different highways maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. These highways were once a single major north–south route, connectin ...

borders the east side of the lake, with some commercial development (including restaurants, bars and office buildings) located alongside the lake, as well as a 36-foot tall working replica of the second oldest lighthouse in the United States, the

Brant Point Light Brant Point Light is a lighthouse located on Nantucket Island. The station was established in 1746, automated in 1965, and is still in operation. The current tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 28, 1987; it has t ...

near

Nantucket, Massachusetts Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

. The south side of the lake is the least developed, retaining the original forest along much of the shore. Lake Hefner Golf Course is located on the southwest corner of the lake. Immediately south of this are the Oklahoma City docks, commonly known as the city-side docks, the largest marina on the lake. The other marina on Lake Hefner is the Oklahoma City Boat Club (OCBC), a private organization that holds weekly sailboat races during the summer and is located on the east side. Just north of the OCBC is the East Wharf area, which contains several fairly upscale restaurants. On the south side of the lake is the Hobie Point, a YMCA sailing school, and Stars and Stripes Park. Stars and Stripes Park also has new additions of a Fitness court and a Skatepark. The Oklahoma Radio Kontrol Society (TORKS) has maintained a Radio Control air field since the early 1970s.

Recreation

The lighthouse at Lake Hefner during a drought

Hefner is also a popular

recreational fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...

spot for Oklahoma City residents, and is populated with a variety of

gamefish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish species pursued by recreational fishers (typically anglers), and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, preserved as taxidermy (though rare), or ...

species including largemouth &

smallmouth bass The smallmouth bass (''Micropterus dolomieu'') is a species of freshwater fish in the Centrarchidae, sunfish family (biology), family (Centrarchidae) of the order (biology), order Centrarchiformes. It is the type species of its genus ''Micropterus ...

channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus''), known informally as the "channel cat", is a species of catfish native to North America. They are North America's most abundant catfish species, and the official state fish of Kansas, Missouri, Nebra ...

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands ea ...

black crappie The black crappie (''Pomoxis nigromaculatus'') is a freshwater fish in the sunfish family ( Centrarchidae). It is endemic to North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie (''P. annularis'') in size, s ...

, as well as

white bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12–15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with whit ...

and

hybrid striped bass A hybrid striped bass (''Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis''), also commonly referred to by the portmanteau wiper, is a freshwater hybrid fish between white bass (''Morone chrysops'') and striped bass (''M. saxatilis''). In the United States, wipe ...

. Additionally, Hefner is a popular site for

recreational boating Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleas ...

, both with

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

s and motorized pleasure craft.

Kiteboarding Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, snow, sand, or other surface. It combines the aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snow ...

is also very popular on Hefner due to the excellent wind they receive all summer.

References

External links

Lake website by Oklahoma City governmentLake Hefner information, photos and videos on TravelOK.com
Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory

The Oklahoma Radio Kontrol Society - T.O.R.K.S.
{{authority control Geography of Oklahoma City Hefner Protected areas of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Buildings and structures in Oklahoma City Bodies of water of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma