Entry No. 25 — the Oklahoma City file — filed under: offbeat nature
Crystal Lake
“on a weekday afternoon it can be eerily silent”
A small 60-acre city lake tucked off SW 15th in a quiet industrial pocket south of I-40, ringed by cattail marshes and brushy fields. Birders and catfish anglers know it; almost no one else does, and on a weekday afternoon it can be eerily silent.
The move: Pack a picnic and a thermos, claim a bench at the dock, and watch dragonflies and waterbirds while the city disappears. A fishing permit lets you cast a line if you want a low-key project.
📍 Before you go Officially it's the Larry McAtee Park at Crystal Lake, so search that name if "Crystal Lake" comes up empty in your map app. The turn-in is off SW 15th in a low-key industrial stretch south of I-40; the access road is rough and largely unpaved, ending in a grassy cul-de-sac turnaround, but a regular car handles it fine in dry weather. There's a small pavilion, a fishing pier, and a boat ramp. Spring and fall afternoons are the most pleasant; bring water and bug spray, since the cattail edges get buggy in summer heat. The City stocks channel catfish and sunfish, but you'll need an OKC fishing permit to cast. It's quiet and a little remote, so go in daylight. Pair it with a meal back along the SW 29th or Capitol Hill corridors for a true taqueria run.
- 📍 Southwest OKC / SW 15th
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 6625 SW 15th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73128
Hours: Daylight hours; a City of OKC fishing permit is required if you plan to fish.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: okc-audubon.org · wildlifedepartment.com
last checked: 2026-06-06