Story and Photos by Steve Marquardt
In a small town about three hours east-southeast (ESE) of Oklahoma City, there is a “hidden gem” of an off-road park called Green Acres. 
Colloquially known as “Clayton” due to the name of the town it is in, this park is a must-see for anyone who likes big rocks or pushing the limits of their machines and their driving skills.
Green Acres is a privately-owned park located on North Flagpole Road which is only a few minutes off the main road that brings you into town. Being privately owned means the landowner can set his own rules and schedule however he likes; in this case, the park is open 24/7/365. Pull into the driveway, and after a hundred feet or so, stop at the mailbox next to the house to fill out a waiver and drop your CASH payment into the pay box.
Fees vary slightly depending on the amenities you intend to use, but it is still one of the least expensive parks you’ll ever visit.
Pulling past the house and mailbox, you’ll immediately be in the parking and camping area known as the “airstrip.” Besides a few RV posts with power hookups, which are first come, first served, the airstrip is open to set up camp anywhere you like; most of it is decently level and solid. Tow rigs and trailers of any height and length combination can access the park; however, please visit the Facebook page to look at the designated trailer route to get to the park. If you are driving a very long combination, you will benefit greatly from reading old posts or asking questions to those who have done it before to avoid dropping your trailer into a ditch or running the side of your RV down a street sign.
Clayton is a very small town, but if you need supplies of any kind, there are options less than ten minutes from camp. You can even drive your offroad rig to the local gas station (which is also a grocery store that has hot food available) as long as you stay on the back roads and off the main highway in town. You could even come to town without food as there are no less than five excellent options for meals in and around town – breakfast, lunch, and dinner (but nothing late-night).
Similar to the food options, lodging options are plentiful if you don’t bring your own accommodations or want to stay somewhere with more amenities than at the airstrip. There are numerous rental houses very close to the park; the closest and most popular is called the Climb On Inn. Owned by a fellow wheeler, this 3Br/1Ba house is walking distance from the park, has a full kitchen, and even has a small detached garage in the unfortunate (but somewhat likely) event that you need to do some repairs. The local motel in town, the A&A, has been undergoing a major remodel but should have rooms available soon. One reason for so many options in such a small town is that Clayton is also the main hub for fishermen coming to Sardis Lake, just outside the central part of town to the northwest; providing another option for alternate activities if you don’t want to be on the trails.
Once you have camp set up, you can hit the trails anytime. Night wheeling is allowed; numerous trails begin right from the airstrip. Green Acres leans more to the extreme side of wheeling, so full-bodied rigs will have to take extreme care to avoid body damage. The rocks and trees are plentiful; even the rocks are big and tall enough to damage windows, mirrors, and rooflines. Buggies are ideal for trails at Green Acres due to the likelihood of damage and rollovers, but smaller rigs and even a few UTVs have made it through without catastrophic damage. So don’t let the pictures and stories scare you off if you want to try it.
The trails are mostly hill climbs that start at the level of the airstrip and its paralleling creek and get steeper as they progress, cresting out at the top onto the same ridgeline. At the top of the ridge, there is an “access trail” that winds its way back to the bottom of the hill, going one way and the other way to another section of the park known as “the backside,” where some of the more extreme trails are. The “access trail” is still not a smooth or easy route though. There aren’t any trails or paths in the park that are doable by a 2WD vehicle, and even a stock 4WD vehicle with small tires and fully open/open axles would probably struggle. The rocks are large and plentiful; however, plenty of red dirt goes along with it. Traction is excellent when dry. Not unexpectedly, though, when that red dirt gets wet and turns to mud, it gets tracked onto the rocks by each passing rig; horsepower and wheel speed become desirable traits while hunting for traction. Thankfully, the plentiful trees provide unlimited anchor points, so self-recovery options are always nearby. Rock crawlers and bouncers alike can have a great time at this park!
This is one of my favorite parks to visit due to the following:
– Excellent wheeling
– Large, level camping area
– Low cost relative to most parks
– Access to supplies, food, parts, etc.
– Ease of access to trails
– Ease of access to the park from the highway
– Plentiful and reasonably-priced lodging options
– Operating hours (never closed)
