Costs
Towed From Tulsa's Riverside Drive: What Sets the Price
On Tulsa's Riverside Drive, the trip to your shop moves a tow price more than anything else. Riverside follows the east bank of the Arkansas River, from 11th Street near downtown south toward the Creek Turnpike. A car that quits up by Zink Lake has a short ride to a downtown or midtown shop. One stuck down by 101st Street rides much farther. Your vehicle, what went wrong and where the car sits count too. You get one price by text before anyone is sent.
How far apart are the two ends of Riverside?
About nine miles of river. River Parks runs its east bank trails from 11th Street, near downtown, south to 101st Street. It puts that stretch at nine miles. The trail starts at 11th and Riverside, and it still runs beside the road at 96th and Riverside.
A tow price pays for two drives. First, your partner drives to the car. Then the truck hauls it to the address you give. You can't choose where the nearest free truck is waiting. You can choose the drop-off.
Say two cars quit on the same fall evening. One sits at the Zink Lake Overlook at 19th Street. The other sits by the playground at 96th Street. Both owners want the same midtown shop. The second car rides most of Riverside on a truck bed before it gets close. The price follows those miles.
Is it Riverside Drive or Riverside Parkway down south?
Down near 101st Street, city notices call the road Riverside Parkway. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority uses that name too. Its work notices list one Creek Turnpike stretch from US-75 to Riverside, and another from Riverside Parkway to South Memorial Drive. So the turnpike and the parkway meet down there.
River Parks adds one more clue. At 96th and Riverside, its trail splits. One branch crosses the river west to Jenks. The other heads east on the Creek Turnpike Trail toward Broken Arrow.
Use the name your phone map shows, plus the closest cross street. "Riverside Parkway near 101st" sends your driver south. "Riverside" alone could mean nine miles of road. If you broke down on the Creek Turnpike itself, say that instead. Our Tulsa turnpike tow cost guide covers those calls.
Which landmarks should you give dispatch?
River Parks counts 816 parking spots along the 2.5-mile Zink Lake stretch alone. That's a lot of places your car could be. A landmark plus a cross street gets your driver to the right one. This list runs north to south.
| Landmark | Cross street or spot |
|---|---|
| North end of the east bank trail | 11th and Riverside |
| Zink Lake parking | 17th and Riverside |
| Zink Lake Overlook, boat dock and restrooms | 19th and Riverside |
| Zink Dam | 29th Street |
| Gathering Place main lot | John Williams Way, by Williams Lodge and the ONEOK Boathouse |
| Gathering Place gravel lot | 33rd Place and Riverside |
| Rugby field | 38th and Riverside |
| 41st Street Plaza, with parking and a playground | 41st Street, east bank |
| BOK Plaza | 71st and Riverside |
| Trail split to Jenks and Broken Arrow | 96th and Riverside |
| South end of the east bank trail | 101st Street |
Cyrus Avery Plaza also has east bank parking by Zink Lake, so name it if that's your spot. Then share your pin from your phone and say northbound or southbound. Gathering Place lists parking along both sides of Riverside, so the lane matters.
Is your car on the street, in a lot or on gravel?
The spot changes how your driver sets up and loads.
- Parked on Riverside. River Parks lists on-street parking along Riverside by Zink Lake. Your driver loads right beside moving cars. Wait on the curb side, well back from the lane, with your hazards on.
- In a paved lot. Flat pavement is the easiest place to load a car or give a jump start. On busy days, Gathering Place says its main lot often fills early. A packed lot leaves little room to pull a truck in, so say which row or building you're near.
- On the 33rd Place gravel lot. Say it's gravel so your driver can plan where to stop. Gathering Place sends RVs, trailers and buses to this lot. Partners handle cars, SUVs, minivans and light pickups only, so a camper or trailer needs its own plan.
- Off the pavement. A wheel dropped onto wet grass, and now it just spins. If the truck can park on solid ground and reach the car, a winch-out can pull it back.
If anyone is hurt, or your car is stuck in a live lane, call 911 first. Sentinel is not an emergency service. River Parks says most of the park falls under Tulsa Police. It also says the park has no pay phones or emergency call boxes, so keep your phone charged.
Can you leave the car at Gathering Place overnight?
Not without risk. Gathering Place put out a 2026 edition of its park rules, in effect since Oct. 28. It says a vehicle left in a park lot after the posted closing time may be towed at the owner's expense.
Closing time moves with the season. The park is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. right now. From Nov. 2 to Dec. 18, it closes at 7 p.m.
So say your battery dies in the main lot after a late walk. Call right away, and tell dispatch when the park closes. A tow you call for comes with one price you agree to first. A tow after closing is a bill you never saw, from a company you didn't pick. Then you still have to find where the car went.
Sentinel doesn't do impounds or private-property tows. If your car is already gone, our Tulsa impound lookup guide shows how to track it down.
The rest of River Parks runs on its own clock. Its curfew is 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. in every part of the park. Most trail lights are on timers and shut off shortly after 11. Lock your doors and keep valuables out of sight, as River Parks advises.
Do festival and race days change the job?
They can change the route. River West Festival Park, across the river at 2100 S. Jackson Ave., hosts Tulsa Oktoberfest and the big Fourth of July celebration. The City of Tulsa posts a Calendar of Special Events, and each listing shows its road closures. If your car quits near barricades, tell dispatch. A closed street can send your driver the long way around.
What else moves the price on Riverside?
What went wrong
Not every breakdown by the river needs a tow. Dome light left on during a long walk? That's often a jump start. A flat on the way out of the 41st Street Plaza lot is a flat tire change, if your spare is good. Keys locked inside at a Zink Lake lot call for a car lockout. Each is a smaller job than a haul across town. If the engine smokes, grinds or still won't crank after a jump, plan on a car tow.
What you drive
Give the year, make and model. Say if it's all-wheel drive or sits low to the ground. Both can change how the car gets loaded.
Where it's going
This is the one lever you control. Say your car quits near 96th and Riverside. Jenks is right across the river, but your regular mechanic is up in midtown. A nearer shop can mean a shorter haul today. You can move the car later, once you know what's wrong.
How does Sentinel set the price?
Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network, and we own no trucks. A vetted local partner tow company does the job. We lock your price by text before anyone is dispatched. That price is the most you pay for the job. If the job changes once your driver sees it, we text a new price first, and you decide.
We stay with you by text until help arrives. You get your driver's name, photo and truck, and you can track your truck on a map. Read the Stay-With-You Promise or see how it works. We won't promise the cheapest tow on Riverside. We promise a clear price before dispatch.
What should you say when you call from Riverside?
- Drive or Parkway, and northbound or southbound.
- The nearest cross street or landmark from the table above.
- Street, paved lot or gravel lot, and which one.
- What the car did, plus its year, make and model.
- Where it should go, and when the park closes if you're in a park lot.
Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.
For tows, jump starts and lockouts anywhere in town, see our Tulsa towing page.
Riverside Drive Tow Price Questions
Is a tow from Riverside Drive to downtown Tulsa a long tow?
From the north end, no. River Parks places 11th Street near downtown. From the south end, it's a real trip, since the east bank trail runs nine miles from 101st up to 11th. Name your shop on the call, and your texted price covers that trip.
My car died at Gathering Place. Can I leave it until morning?
Don't. The park's 2026 rules say a vehicle left in a park lot after closing may be towed at the owner's expense. From Nov. 2 to Dec. 18, the park closes at 7 p.m. Call as soon as the car fails.
I'm near the Creek Turnpike. Do I say Riverside Drive or Riverside Parkway?
Say Riverside Parkway and the closest cross street, like 101st. The city and the Turnpike Authority both use that name down there. If you're on the turnpike itself, give the turnpike, your direction and the last exit you passed.
Can I get a cheap tow on Riverside?
Cheap isn't something we promise. We promise a price you see and accept before a truck rolls. To keep it lower, pick a shop close to where the car sits. And describe the trouble well, since a dead battery often needs a jump, not a haul.
Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: River Parks trails, River Parks rules and FAQs, Zink Lake info and maps, 41st Street Plaza and River West Festival Park, River Parks facilities, Gathering Place park hours, Gathering Place parking FAQ, Gathering Place park rules, 2026 edition, OTA traffic advisory, Feb. 5, 2026, OTA traffic advisory, Feb. 9, 2026, City of Tulsa, 101st and Riverside Parkway notice, City of Tulsa Calendar of Special Events.
