Oak Mountain State Park
Oak Mountain State Park
Oak Mountain State Park, located in Pelham Alabama, is a 9,000 acre park with over 50 miles of biking and hiking and equestrian trails. Oak Mountain Park offers camping, picnic sites, swimming, boating and fishing. Bike trails and hiking trails are abundant at Oak Mountain, Alabama’s largest park.
Day-use picnic facilities include large pavilions, tables and grills in addition to pedal boat and canoe rentals, a swimming area, boat and bank fishing and an 18-hole golf course.
The wildlife center located in Oak Mountain State Park, is the largest wildlife rehabilitation center in Alabama and cares for over 2,000 injured and orphaned wild creatures each year. Visitors may view the rehabilitation process through one-way glass and learn about native species.
Park Office: 205-620-2520
Cabin Reservations: 205-620-2524
Information & Pavilion Reservations: 205-620-2524
Campground Office: 205-620-2527
Golf Course/Pro Shop: 205-620-2522
Demonstration Farm: 205-620-2526
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center/Treetop Nature Trail: 205-621-3333
FlipSide Water sports: 205-620-2528
Back Gate: 205-620-2529
Boarding Stables: 205-620-3575
Oak Mountain State Park
Alabama State Park
Pelham Alabama
Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama’s largest state park at 9,940 acres. The park makes up the northeast quadrant of the city of Pelham and is 18 miles south (via I-65) of Birmingham, the state’s largest city.
Activities include hiking, mountain biking, golf, swimming, camping, fishing, and horseback riding. Oak Mountain is also home to the Alabama Wildlife Center, the state’s oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation facility, and the Oak MountainBMX racing track.
A fee ($1–$3 as of 2012) is charged to enter the park.
Oak Mountain State Park Activities and Amenities
Beach/Day-Use Area – Double Oak Lake has many shaded picnic areas as well as covered pavilions for rent. The beach is a public swimming area with some volleyball courts. Paddle boats and canoes are available for rent.
Oak Mountain State Park Fishing
Oak Mountain Fishing Center is located at the north end of Oak Mountain State Park, just inside the park’s back gate, a half-mile from State Highway 119, five miles east of Interstate 65 and three miles west of US 280. The park has three fishing lakes, totaling 230 acres, stocked with largemouth bass, bream, catfish and crappie. The park sells bait and rents flat-bottomed fishing boats. The park has facilities for launching private boats and allows the use of electric trolling motors. Fishing licenses are required and are available at the park.
Oak Mountain State Park Hiking
The park has 51 miles of trails. Day hikes range from easy to moderate. One of the hikes includes an elevated trail from which one can view large cages containing birds such as owls and buzzards.
Oak Mountain State Park Camping
The campground has 85 improved campsites with water and electricity and 60 non-electric sites. Backcountry camping is also available.
Oak Mountain State Park Horse Riding and Equestrian Camping
The 10.7-mile Orange Trail (or Horse Trail) is dedicated to equestrian use; foot and bike traffic are not allowed. The park opened a 12-site equestrian campground in 2011. Guided horseback rides are also available.
Oak Mountain State Park Golf
Oak Mountain Golf Course is a public, 18-hole golf course, playing at par 72. It was designed by Earl Stone, has been rated in the top 50-75 public golf courses by Golf Digest magazine, and has hosted qualifying rounds for the Alabama Open. Course amenities include Bermuda greens and tees, pro shop, on-course snack bar, driving range, chipping green, and practice green.
Course statistics:
Blue course: 6842 yards, USGA rating 71.7, slope 120
White course: 6341 yards, USGA rating 69.5, slope 116
Water on 9 of 18 holes, tree-lined fairways
6 holes dogleg left, and 7 holes dogleg right
Course record (blue): 64, scored April 17, 1978
Toughest hole: #9, 382 yards, par 4
Easiest hole: #17, 141 yards, par 3
Oak Mountain State Park Hunting
Deer are commonly seen in the park—particularly at dusk and on the golf course. There are so many deer, in fact, that permits are issued during certain times of the year to allow bow-hunters to take deer within park boundaries.
Oak Mountain State Park Mountain Biking
The Red Trail is the park’s 29-mile long, purpose-built mountain biking trail. In November 2010, the International Mountain Bicycling Association named the system to its Epic Trail list, which includes only 52 trails worldwide. The Red Trail features 2200 total feet of climbing, one large 600-foot climb, fast downhills and technical features for all levels of riding. There is no night riding allowed except for designated nights during the winter. The signature area of the trail is Blood Rock, a 20-yard long very rocky descent crossing a small water spring.
A Pump Track was constructed in March 2012 and includes a designated, kid-friendly, beginner area as well as a large-scale track with beginner, intermediate and advanced lines. The Pump Track is located at the end of Tranquility Road near the BMX Track.
The Red Trail and Pump Track are maintained by a local group of volunteers called the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers (BUMP). Facilities to wash bikes and a change room are located at the south trailhead in the day-use area. Riders are strongly recommended to wear helmets and yield the trail to pedestrian traffic.
Additional Alabama State Parks
Wikipedia contributors, “Oak Mountain State Park,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oak_Mountain_State_Park&oldid=617639794 (accessed September 1, 2014).