State Parks and National Parks

Oak Mountain State Park

At 9,940 acres, Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama's largest state park and it offers a remarkable range of natural attractions and activities.

Situated at the bottom of the Appalachian range, the park's terrain runs the gamut from hardwood-shaded streams to rocky summits and verdant valleys. The 65-foot Peavine Falls, which can be viewed from a trail.

Oak Mountain offers some unusual attractions. A demonstration farm with a wide range of livestock is a treat for children. A center for injured wildlife is connected by road and wheelchair-accessible trail to a wooded sanctuary for disabled raptors. The Treetop Nature Trail is an elevated, accessible walkway through this area.

There are also wildlife-viewing areas and wildflower demonstration gardens in the park.

The park has an amazing 52 miles of trails, with 17 miles open to mountain bikes and 10 miles open to equestrians.

There are also water activities, with two 100-acre fishing lakes, an 85-acre recreational lake with beaches and a smaller lake for cabin guests. Anglers, who come for bass, bream, catfish and crappie, find a bait and tackle store here.

The park has 150 year-round campsites, as well as 10 lakeside cottages that have been recently renovated. Backwoods camping is available by reservation.

Photo credits in order: Photo by Vicki Smith, courtesy of Alabama