It was late August and we were itching for some camping. It was still too hot to camp in Florida, but we wanted to avoid the long drive to North Carolina. Where to go that’s not too hot or too far? Oak Mountain State Park to the rescue!
For those unfamiliar with Oak Mountain State Park, it is located in Pelham, Alabama, just south of Birmingham (a short 30-minute drive to downtown). At nearly 10,000 acres, Oak Mountain is Alabama’s largest state park with plenty of outdoor activities to keep the family happy.
We have camped at several Alabama State Parks and were always impressed, but this park has set the bar even higher! We were so impressed and pleasantly surprised, not only the camping, but the amount and quality of activities to do with kiddos!
So here are our . . .
Top 10 Kid-Friendly Activities in Oak Mountain State Park:
1. Hike Peavine Falls!
According to the Oak Mountain State Park website, “How do I get to Peavine Falls?” is the most commonly asked question. And for good reason – this 65-foot, spring-fed waterfall is a treat – even with just a trickle of water.
While it takes some effort to find directions to the falls, the hike itself is relatively short and would be deemed fairly easy were it not for a short, but very steep, climb down into the ravine to the waterfall. The climb down (and back up) is over rocks and boulders and requires some maneuvering, but the rough part is decently short. We had to help the three-year-old out a bit but he made it.
The scenery of the forest around the falls is gorgeous. We even got to spend some extra time in the forest exploring the scenery when we got dreadfully lost, but we made it out. 🙂
We did eventually find the waterfall, though it was only a trickle at that time. According to the rangers, the falls have more water after significant rain. So if you’ll be disappointed by a trickling waterfall, plan accordingly.
For us, it was still worth it just to sit and watch the waterfall and splash around in the pool below.
We recommend purchasing the $1 Trail Map and asking a ranger for specific directions to the trailhead.
2. Camp in a Tent Site!
I was so impressed with our tent site! While our parking was at the road, requiring a short walk uphill to our site (see picture below), it was 100% worth it for the gorgeous site!
Our site was HUGE – plenty of room to spread out and roam. Our neighbors were a reasonable distance away so I didn’t have to worry about the kids wandering into someone’s site or being loud and bothering them.
The site was flat – perfect for our giant tent and being able to spread out all our stuff. AND while we had neighbors to the sides, we had no one behind us – just woods and a large hill/bluff!
Check out the map below – the triangles are the tent sites and we were campsite B5. You can see that some of the others were in more communal areas, but even those had defined areas, though less personal space.
The “A” side of the campground also had some decent looking RV sites, but I’m not necessarily the best judge of those. The ones on our side – the “B” side seemed to all be crammed in, parking lot style.
As a bonus, our bathhouse had these “historic” faucets, which led to lots of exciting history lessons for the kiddos. 🙂
3. Visit the Alabama Wildlife Center!
Inside Oak Mountain State Park, you’ll find the Alabama Wildlife Center, a sanctuary for sick or injured birds. Within the Center, you can view injured and rehabilitating birds, as well as those the Center is preparing to release back to the wild.
The Center also takes in sick or injured birds from surrounding areas and has an intake area at the Center.
They do ask that visitors use quiet voices near the injured animals so as not to frighten the healing birds. After you’ve toured the inside of the Center, don’t forget to check out the birds and exhibits outside!
After you’re done looking around the Center, make sure to check out the Eagle Trail that leads to the Treetop Nature Trail.
4. Walk the Treetop Nature Trail!
While you’re at the Alabama Wildlife Center, take the Eagle Trail 3/10 of a mile to the Treetop Nature Trail, an elevated boardwalk through the valley lined with enclosures of injured birds whom can’t be released back into the wild.
The birds include Barred Owls, Black Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, a Barn Owl, Great Horned Owls, and a rare white Turkey Vulture. The walk is short, but the scenery is impressive and the birds are fascinating.
If you don’t want to walk the 3/10 mile trail you can park at a parking lot near the marina and walk right across the street to the Treetop Trail.
5. Pet Animals at the Demonstration Farm!
This was another surprise offering of Oak Mountain State Park! Right in the state park, they have a demonstration farm which is basically a large petting zoo! You can walk among – and pet – the animals which include goats, ducks, pigs, peacocks, donkeys, miniature horses, chickens, and others.
Even better, the facility is free to explore (though they do accept and encourage donations)! We spent over an hour here, checking out the all the animals. We purchased a feed bag ($1 each) for each of the kids and they loved feeding the goats and the donkey!
Best of all, the farm was well maintained and clean! I feel like a lot of small “petting zoo” type places are fairly dirty, but this facility was terrific – it was clean and well maintained, and the staff was so kind and helpful.
6. Hike to Camp Tranquility!
Oak Mountain has approximately 25 miles of hiking trails! We highly suggest purchasing the trail map for $1 to get a good view of all the trails available, and then ask a ranger for a recommendation within your kiddos’ limits.
We asked a ranger what hike she suggested for a group of 11 kids (ages 2-9) and she directed us to the trail to Camp Tranquility. Camp Tranquility is an old CCC camp tucked back in the mountain that has since been abandoned and is decomposing. It’s both eerie and a little creepy to walk through these decomposing buildings pondering what life might have been like there years ago. Thankfully the park is working to rehabilitate portions of the camp for future generations.
The hike to Camp Tranquility was easy enough, but still challenging enough to make it fun for the kiddos. The hike to the camp itself was about 1.25 miles from the trailhead. We then followed the trail past some ruins and then took a portion of the orange trail back to the trailhead. I highly suggest a trail map (have I said that enough?) and the use of GPS on your phone to tell exactly where you are. 🙂
7. Ride on the Biking Trails!
We didn’t bring our bikes and we absolutely regret it! The “Red Trail” alone is 22 miles of mountain biking with sections ranging in difficulty from kiddos and beginners to experts. We saw some of the “expert” sections on our hike to Camp Tranquility and I can attest that they appear pretty hard-core and death-defying.
While I don’t think I could have let my kids bike on the main park road (we saw lots of bikers on the main road), the easier mountain bike sections would have been perfect for them!
8. Go Swimming!
Oak Mountain offers two beaches for swimming – one in the campground area (available only for campground guests) and one on Terrace Drive.
We used the one in the campground area and had a great time swimming and splashing around in the water. The water wasn’t clear so keep that in mind if that’s something that makes you nervous.
The beach on Terrace Drive is bigger and has bathrooms nearby.
Both have sand for the kiddos to play in – always a fun bonus for my kiddos!
9. Rent Boats at the Marina!
Also on Terrace Drive, you’ll find the Marina which offers boat rentals. You can rent pedal boats, single and tandem kayaks, canoes, and standup paddleboards. Prices are available here.
10. Play on the Playgrounds!
There are several playgrounds at Oak Mountain, including a small playground in the campground area and a large playground on Terrace Drive.
When the kids just need to burn off some extra energy and the weather or time isn’t conducive to hiking or swimming, a playground is always a great backup plan.
Bonus Activities!
While we didn’t get to check them out, Oak Mountain also offers a golf course, archery course, and FlipSide Watersports (Alabama’s first and only cable watersports park), all of which looked well-maintained and worth the time.
We had a great time at our extended weekend at Oak Mountain State Park and still didn’t feel like we got to see everything this great park has to offer! Have you been to Oak Mountain? Any tips or tricks you’d pass on?
As always, thanks for stopping by and happy adventuring!
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