Reviews
Oak Mountain
User Reviews
Merry Stanford
Oak Mountain is a beautiful state park. Sites were level, with full hook ups available and good tasting water. The bathhouse was ideal: several heated and private toilets, showers, and sinks each in their own handicap accessible unit. There are numerous hiking trails and opportunities for outdoor activities. We stayed there while visiting historical sites in Birmingham. One downside was that the campfire wood was too dense to make a good campfire. We couldn't even split it with the hatchet. If you like campfires, bring plenty of fire starter and plan to hunt for kindling.
Joseph Barnett
Loved the fall view from our cabin. Great value. Easy nearby hikes. Nater center wonderful with great info. Looks like they work hard to reduce invasive plants...but the bird window looked like invasive nandina may be present. Windows protected by bird friendly surfaces. Thanks! Reds were sasafrass, sumac, tupelo, sourwood, red maple, and even some dogwood!
Eric Sarracino
Great place to run, hike, trail run, bike, kayak and any other outdoor activities you can think of. Trails are well marked and you can also get a trail map at the front gate when you enter the park. They have a bunch of fun events at Oak Mt from biking & bmx track races to 5K and many other races on a weekly basis. There is also a beautiful golf course and great campground.
Erin Jones
We loved the Double Oak lake! It's never too crowded and the atmosphere is refreshing. This was our last lake day of the year today with the kids and the weather was perfect. There is a beach volleyball court and Pavillion acquired grills. If you don't want the beach part there are grassy park areas to picnic, there is a concession stand that offers gear and snacks.
Katie Johnson
We had a fantastic time at Oak Mountain State Park! The changes made in the last few years have been amazing. The bath houses are great, the lots are large, and there is so much to do!
Krystle Harris Johnson
This place was amazing! Beautiful views and me and my daughters first time hiking. You have to pay to enter the park. And maps were a $1. Walked a trail and also visited the treetop area with the injured owls that were taken in. Very interesting visit. Would definitely go again.
Susan Hardee
Wow...This place is amazing. Largest state park I've seen in any state to date. Lots to do here and there is something for everyone in the family. Golfing, horseback riding, archery, biking & mountain biking, scenic drives, fishing, hiking, water falls, beaches with floating obstacle course, wake boarding on a wire, swimming, play grounds, picnic areas, accessible trails, etc. I also camped here for the weekend in the RV park area. Spacious camping spaces with pull throughs and full hookups. There is a heavy state park trooper presence here, so quiet hours are strictly observed and departure and arrival times are pretty firm. Town is fairly close and you can be to the grocery store, ice cream, coffee, etc. within ten minutes. Target and Walmart are a little further out, but are within a 20-30 minute ride. Camping World and the RV Super Store are within a 30-40 minute ride. Downtown Birmingham is also within 30-40 minute ride. Lots of antique shops in the area with some pretty cool stuff and lots of good finds.
Peter T
Oak mountain State Park is really a lot of fun for hiking and biking. I did not go to the beach area but I did see people filling their cars with kids and swimsuits and some kayaks on the water that I did pass. I was really impressed with the campground: I had a site that had electric, water and sewer. They have very good washers and dryers. Very good shower and toilet facilities, and very friendly staff. I was camping but I also see that they have cottages for rent that look very nice... They have so much to offer. I would say that you should go to the Alabama State Park website so that you can see everything. Sweet home Alabama 🎵
N and C Farrell
Spent an afternoon hiking to Kings Chair - an excellent shaded hike. The park itself was excellent, well-maintained and had so much to do from golf, to BMX riding, horses and so much more. And the gate attendant was super nice. Well worth it.
Shara Michaels
Small $5 entrance fee plus $1 paper map. Park fee attendants were very nice and chatty (sorry I didn't stop back by but I was heading north lol). I chose to do the Blue trail, which most trails start at the North Trailhead which is just past the first lake, parking on the right. Huge lot, trails are across the road, all are marked well and have 1/4 mile marker posts, which I found helpful - you cover ground quicker than you think! I had to visit King's Chair for a few nice valley views (seen grey lizard here - Eastern fence I believe it's called). The harder part of the trail I'd say is the first 2 miles, typical hillside trail, good bit of upward but after 2 miles it's def easier and more gently rolling, more earth and less rock. About 7 total miles to Peavine Falls one way, short but pretty steep and rocky trail down to the creek falls, and back up the other side is a fun scramble. Falls are small but very pretty, small pool at the base, you can get right up on it if you wish, but you'll get your feet wet. To save time I opted to take Red Trail back, an old service road turned trail. To reach it I first found the Green trail, then red connector. Green trailhead is a lil hidden. Towards the back right of Peavine Falls parking lot - you reach the lot after the scramble on the other side of the falls, walk on a wide path up to the lot, felt like a quarter mile - the trailhead is a bit obscured. Glorified outhouse at the parking lot too, thankfully, but hold your nose. While on Red trail I realized I was on the CCC trail and not a road - CCC will run parallel to the road trail for a short ways and you can see it on your right, I walked up a lil bank but there is a path to it eventually. Red road trail is obviously an old road, gentle hill, no great views, but it is quiet and you'll see and cross several stream areas, which you can jump across or bridge. 5 miles to main trailhead, I completed about 13 total and really wish I had time to explore more of the park.
Amanda MacLeroy
Where do I begin? This place is awesome! There are so many possibilities that you can partake in ,no matter what age you are! My most recent visit was my first visit after 10 years of not visiting. So I wasn’t as familiar with the areas, updates, and activities available, but it did not matter at all. April 15th was my “middle” son’s 12th birthday and he couldn’t decide what he wanted to do, however after showing him an informational video about Oak Mountain State Park he immediately made his decision to visit there. The first thing he wanted to do was fish and the second was to find this “waterfall” he saw while watching the video. So off we went , only equipped with 2 poles, 1 tackle box and worms, water, a change of boots for exploring, and a fishing license. As soon as we arrived at the side , I believe day pass gate, we were greeted with a helpful friendly face at the booth you pay at. He could have just said that’ll be $7 and sent us on our way, but instead he was warm, conversational, and gave us many tips on where to go fish depending on what my son was wanting to fish for. He was extremely kind and began our visit on a very inviting note. We fished at the oldest lake first, hoping to snag one of the 7-10lb bass that swim there. No luck, but that was ok. We then ventured to the lake by the damn that is known for smaller fish, but gave us a chance at a higher quantity caught. It was very nice with shaded areas on the side bank and sunny areas next to the road. We didn’t end up having much luck with the fish that day , but we were satisfied regardless. Everything is easy to find when you want to fish. The next time we go we will go on a weekend so that we can rent a peddler boat or try a kayak or paddle board. They are available to rent on Saturday and Sundays. After hours of him fishing and me half fishing half laying out on the pier next to the beach area, we headed out to explore. Explore we did, apparently I set a record number of miles my iPhone had ever recorded me walking! 8 miles to be exact. We hiked several trails and learned some lessons on what to do and not to do for next time. Also, making sure your phone is charged , you have bug spray, you don’t wait til 2 hours before dark to go down trails you aren’t familiar with, etc. You know, rookie /lack of common sense mistakes…bc duh! Anyhow, our 2nd hike /exploration had a mission. We were going to find this mysterious “waterfall” he saw in the video. Yes, we found it. We also found that we shouldn’t have already hiked 4 miles before trying to trek up and down this particular trail. It was very steep and difficult for us being novices in these types of activities, and we weren’t really prepared for the terrain we encountered, but pushed thru because he really really wanted to this this hidden gem of a waterfall! It was beautiful and worth the bruises I received trying to get down to it. He smiled so much while there, skipping rocks and walking around in the water at the bottom of the fall in complete awe. The journey back up…we’ll honestly had a difficulty level well above what my body was ready for. But he loved it. I mean absolutely loved all the climbing and the unknowns. We even saw an actual “dung” beetle hard at work! We also stopped at the look out and took in the view. We didn’t do 5% of what the park offers and had a blast. Take your family and explore! Figure out what you do and don’t like. And go from there.
The Simple Life
Oak Mountain is a great place for an all around good time.. It has everything you need.. With just $5 a person to get in, it's worth the price. I hike out here nearly every week once it warms up. Now im waiting for the pedal boats to be able to be rented on any day, then I'll add that with my hikes.
Kris Hood
What a beautiful park!!!! The campground was super clean and spots were very spacious. The park has so much to offer…. Biking, hiking, water activities, and even golf. We had a wonderful time here and plan to come back!!!!! Such a gorgeous place. Top notch.
Von Westy
There’s no question this is a beautiful park with the lakes, waterfalls, trails, golf course, etc. The biggest letdown is the campground. The campground’s bathrooms are in a terrible state of disrepair. Alabama State Parks need to prioritize replacing the currently bath house structures with clean, safe, and usable structures. One bathroom during our stay had the lights off at night and the doors wide open. Anything could have crawled or walked right in. Major rust in and round the sinks. Showers are unsafe with broken and missing tiles on the floors. Rusted metal doorway frames. Toilets that may or may not work. I tried three different bath houses. All had these issues. If you are in a completely self contained RV you’ll be OK. Anyone else needing the campground bathrooms be aware.
Jim Pickett
Enjoyed the stay. Our site B48 was nice with 30Amp elec water and sewer. The parks over all appearance was satisfactory. The reason for the 3 stars. It would have been great to have 50 amp service , now available only at the equestrian sites, at our site. The staff I spoke to were helpful and friendly. The biggest disappointment were the bathrooms. They are in need of a major makeover. New everything on the inside and a good coat of paint. There are other things but I am sure the park has a wish list.