Oak Mountain State Park, State park in Pelham, US

Oak Mountain State Park covers 9,940 acres in Pelham, about 20 miles south of Birmingham, between Double Oak Mountain and Little Oak Ridge. Double Oak Lake, crossed by a light gray bridge, sits among dense grayish-brown forest, with a road and clearings along its western edge. The park holds three fishing lakes totaling 230 acres, an 18-hole par 72 golf course designed by Earl Stone, and the Dry Brook basin with cottages and campgrounds.

The State Land Act of 1927 granted the park its first 940 acres between Double Oak Mountain and Little Oak Ridge. From 1934 to 1941 the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration built stone bridges and foundations, some still visible. In 1943 the National Park Service deeded about 8,000 surrounding acres it had acquired in the 1930s, bringing the park to 9,940 acres.

The Alabama Wildlife Center, the state's oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation and education center, treats injured and orphaned native birds from over 100 species, taking in nearly 2,000 avian patients a year. The Treetop Nature Trail is an elevated boardwalk where owls, turkey vultures and other non-releasable birds are kept in large cages that visitors can see.

Trails total 25 miles of hiking paths plus a 22-mile mountain-bike loop, the Red Trail, and a 15-mile equestrian Orange Trail closed to walkers and cyclists. The Red Trail climbs 2,200 feet and includes Blood Rock, an 18-metre rocky descent over a spring. Bike-wash facilities and a changing room sit at the south trailhead; helmets are advised and riders yield to pedestrians.

The Red Trail's signature feature is Blood Rock, an 18-metre rocky descent that crosses a small water spring. The 35 km purpose-built loop climbs about 670 metres in total, including one 180-metre climb. In 2010 the International Mountain Bicycling Association put the park's trail system on its Epic list of 52 trails worldwide.