Central Region - Hiking Alabama: A Guide to the State's Greatest Hiking Adventures - page 247

Maps: USGS Chelsea, Helena, AL; DeLorme: Alabama Atlas & Gazetteer, page
31 G6; trail maps available at gate or camp store
Trail contact: Oak Mountain State Park, 200 Terrace Dr., Pelham, AL 35124;
[phone]; www.alapark.com/oakmountain
Finding the trailhead: From Pelham on I-65 at exit 248, take AL 119 South / Ca-
haba Valley Road 0.2 mile and turn left onto Oak Mountain Road. Travel 1.9
miles and turn left onto John Findley III Drive. Travel 2.6 miles and make a right
turn onto Terrace Drive. Travel 1 mile and park in the day-use parking lot on the
left. The trailhead is across the street from the parking area to the southwest. GPS:
N33 19.501' / W86 45.447'
The Hike
Sometimes trying to get your kids outside more and to appreciate nature is a
battle. It's hard to fight those video games. But hiking in Alabama presents some
truly remarkable adventures that can make your battle easier, and probably one of
the best trails is at Oak Mountain State Park—the Treetop Trail.
The Treetop Trail combines two things kids love: animals and water. For most
of the hike, you will be walking next to a beautiful little cascading brook. This is a
seasonal stream, so it may not be flowing in the heat of summer.
Then there are the animals. Oak Mountain is the home of the Alabama Wildlife
Rehabilitation Center (AWRC), a nonprofit organization with a simple mission:
“To provide medical and rehabilitative care for Alabama's injured and orphaned
native birds in order to permit their return to the wild and to educate people in or-
der to heighten awareness and appreciation of Alabama's native wildlife.” The
center is the state's oldest and largest such facility. On average it receives over
1,800 birds representing 100-plus species to rehabilitate per year.