Photo by Erin Nelson
A mountain biker travels along the Slingshot trail at Oak Mountain State Park.
Alabama’s largest state park recently received a new addition to its trail system.
Oak Mountain State Park hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in May for a new trail called Slingshot. The 3-mile intermediate trail is open to both hikers and bikers. With entrances on both Camp Road and Seven Bridges trail, no matter which direction a person takes, there are steep uphill and downhill sections.
“This has been a project in the making, and it’s been on the master list since about 2010,” Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers President Jeff Rozycki said at the ribbon-cutting. “Enjoy this wonderful ridgeline we have here. This is an untouched ridgeline, and we previously haven’t been up on these ridges. It’s a beautiful area this trail goes through.”
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Photo by Erin Nelson
A mountain biker travels along the Slingshot trail at Oak Mountain State Park.
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Mountain bikers travel along the Slingshot trail at Oak Mountain State Park.
When the ribbon on the new trail was cut during the XTERRA race weekend May 8-10, more than 100 cyclists took off from Camp Road to begin the trail. From this direction, the trail begins with a steep climb and is followed by a fast section. There are extra features along the way, such as a tree that was turned into a “skinny,” which is a narrow bridge that forces bikers to put balance skills to the test. There were opportunities for experienced riders to catch air and opportunities for less-experienced riders to take it easy.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- July 3: Fire on the Water. 5-9 p.m.
- July 10: Pro Wakeboarding Tour Competition. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- July 17: Hotter ‘n Hell Trail Race. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Aug. 20-22: Mayhem on the Mountain. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Aug. 21: Ridge to Blazing Ridge Trail Race. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There were a few hiccups the day of the trail’s grand reveal, park Superintendent Kelly Ezell said. The Birmingham area had historic levels of rain May 4 — just two days before the trail’s grand opening — that caused power outages and evacuations across the metro area. At Oak Mountain, the heavy rainfall washed out two bridges, including bridges that were essential for the weekend’s XTERRA races and for riding to the Slingshot trailheads.
“But teamwork makes the dream work, and we had a great team today who pulled together and built a bridge,” Ezell said. “They didn’t just do repairs. They actually had to build one, and they did a great job.”
With the help of volunteers, the bridges were replaced the next morning.
1ST NEW TRAIL IN 4 YEARS
This is the first new trail at Oak Mountain since thunder, which is a downhill trail for intermediate riders that was completed in 2017. The park now has 52 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horeseback riding.
“We want to maintain what we’ve got as always, but having something new and different for people to enjoy is important as well,” Ezell said. “Every few years, it’s important to offer something new, fresh and different.”
It’s not just important to those who use the trail. The economic impact of the park on the surrounding area is “major,” County Manager Chad Scroggins said. With things spreading so quickly on social media, visitors could be coming from far out of town to check out Slingshot.
“You’ve got so much retail and sales tax generation that’s coming from the park,” he said. “You go to the South Trailhead, and look at all the car tags that are not from our area. When they opened the new trail and XTERRA was here, I even saw a car from Hawaii, which is pretty hard to do.”
WHAT'S NEXT
The park is always planning for the next thing, Ezell said. Some plans have been put on hold since a tornado hit the park in March, and the park had to shift focus to reopen those damaged sections.
A road project is currently in the works on the south side of the park. From the ranger’s station to Alabama 119, visitors will be able to enjoy new pavement with lanes for cyclists and walkers. At the intersection of Oak Mountain Road and John Findlay Drive, a roundabout will replace the current four-way stop.
Through the park’s partnership with BUMP, the park will also continue to make improvements to its current trails.
“We’ve got a lot going on,” Ezell said. “There are a lot of good things happening.”
Oak Mountain State Park is at 200 Terrace Drive in Pelham. Visit alapark.com for more information.
