Oak Mountain State Park
Managed by Alabama State Parks
8,623 acres86.5 mi of trail
BlueWhiteFoothills Trail (Yellow)SlingShot+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Pelham
37% of Pelham’s land is conserved: 9,185 acres
97 miles of mapped trail cross Pelham, 2.5 per square mile of land. 8,843 acres are parks and preserves, 356 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Oak Mountain State Park (86.5 mi), Pelham City Park (2.3 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #2 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Conserved land
37%
9,185 acres · of 38.8 sq mi of land
Trails
97 mi
2.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
8,843 ac
356 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
11 mi lanes · 1.2 mi paths
Highest peak
787 ft
Johnson Mountain
Lakes & rivers
10
2 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Pelham?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Pelham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Pelham is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #2 of 187 in Alabama. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Pelham’s overall grade.
Conserved land37% of the land · typical AL town 1% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (97 mi) · AL 0.1 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land356 acres of park per 1,000 residents (8,843 acres) · AL 8 · U.S. 13AParks close to home41% of residents within a half mile of a park · AL 36% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 93%
LessMore
Alabama towns of 2,500+ (187)#2 of 187
Few Alabama towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Pelham’s 37% is ahead of 99% of Alabama towns, while its trails per square mile lead 100% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Oak Mountain State Park, with 86.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pelham City Park
Park
68 acres2.3 mi of trail
Pelham Greenway Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Carroll Park
Park
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Macallan Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Oak Mountain State Park8,623 acres · 86.5 mi of trail · Alabama State Parks
DirectionsPelham City Park68 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCarroll Park3 acres
Macallan Park2 acres
Pelham Park Playground1 acres · City of Pelham
Who protects it
9,185 conserved acres
37% of Pelham’s land. Who manages Pelham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks8,685 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits401 ac
Town or city98 ac
State Park · 8,685 acConservation Easement · 213 acUnknown Easement · 188 acLocal Recreation Area · 62 acLocal Park · 28 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 401 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Mountain State Park State Park | State parks | 8,685 | Open |
| Pelham City Park Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Pelham Racquet Club Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Fun Go Holler Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Pelham Civic Complex Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Coker Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Carroll Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Creekview Neighborhood Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
27 places to go in Pelham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Pelham
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Pelham
Macallan Neighborhood Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Pelham
12 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Pelham
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Pelham
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Pelham
Peavine FallsIn Oak Mountain State Park
DirectionsScenic views in Pelham
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Pelham
Johnson Mountain787 ft elevation · In Oak Mountain State Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Pelham
Backcountry Campsite #2Fee · In Oak Mountain State Park · Oak Mountain State Park
DirectionsBackcountry Campsite #3Fee · In Oak Mountain State Park · Oak Mountain State Park
DirectionsBackcountry Campsite #4Fee · In Oak Mountain State Park · Oak Mountain State Park
DirectionsOak Mountain State Park CampgroundFee · In Oak Mountain State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 42.3 miHorses · 1.0 miUnpaved · 58.0 mi
Blue6.4 mi
White6.1 mi
Foothills Trail (Yellow)6.1 mi
SlingShot3.2 mi
Jekyll3.1 mi
Lunker Lake Trail2.7 mi
BLT2.3 mi
North Lakes Connector Trail2.3 mi
Rattlesnake Ridge2.3 mi
Lake Trail2.1 mi
15 more trails
West Ridge Trail
2.0 miCat Dog Snake
1.9 miFarEnd Back
1.9 miJohnson Mountain Trail
1.8 miRim Walk East
1.8 miRoom Service
1.7 miSeven Bridges
1.5 miGreen Trail
1.4 miHorse Trail
1.0 miBUMP Trail
1.0 miYellow-White Connector
1.0 miBreezy
1.0 miHyde
0.9 miBelcher Byway Trail
0.9 miThe Chimneys
0.8 miBiking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Oak Mountain Red TrailBike route
19 miPelham Greenway TrailBike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
12Tennis
10Baseball
5Basketball
5Tracks
4Soccer
3Beach volleyball
2Football
2Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Pelham: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.2 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.3 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 54 | 59 | 67 | 75 | 82 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 85 | 76 | 65 | 57 |
| Rain (in) | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 5.2 |
October is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 5.5 inches fall in March, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Pelham →
Next door
Pelham and its neighbors
Pelham has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Pelham97 miHoover37 miHelena7.4 miAlabaster3.8 miChelsea2.9 miEagle Point0.9 miIndian Springs Village0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelham | 37% | 2.5 | 356 | 41% | A |
| Alabaster | 2% | 0.1 | 10 | 46% | C+ |
| Chelsea | under 1% | 0.1 | 3 | 21% | D |
| Helena | 3% | 0.3 | 9 | 54% | C+ |
| Hoover | 2% | 0.8 | 9 | 58% | B− |
| Eagle Point | 2% | 0.4 | 12 | 33% | C+ |
| Indian Springs Village | 1% | under 0.1 | 7 | 22% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Pelham
Where can I hike in Pelham?
The longest trail networks: Oak Mountain State Park, 86.5 miles; Pelham City Park, 2.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Pelham is conserved land?
37% of its land, against a typical 1% for an Alabama town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Pelham’s trails?
Oak Mountain State Park and Pelham City Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Pelham?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of painted or protected lanes and 1.2 of off-road paths. Named routes: Oak Mountain Red Trail and Pelham Greenway Trail.
Is there public land near Pelham?
14,128 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Pelham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,843 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Pelham have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #2 of 187 in Alabama. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Pelham neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →