Oak Mountain State Park

Master Plan Executive Summary

 

This is a text version of the Master Plan and has been edited to a single-page single-column format by user groups.  Most photos and figures have been deleted, but captions have been retained. Captions are RH justified in smaller text.

 


Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Chuck Meek and Daniel Wells enjoy early morning fishing on Lunker Lake

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Oak Mountain State Park is the largest of the 24 Alabama State Parks, encompassing approximately 9,000 acres of mountains, lakes and forest. Located adjacent to U.S. Interstate 65 within the city limits of Pelham in Shelby

County, Oak Mountain serves over 510,000 visitors each year. Even though the park provides a secluded, natural setting, over one million people live within the adjacent six-county metropolitan Birmingham area.

The diversity of recreational opportunities is the obvious strength of the park. The outdoor experience of Oak Mountain includes the opportunity for hiking, biking, equestrian trail riding, golfing, fishing, camping, canoeing, picnicking, wildlife viewing and general outdoor recreation. An 18-hole golf course, 141 campsites, 10 overnight cottages, more than 50 miles of forested trails, a demonstration farm, and riding stables provide ample reasons to visit Oak Mountain. The park is also the home of the Alabama Wildlife Rescue Service, a privately run organization dedicated to the treatment of injured wildlife.

Oak Mountain State Park resulted from the State Land Act of 1927, giving the park the first nine hundred forty acres between Double Oak Mountain in the east and Little Oak Ridge in the west. During the 1930’s, the National Park Service acquired approximately eight thousand acres surrounding Oak Mountain State Park. From 1934 through 1937, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Peavine Road and the Red Road along with pavilions and cabins. From 1935 through 1941, the Works Progress Administration constructed Lake Tranquility Dam and the nearby Group Camp. In 1943, the National Park Service deeded to Oak Mountain State Park approximately eight thousand surrounding acres to the existing nine hundred forty acres.

Evidence of the work of the CCC era remains throughout the park in abandoned structures, foundations, bridges and certain infrastructure. Characterized by stonework quarried from within the Park, these artifacts are reminders of the early camps, pavilions and other park structures placed throughout the park by the CCC. The structures were most often placed at higher elevations that provided spectacular views and a true back to nature experience. These remaining structures and foundations will serve as the design theme for improvements proposed throughout the park in this Master Plan.

Passage of Act 272 by the state legislature in 1967 allowed 43 million dollars in bonds to be issued for the construction, renovation and development of Alabama State Parks. Development under this bond issue at Oak Mountain began in 1971 and included the golf course, pro shop, cottages, administrative buildings, demonstration farm and campgrounds. This phase of park development concentrated on less expensive construction sites located on level terrain in the lower elevations along the Dry Brook basin and adjacent to park lakes.

In 2000, the state legislature passed Act 2000-708 issuing bonds in the amount of 104 million dollars for the renovation and development of Alabama State Parks.

With a commitment to long-term planning, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) entered into a master planning effort with a team of planners, engineers, architects, landscape architects and biologists led by CDG Engineers & Associates, Inc.

This document is the culmination of the planning effort and incorporates the vision of the DCNR for Oak Mountain State Park.

Included is a physical analysis of the overall park and its facilities with an economic analysis addressing the financial status of the park along with its existing and potential markets. From these analysis, the long term plan was created and is summarized in Chapter 4. An implementation plan is provided in Chapter 5 that prioritizes components and includes estimates of cost for each component. Finally, the reader may choose to remove the Master Plan Map which can be located in the back of this document for use as a companion reference to the text of this Executive Summary. The comprehensive Master Plan is available for review at the DCNR office.

The plan provides for the investment of bond funds where buildings, roads, and use areas will be integrated into the oak forest landscape with an overarching principle to create harmony between nature and man-made structures. The enduring qualities of the CCC will serve as a guide and approach in establishing natural design solutions. The opportunity for development will be balanced with management and preservation of the forest, with conservation areas that prohibit future construction of buildings and are preserved for the benefit of future generations of visitors.

The plan evokes opportunities to escape to the outdoors where visitors will encounter a back to nature experience, breathtaking natural vistas and colorful view-sheds.

 

Old CCC Camp Office to be restored

 

Chapter 2

PARK ANALYSIS

Wildlife observers tour Double Oak Mountain

2.1 FOREST RESOURCE ASSESSMENT

 

The forest resource on Oak Mountain State Park appears generally healthy, but that appearance is deceptive. The forest is proceeding virtually unchecked toward the final stages of succession. Although succession is a natural process, it is unusual in the southeastern forests for large areas to proceed through the oak-hickory stage of succession and on into the climax community of beech and maple. Natural and human-induced disturbances such as fire, windstorms, ice storms, insect and disease outbreaks, and clearing or other forms of harvest create openings of various sizes and reset succession to earlier stages. It has been decades since such disturbances have occurred at any significant scale on the slopes and ridge tops of Oak Mountain. In addition, the deer herd has probably reached historically high levels. Deer are unique in the eastern forest in that they can actually degrade the very habitat on which they depend. While Oak Mountain’s ability to support its deer herd is declining with advancing succession, the growing deer herd itself is accelerating that decline. In addition to degrading its own habitat, the deer herd is damaging habitat for other wildlife species and, with advancing succession, dramatically lowering plant and animal community diversity.

There are two significant considerations that shape the forests of mountainous regions: aspect and position on slope. South and west facing slopes are typically drier and warmer than north and east facing slopes, favoring conifers over hardwoods. Ridge tops are typically also dominated by conifers, which are better able than most hardwood species to cope with the thin soils, hotter fires, and harsher conditions that occur there. The logging of most of the longleaf forest that once dominated the southern, western, and southwestern slopes and subsequent wildfire suppression allowed lighter seeded, more aggressive species like loblolly pine to seed into the unoccupied sites. These species are usually followed, in the continued absence of fire, by oaks, hickories and other hardwoods. As the pines mature and die or are killed by lightning, insects or disease, they are typically replaced by oaks and hickories in southern forests.

These species can live and regenerate under partial shade. Due to the long period without significant disturbance of the canopy trees and particularly because of the unnaturally high numbers of deer in the park, the forest is instead being replaced by species which can regenerate successfully under full shade and which are not eaten by deer. In the case of Oak Mountain, those species are American beech, maples, and hickories. All are shade tolerant and all are low in palatability and preference for browsing deer. The consequences of this progression are the shifting of the forest composition to species that have little or no wildlife value and the almost complete loss of understory and midstory vegetation.

Effects of these shifts include poor wildlife habitat for almost all species and a steady decline and loss of biodiversity in the wildlife and plant communities.

Longleaf forests once dominated an estimated 90 million acres of uplands across the Southeast. Today, there are less than 3 million acres remaining and much of that is in poor condition. Mountain longleaf communities are perhaps the most imperiled of the longleaf forest types.

Mountain longleaf is unique and is limited to a small area in northwest Georgia and across a portion of Alabama. Very little of that forest is left today and most of the remnants are badly degraded. Restored and functioning longleaf forests are among the most biodiverse on the continent. The suppression of fire over long periods of time has caused the longleaf forests of Oak Mountain to

Shady canopies prevent regeneration

lose most of that inherent diversity and threatens the continued existence of longleaf on the park. Because they are unusually long-lived among pines, there are still significant stands of longleaf on isolated portions of the park. However, fuel has accumulated to dangerous levels, making re-introduction of renewing fire a very risky prospect. The encroachment of development, including a busy Interstate highway, make smoke management an even greater concern than fire itself. Still, the highest ridgetops and harshest sites support a very unique and attractive community of longleaf, blackjack oak, and lush understory grasses, a legacy of past fires. Northern and eastern slopes are typically occupied by hardwoods in mountainous terrain in Southeastern forests. These slopes are typically cooler and moister, burn less frequently, and are more productive. This is true of Oak Mountain, but again, the lack of any disturbance is allowing the forest to progress toward a climax community of beeches, hickories and maples, especially on the upper slopes.

The moist lower slope cove sites and drains are among the richest on the entire park. Ferns, buckeyes, grasses, and forbs occupy the lower canopy and understory of these areas. White and chestnut oaks and yellow poplar are common in the overstory. Water quality is good and these streams are attractive and generally well maintained.

In summary, the composition of the Oak Mountain forest is changing. It is likely that, without intervention, the park will lose its pine component, and, over time, much of its oak component. The deer herd has reached and exceeded carrying capacity for the park and has begun to affect the plant and animal communities in a negative fashion. As bio-diversity and habitat quality decrease as a result of lack of disturbance and deer pressure, the changes in the habitat will likely accelerate. The problems are worst on the southern, western, and southwestern slopes and from mid-slope to the ridge tops. Longterm fire suppression has resulted in extremely high levels of fuel accumulation in the longleaf pine remnants on the park. There are few openings in the overstory canopy across the park’s forests and, consequently, there are few wildflowers and almost no other grasses and forbs in the understory. As a result, there are few birds, butterflies, small mammals or other early successional community inhabitants present in the park.

 

Prepared by: Rhett Johnson, Forest Management Consultant

Pine needles cover the forest floor Buckeyes flourish in shaded environs

2.2 INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYSIS

 

Transportation

Visitors enter Oak Mountain State Park through one of two gates. The primary entrance, serving 85 percent of the visiting traffic, is located on the west side of the park on Oak Mountain Road. The secondary entrance, on Highway 119 (Cahaba Valley Road), is located on the north side of the Park. A total driving distance of 8 miles along John Findlay Drive connects these gates.

The primary traffic flow into the park travels Oak Mountain Road from I-65 until it arrives at the West Entrance to the park. The gatehouse at this location provides a problematic one lane entrance with an alternate lane opening in peak period traffic at the discretion of gate personnel. During peak periods on holiday weekends, traffic is often congested from the gatehouse to Oak Mountain Road. From this gatehouse location, traffic flows adjacent to the golf course and through the park.

Secondary traffic flow into Oak Mountain State Park enters the Park from Highway 119 on the north side of the park. Visitors using this entrance must travel a public street through residential development before entering park property. The gatehouse at this entrance is poorly sited in the intersection of Findlay Drive and Oak Mountain Park Road. The use of this entrance is primarily limited to patrons who utilize the facilities at the Fishing Center and Beaver and Lunker Lakes. In order to access the majority of park facilities from this entrance, guests must traverse a spillway connecting Beaver Lake and Lunker Lake.

There are currently five asphalt roadways within the park. These roadways consist of Findlay Drive, Terrace Drive, Cabin Road, and Campground Road. Findlay Drive provides access to all areas of the park and serves as the major thoroughfare within Oak Mountain. Roads to other park activities and attractions leave Findlay Drive as dead end spokes producing a significant amount of visitor backtracking. Terrace Drive leads to the existing Park Office, major day use areas, and ultimately to Peavine Falls Road.

Supplementing the primary roadway network are several gravel and unimproved mountain roads providing access to various attractions within the park, including Peavine Falls Road, CCC Camp Road, and Tranquility Road. Peavine Falls Road provides vehicular access to spectacular views along the crest of Double Oak Mountain and enables more patrons to experience the Falls.

Currently seven asphalt parking areas serve the park. These areas are located at the Demonstration Farm, Golf Course, Fishing Center, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and three within the primary Day Use facilities. Parking areas are approximately 30 years old and have received minimal preventive maintenance resulting in deteriorated areas requiring resurfacing. Other attractions popular with visitors to Oak Mountain, including Peavine Falls, the North Trailhead, and various day use facilities, are all comprised of gravel or unimproved parking areas.

 

Sanitary Sewer Collection and Treatment System

The existing sanitary sewer treatment system was installed in 1970 and is comprised of four aeration lagoons discharging into a tributary of Dry Brook. In order to achieve compliance with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management regulations for sewage treatment, chlorine and other chemicals must be added frequently to each of the lagoons. Many gravity collection and force main lines are made of terra cotta, a clay material inherently faced with infiltration problems from groundwater.

Lagoon No.1 serves the facilities located at and adjacent to the Demonstration Farm and Stable facilities. Primary sewage uses in this area include comfort stations, floor drains in the facilities complementing the demonstration farms, and housing for the stable operator. The design capacity of the lagoon is 25,000 gallons and with relatively low flows from the Demonstration Farm and Stables the waste is treated within acceptable limits.

Discharge of the lagoon is in a tributary of Dry Brook, which frequently becomes submerged during high intensity rainfall events resulting in limited discharge capabilities.

Lagoon No.2 serves the primary Day Use area surrounding Double Oak Lake. Within this "pod" of development are various facilities including the Park Office and Ranger Station, Beach Bathhouses, the Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, the Marina Rental Building and comfort station, the Terrace Restaurant, and various other comfort stations to accommodate day use activities.

The collection system consists of terra cotta pipe suffering substantial infiltration and inflow due to its close proximity to Double Oak Lake. With a 50,000 design capacity, the lagoon operates within acceptable limits but often overflows during high intensity rainfall events.

Lagoon No.3 has a capacity of 25,000 gallons and serves the cabin area around Tranquility Lake and the Day Use Facilities located along Tranquility Road. Within this ’pod" of development are 10 cabins, a Conference Center, a Staff maintenance facility, laundering facilities, and a comfort station serving the Tranquility Road area.

Due to improper bedding during installation and close proximity to Tranquility Lake this terra cotta and cast iron collection system experiences the greatest inflow and infiltration problems of the treatment systems within the park. The lagoon often overflows during high intensity rainfall events resulting in improperly treated sewage discharged into Dry Brook.

Lagoon No.4 serves the campground consisting of 83 sewered camping sites, a Dump Station, and comfort stations to accommodate the remaining 58 primitive campsites. Sewage is collected and pumped to the 25,000 gallon lagoon located on the west of the campground. Although the storage capacity of the lagoon is sufficient for average flows from the campground the lagoon cannot accommodate peak flow conditions or future developmental requirements as proposed. Chlorine and other chemicals are frequently added following weekend usage of the park campgrounds to meet treatment thresholds.

This collection and lagoon system suffers inflow and infiltration problems as a result of terra cotta mains lying adjacent to several major drainage systems of Beaver Lake.

In addition to the treatment lagoons, several park facilities are served by on-site disposal systems or "Septic Tank and Field Line" systems sized according to standard practices of the State of Alabama Health Department.

The Golf Pro Shop and Maintenance facilities are collected and are served by a septic tank flowing to a "community" disposal field located in the golf course driving range. Facilities in the Fishing Center and Day Use Area, including a comfort station located adjacent to Beaver Lake, also operate on a septic tank and disposal field sewer system. Other facilities served by septic tank and disposal field systems include Park Staff Housing, comfort stations along the Golf Course, and the Visitor’s Center/Registration House. Due to the inherent nature of the native soils within the Park and the shallow depths of rock with low permeability characteristics, the disposal fields are subject to continual maintenance and are often non-functional.

 

 Double Oak Lake hosts many different day use activities

 

Water Distribution System

The water distribution system inside the park consists of three independent systems. These distribution systems, supplying all park facilities, were installed in 1970. No major upgrades in material type or flow capabilities have been made to the system since this original installation.

Water mains in various areas of the park require upgrading and storage tanks require preventive maintenance and painting.

In 1994 the water supply for the park was converted from an on-site well system to the City of Pelham’s distribution system. Connection to the park from the City occurs at two locations. The first connection at the old Well No. 1 location north of the Golf Course serves the majority of park facilities and the second connection at the intersection of Oak Mountain Park Road and Highway 119 serves the Fishing Center Day Use Area.

The first distribution system, storing water for the majority of park facilities, consists of three storage tanks with an overall storage capacity of 200,000 gallons. The second system, serving the Fishing Center area and comfort stations east of Beaver and Lunker Lakes, originally utilized a well and storage tank. These were abandoned in 1994 and water is supplied directly to this area of the park from the City of Pelham. Currently serving the staff housing and cabin area located along Peavine Falls Road, the third distribution system consists of a supply well and small storage tank.

 

Day use areas will embrace the scenic Beaver Lake

2.3 PHYSICAL ANALYSIS

 

An analysis was made of pertinent existing physiographic and built conditions within Oak Mountain State Park for the purpose of providing the data and evaluations required to develop policy recommendations and proposals for inclusion in the Master Plan.

 

ELEVATION and SLOPE ANALYSIS

 

Elevations on the Oak Mountain State Park site range from 1,301 feet at Shackleford Point to 400 feet where Dry Brook exits the park along the northwestern park boundary. The majority of the existing uses in the park are found in the valley floor, which represents 40% of the Park’s land, between elevations of 475 to 600 feet. Approximately 50% of the park area falls within the range of 600 to 1,100 feet in elevation and the land above 1,100 feet elevation accounts for approximately 10% of the total park area.

Much of the valley floor falls within the 0% to 10% slope range, which are highly suited for park development and other uses. The majority of the land in the park has

slope conditions that fall within the 10% to 30% slope ranges. Recreation development is feasible in these areas, which are generally located between the gently sloping valley floors and the steep ridge lines associated with Double Oak Mountain and Little Oak Ridge. The numerous areas in the park with slopes greater than 30% make roadway, building and other improvements very expensive due to the costs for grading, drainage and sewer improvements. However, these steeply sloping areas are suitable for trail development and other recreational uses, and they create conditions for dramatic views from the mountain and ridge areas. Given the Park’s 9,000 acre site, slope conditions will not overly restrict development and the park can be further developed within proper planning and site design standards.

 

SOIL CONDITIONS

The soils in Oak Mountain State Park vary widely in their suitability for development of new park facilities. Soil types found in the park are generally silty-loamy and loam, and include Bodine, Etowah, Minvale, Mauvoo, Nella, Quitman, Townley and Tupelo. Soils in the park have been analyzed for suitability for various uses that include: Woodland Management and Production; Recreational Development; Wildlife Habitat; and Building Development.

The Nell, Nauvoo and Bodine soils, commonly found on steeper hillsides along Double Oak Mountain and Oak Mountain on the eastern side of the park and along Little Oak Ridge bordering the western edge of the park, are moderately limited for urban use by slope conditions and underlying rock formations.

The Minvale, Nauvoo, Townley and Etowah soils are loam soils commonly located between the ridge lines and valley floors. These soils are the most favorable soils in the park for development due to their slope characteristics. The Etowah, Quitman, and Tupelo soils are commonly found in narrow valley floors and although relatively well drained they are subject to seasonal flooding and wetness, which pose severe limitations for urban uses. However, they poise no significant limitation for recreational development to occur.

In general, the soil conditions present in the park have limitations that will increase the development cost of certain sites more than others. However, with sound engineering design and construction practices most of the soils outside the 100-year flood plan and steep rock slopes found along major ridgelines can be developed.

EXISTING VEGETATION

Forested lands cover over 80% of the Oak Mountain State Park’s land area with the primary vegetation type consisting of stands of hardwood and evergreen tree species. The remaining 20% of the park’s land consist of the golf course, pasture areas, day use areas and the lakes. Within these use areas hardwood and evergreen tree species can be found in various stands. Types of vegetation include wetlands, open grass areas, upland forest, lowland forests and other vegetation stands.

Existing wetlands within the park are very limited in number but generally occur adjacent to the lake areas and along major drainage areas such as Dry Brook. Because of the limited number of wetlands, minimal restrictions and impacts from future development are likely to occur.

DRAINAGE

The Park can be characterized as a ridge and valley system, which controls the direction and rates of discharge into two major drainage basins: the Cahaba River and the Coosa River. Double Oak Mountain and Oak Mountain forms the principal dividing or break line in the overall pattern and direction of waterflow throughout the park.

Drainage on the westerly side of the mountains generally discharged through Oak Ridge into the Cahaba Valley and ultimately into the Cahaba River and the Little Cahaba river system to the north and west. On the eastern side of Double Oak Mountain drainage flows generally in a southern direction where it discharges into Peavine Creek, Poplar Branch, and ultimately the Coosa River.

The primary drainage area found on this side of the mountains is Peavine Branch that discharges at the southern boundary of the park and flows into Peavine Creek. One of the most significant drainage features of the park is Peavine Falls that occurs at the confluence of several drainage ways on the south side of the mountain.

The park contains four major lakes: Double Oak Lake; Tranquility Lake; Beaver Lake; and Lunker Lake. Other smaller lakes can be found within the park; however, these four water bodies represent the largest bodies of water found in the park with a combined area of approximately 250 acres.

FLOODPLAIN

A section of the park located along portions of Dry Brook and other tributaries is currently in the 100-year flood plain. Park officials have documented seasonal flooding in the park in the past, mostly in the golf course area and in particular the driving range. Currently, no existing park structures are known to exist in the defined flood plains areas. The total area of 100-year flood plain in the park is less than 200 acres in size and occurs for the most part in wooded undeveloped areas of the park. It is recommended that hydrological analysis should be conducted during the engineering of new use areas and sites in the general vicinity of Dry Brook to prevent flooding of any potential structures and/or improvements.

 

picturesque look across Tranquility Lake during early Falll

 

PARK USE AREAS

There are a variety of active and passive recreational uses and use areas within Oak Mountain State Park. An assessment of the existing use areas has been conducted to identify the kinds of recreation facilities and activities located within the park. The identified park use areas includes, Double Oak Mountain Trail System, Peavine Falls Use Area, Double Oak Lake Day Use Area, Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Tranquility Lake Cabin Area, Tranquility Road Day Use Area, Oak Mountain Golf Course, Demonstration Farm / Horse Stables, South Park Entrance Area, Fishing Center Day Use Area, Campground Area, and Undeveloped Wooded Areas.

In general, use areas are located in various nodes throughout the park along or just off of John Findlay Drive. Most use areas are physically and visually separated from other use areas in the park and are commonly found on dead end roads that radiate from Findlay Drive. Most of the existing uses in the park are relatively compatible with other activities contained in each of the defined use areas. Minor conflicts between uses do occur in the park in some areas. For example, potential conflicts occur where pedestrian, bicycle and horse trails converge with one another or cross major roadways in the park. The trail and road system does provide a physical connection between many use areas; however, most use areas tend to be physically separated at distances that severely limit the likelihood of pedestrians walking or cyclist riding from one use area to another.

As a result many park visitors drive from one use area to another. This situation suggests that the master plan should consider potential ways to improve the linkages between new and future use areas.

VISUAL ANALYSIS

An analysis and photographic documentation was conducted to assess positive and negative visual conditions throughout the Park and identify problems / potentials that can be incorporated into the master plan. Special attention was placed on the use areas of the park most frequently visited by the public.

In summary, the positive visual qualities found in the park greatly exceed the negative qualities. The park contains beautiful views of lakes, creeks and streams, waterfalls, mountain top scenery, mountain ridges, natural lands, fern glades, wetlands, the golf course, historic structures and well-sited building and facilities.

The master plan recognizes the scenic beauty of these areas and will avoid developing new use areas that may negatively impact the park. Efforts will be made to highlight these areas to enable park users to experience the beauty of areas such as the scenic overlook on top of Double Oak Mountain. Currently, many park visitors are unaware that this scenic use area exists. Yet, this scenic use area could be made more accessible and identifiable to users by developing improved road access, directional signage and parking facilities.

 

Changing foliage accent this beautiful prk

Many of the visual problems in the park are found in and around the primary use areas. These problems include; large expansive parking areas that need screening; landscaping, poorly sited buildings; poor directional and informational signage needing replacement; lack of screening of service areas and other undesirable views; lack of landscaping and color; deteriorating facilities that need maintenance or replacement; improved grounds maintenance; etc. Fortunately, most of these visual problems can be resolved by proper planning, improved site design, improved maintenance and other

recommended changes contained in the Master Plan.

2.4 STRUCTUREs ANALYSIS

 

The history of Oak Mountain State Park reflects two major eras of vertical construction. In the mid-1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) introduced the first structures to the park. As was the case in many parks throughout the United States, the CCC placed special attention on quality design, enduring materials and craftsmanship during the construction of these facilities.

The other notable period of construction within the park took place in the early-1970s. The main emphasis during this stage of construction was to build clusters of buildings in an endeavor to form various use areas throughout the park. The mentality was to concentrate less on quality per building and more on vast construction efforts. These two decades of construction represent the backbone of