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Erica Techo
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Erica Techo
Oak Mountain State Park and Shelby County celebrated the grand opening of the North Lakes Connector Trail with a ribbon cutting on Aug. 29, 2017.
Even though it was a weeknight with dreary weather, a crowd gathered at Oak Mountain State Park on Aug. 29 to celebrate the opening of the North Lake Connector Trail.
The 2.57-mile trail starts at Lunker Lake on the north end of the park and connects to the rest of the park's trail system. It was funded through a $60,000 Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs grant and $15,000 from Shelby County. The project came in under budget, said Shelby County Chief Development Officer Chad Scroggins.
“We worked with the Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers [BUMP] mountain bikers club and the park to plan the trail,” Scroggins said in a press release. “Everyone agreed in the direction we took to make it best suited for the needs of Oak Mountain State Park.”
A crowd of BUMP mountain bikers gathered at the ribbon cutting for the trail, and BUMP President Tina Chanslor said they are excited for the trail opening and believe it will bring more mountain bikers to the park.
OMSP Director Kelly Ezell said she was glad to see so many people come out to the ribbon cutting, and she was thankful to the Shelby County Commission for its support.
"I'm pleasantly surprised, especially with the weather and this being a weeknight," Ezell said of the crowd.
The trail was constructed by Mike Enervold of TrailVisions LLC, who is also an avid cyclist.
"The county wanted a trail that would appeal to beginners but not be boring for advanced folks," Enervold said. The trail will serve a range of skill levels, he added, and will be good for adults and children.
As they planned the trail, Enervold said they worked to make the most sustainable trail possible and to provide safety features such as good site lines. The location of the trail connector will also be appealing to cyclists, he said, due to its proximity to the lake.
In the winter, cyclists will ride toward a great view of Lunker Lake to wrap up their ride.
"They'll kind of this this 'Oh my gosh' view," he said.
The trail will also help decentralize the activity and traffic in the park, which is normally heavier toward the main gate.
Shelby County Manager Alex Dudchock thanked the Shelby County Commission in a press release for its continued support in investing local resources toward the capital improvement projects at Oak Mountain.
“On a high-use spring, summer or fall day, the trail heads can get congested, so connecting with these parking lots will spread out that parking pressure with Lunker Lake becoming a trailhead lot,” he said.
Oak Mountain State Park is attracting more and more trail running events, Scroggins said, with participants coming from all over.
“These events allow folks from out of the county and from out of state to come in and utilize our parks,” Scroggins said. “That provides the opportunity for people to come here and stay and see what ShelbyCounty and Oak Mountain State Park have to offer.”
With the North Lake Connector Trail, the park now has 38.5 miles of mountain bike and running trails.