Prior to the canoeing and kayaking and hiking, boaters, hikers and other Southeastern Outings people and guests will get together in Oak Mountain State Park at the Mallard Pavilion in the neighborhood of the Flip Side Water Sports office, (FS and formerly the Fishing Center), for a group potluck picnic.  Please bring a dish of food to share with the group.  Please bring all food items to this potluck in dishes with a cover on them (think “like Tupperware”.)  Please do not bring your food in fast food, cardboard or open containers.  There are obvious issues with bees, flies and yellow jackets, etc. when setting up food exposed outdoors to nuisance insects.

You may bring a bag of potato chips, but if you do, you should bring some more substantial food to share in addition.  Please bring also $5/person ($2 seniors and children) park admission fee, a beverage for yourself and folding lawn chairs if you have them.  Southeastern Outings will furnish plates, cups, knives, forks, spoons, napkins, and ice.  Picnic preparations will begin at 11:30 a.m. We will begin eating lunch at 12:00 noon regardless of whether you are there or not!

After lunch you can enjoy boating on the lower fishing lake.  You may bring your own boat (no charge) or you may rent a canoe from the park by paying for your rental canoe at the back gate to the park.  The park says they have 5 tandem canoes for rent.  Two of the canoes each used to have one broken seat in them.  Rental rate for canoes is $14 per hour. Cash only.  No credit cards accepted.  First come, first served.

FS has available for rent 5 solo kayaks and 8 paddleboards.  Rental rate for either is $20 per hour.  Cash or credit cards accepted by FS.

No shuttle involved in any of these boating activities.  Share an adventure!  Bring a friend.

We’ll launch our boats about 1:30 p.m. from a small peninsula which is at the end of the lower drive which passes by the front of the FS office just below the driveway into the parking lot where you parked.

Or after the potluck picnic lunch you can enjoy a moderately easy afternoon hike along the shore of the upper fishing lake (now called Lunker Lake) in the park.  Hike departs from the Mallard Pavilion about 1:30 p.m.

Note-To view photos of what we will see on this trip, please click on this link.

Please be sure to click on the link and view the photographs.

You are welcome to participate in the boating or hiking and skip the group picnic; you are welcome to skip the boating or hiking and come just for the picnic; or, as most people did the previous four times we have sponsored this outing, you are encouraged to enjoy the outdoor exercise activities AND the picnic.

Meet at the Mallard Pavilion just downhill from the very far end of the parking lot which is designated for the FS office near the back entrance to Oak Mountain State Park

Info: (picnic) Acyenith Alexander 205/529-2253; (boating) Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or phone 205/631-4680; (hiking) Kerry Cooper, 205/541-5233 or kkcooper22@gmail.com

DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE

Mallard Pavilion, Near the Flip Side Outfitter Office (formerly the Fishing Center), Beaver Lake (formerly called the Lower Fishing Lake), Oak Mountain State Park-If you choose to drive to the Flip Side Outfitter Office area from the front, main park entrance, enter the main gate of the park.  Then follow the main park road which goes through the main front gate all the way to where the road goes over a bridge across the spillway on the dam between the visible upper fishing lake which is on the right, above the dam, and the larger, lower fishing lake on the left which is probably not visible from the spillway.  Drive on the bridge over the spillway and on ahead to the far end of the dam and turn left.  Keep left after you see the back gatehouse and drive straight ahead into the parking lot a bit uphill from the Flip Side Outfitter Office which will be on your left nearer to the shore of the lake.

If you choose to drive to the Flip Side Outfitter Office area from the back park entrance which is much closer to the Flip Side Outfitter Office and the Lower Fishing Lake than is the front park entrance, take U.S. 31, I-65, or U.S. 280 to Alabama Route 119, Cahaba Valley Road.  Turn left on 119 if coming from Birmingham on to 31 or 65.  Turn right onto 119 if coming from Birmingham on 280.  Drive to near the traffic light at the intersection of Caldwell Mill Road and AL 119, Cahaba Valley Road.  Caldwell Mill Road is County Route 14.  It is signed for the county route, but there is no visible sign saying “Caldwell Mill Road”.

See sign on 119 for Oak Mountain Lake where you should turn off of 119.  Turn right at that sign if coming from 31 or 65.  The road off 119 going up into the back entrance to the park turns off of AL 119 5.6 miles east of the I-65 exit for Cahaba Valley Road off of I-65.

Turn left off of 119 if coming from 280.  You’ll drive through and pay your park admission fee at the back gate entrance to the park.  Also pay for canoe rentals at the back entrance gate.  Immediately past the gatehouse turn right and drive to the far end of the fishing lake parking lot.

Look for the Mallard Pavilion through the trees slightly below the far end of the parking lot.  The Pavilion is located in the grass at the edge of the trees between the far end of the parking lot and the lake shore.  We’ll be eating at the Mallard Pavilion.  You’ll also see the Flip Side Outfitter Office building just below the drive into the parking lot.