Piedmont Plateau | Chilton | Best Seasons: Fall | Spring | Summer
Minooka Park, located in Jemison, AL, features over 400 acres of woodlands. Although the park is primarily an off- highway vehicle park there is also an 7 acre lake surrounded by a walking trail and piers. Pavilions and restroom facilities are available. An RV campground is located near the lake and walking trails. The woods inside the park are mixed hardwoods and pine with a good understory. You should expect to find a variety of woodland birds here. The lake trail, the primary trail for walkers here, offers some nice views of the lake. This trail, unlike the other trails in the park, is dedicated to walking, with no motorized vehicles allowed. Most of this trail is gravel, but a small portion that leads to a pier is concrete. The road into the park has several locations that provide for easy pull-offs to listen for birdsong and is not a busy road.
There is a one mile gravel walking trail around the 7 acre lake, RV campground, primitive camping, 3 pavilions, fishing, ATV trails, and a limited amount of hiking trails.
Wed. – Sunday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (during daylight savings time, otherwise 5:00 pm)
GPS: 33.01865 -86.73703
Site Accessibility
There is a gravel walking trail that wraps around the lake. The trail is fairly level and has an even grade. Wheelchair access is limited, but there are a number of paved roads with very limited traffic and birding by car can work pretty effectively for this park. There is also a very short concrete path to the lake with good views.
From south: Take I65 north to Jemison exit 219. Turn left on County Road 42 and travel 3.8 miles to traffic light. Turn right on Highway 31 north, travel 3.9 miles to County Rd 146 on right. Travel County Rd. 146 1.8 miles to entrance of park.
From north: Take I65 south to Calera exit 231. Turn right on Highway 31 south. Travel through downtown Calera. Eight miles south of downtown Calera turn left on County Rd. 146. Travel County Rd. 146 1.8 miles to entrance of park.
Amenities Available: Picnic Tables, Restrooms, Wheelchair Accessible
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