By EMILY D. COOK

Do you visit Oak Mountain State Park a lot? You said yes, did you?

Would you like a different perspective on seeing it?

If so, try horseback riding. It is becoming more popular in the park.

There are more people visiting the park and bringing their own horses to ride the well-maintained trails.

Just bring your horse with the current negative Coggins and your park admission and you can enjoy the day riding the trails.

The horseback trails of Oak Mountain have expanded in length over the years. Currently, we have 26 miles of trails.

There is a multitude of ways to ride the park to get the most of your experience.

You can begin by parking at the Stables on John Findley Drive and set out from there on a relaxing ride along the edge of the lake, or go a little further down John Findley to the Roadside Picnic Area (the Bill Dinan Trailhead) and pick up the trail across the street to ride on the Group Camp Loop to see the Cabins that were built in the 1930s at Camp Tranquility, or go park near the Alabama Wildlife Center and jump on the Wildlife Center Trail or the Ridge Trail.

These options have plenty of parking for trailers, so grab your friends (both of the two-legged and four-legged kind) and hit the trail.

Don’t have your own horse? That is not a problem, as we have the Oak Mountain Stables that offer guided trail rides varying in length from 45 minutes to 90 minutes.

The horses at the Oak Mountain Stables are selected to be trail horses because of their great dispositions, so there isn’t a need to worry if you haven’t been on a horse before or if it has been a long time. They will take great care of you.

The Stables also offer pony rides for the younger visitors to the park. Check out birthday parties there as well.

Call them at (205) 620-3575 for more details and to schedule a ride.

Happy trails to you!