By EMILY D. COOK / Community Columnist

Winter can be often be a drag because of the short days, long nights and cold weather, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Oak Mountain State Park is open! With so much to offer, even on the cool days of Alabama’s crazy weather, you can practically visit Oak Mountain every day of the week and do something different.

Biking, birdwatching, boating, camping, fishing, golfing and hiking are just a few of the things that you can do on a visit to Oak Mountain.

Biking is a popular activity in the park for both beginners and experts.

You can ride the road or you can hop on 25-plus miles of mountain bike trails and test your skills.

Birdwatching is great this time of year because we happen to be a stop for many birds that didn’t want to fly all the way south for the winter.

We’re the perfect place for you to bring your boat or canoe and spend a day on the lake. Just don’t fall in – it’s cold!

Camping in cold weather can be fun – remember to layer and you’ll be nice and toasty. Best part of camping in the cold: Campfires and s’mores!

Did you know that you can catch fish when it’s cool? You can! Come out and drop a line – go deep.

What better way to work off some of the holiday weight and stress than hitting the little white golf ball around the course. Come play 9 or 18 on our great golf course.

Don’t forget that you can also visit the Petting Farm, Treetop Nature Trail, Alabama Wildlife Center and the Oak Mountain Interpretive Center at Oak Mountain State Park.

Hiking is another popular activity for visitors to Oak Mountain. With close to 30 miles of hiking trails, many that have connectors, you can spend a whole day walking the park and seeing really cool things.

Please remember that you keep Alabama State Parks open by visiting them. Thank you for your support.