Alabama parks may see new activities

Alabama State Parks, the state agency that operates the state's parks and resorts, is hoping to partner with outdoor adventure sports operators to bring more recreational activities to 10 state parks including Cheaha.  The idea grew out of a partnership in Gulf State Park that created the Gulf Adventure Center. The Gulf Adventure Center, which offers zip lines  wire lines installed at various heights above ground that people coast down in harnesses through the force of gravity paddleboards and kayaks, opened in the park last spring.  Currently closed for the winter, the center is a private operation working in the state park as a concession vendor. The partnership has worked so well, the officials from the park system would like to explore doing it at other parks including Joe Wheeler, Monte Sano, Guntersville, DeSoto, Lake Lurleen, Cheaha, Oak Mountain, Wind Creek, Chewacla and Lakepoint.  Cheaha, a 2,799-acre park in the heart of the Talladega National Forest, currently offers camping, hiking, biking, swimming, fishing and geocaching.  A hotel and a group lodge are operated there. It is on the route of the annual Cheaha Challenge, a 100-plus-mile bike ride that starts in Jacksonville and runs through Adam's Gap in the park and back to Jacksonville.