Lake Lurleen State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Lurleen State Park |
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Lake Lurleen State Park, June 2014
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 Lake Lurleen State Park
Location in Alabama
Lake Lurleen State Park
Location in the United States
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| Location | Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States |
| Area | 1,625 acres (6.58 km2) |
| Elevation | 233 ft (71 m) |
| Established | 1952 |
| Operator | Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| Website | Lake Lurleen State Park |
Lake Lurleen State Park is a publicly owned recreation area located on U.S. Highway 82 approximately 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Northport in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The state park's 1,625 acres (658 ha) include 250-acre (100 ha) Lake Lurleen and a 23-mile (37 km) trail system. It is operated by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
History
After purchasing the site of the park in 1952, the state began construction of a dam on a tributary of Big Creek to create a 250-acre (100 ha) lake. Various concessionaires operated the park under the name Tuscaloosa County Public Lake from 1956 until 1970, when the state took control and added new facilities. In 1972, the park was renamed after Lurleen Wallace, a native of Tuscaloosa County and Alabama's first female governor, who had died in office four years earlier.
Activities and amenities
Lake Lurleen is used for swimming, boating and fishing, and is stocked with largemouth bass, bream, catfish and crappie. The state park offers 91 campsites along the lake shoreline. The lake is encircled by a 23-mile (37 km) system of trails for hiking and mountain biking. The trail system was designated as a National Recreation Trail in 2011.
