As of mid-September, the Screaming Eagle zipline at Wind Creek State Park lists every day of the week as "Closed" under a line that reads "We are closed for the Season." The Creem at the Creek ice cream stand calls itself a summer operation.
The Alabama State Parks events page for Wind Creek still lists programs from October 18 to November 22, and the registration system adds a December 13 eco tour on top of that. Nearly all of it comes from one person, and most of it is new.
The Person Building the Calendar
Wind Creek's full-time naturalist is Dylan Ogle. Lake Magazine's profile of him traces his path. He served in the Marine Corps, then studied wildlife ecology and management at Auburn University. After graduating in 2023 he took a seasonal job in the park's front office, and he moved into the naturalist position when it opened.
He told Lake Magazine that the park's education programs had been scattered before he arrived. "Prior to me getting here, they hadn't really had a full-time park naturalist," Ogle said. "In a sense, I'm kind of building the education programs from scratch."
So when the summer vendors close, there is something to take their place. Wind Creek has long been known for camping, fishing and boating, and the same profile describes a monthly Nature Lab series. Ogle gave an owl-pellet dissection as an example, used to show how pellets reveal what different raptors eat. The magazine also describes a weekly birdwatching walk on Saturdays, at 8 a.m. in summer and 10 a.m. during the school year. That weekly walk isn't on the park's posted calendar, so check with the park office before showing up for it.
The Dated Programs, October Through December
The state park calendar gives 2026 dates for every program from October 18 through November 22. The registration page adds a December 13 eco tour but doesn't print a year beside it, so confirm that date when you book.
| Date | Time | Program | Cost as listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Noon | Eco Tour on Lake Martin | $25 |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | 10 a.m. | Tenant Turnover: Incoming and Outgoing Migrants | Free with park admission |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | 10 a.m. | Feathers in Fall: Spotting Birds in Changing Foliage | Free with park admission |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | 2 p.m. | Woodland Crafting: Autumn Wreaths | $10 plus park entry |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | 10 a.m. | Stalking the Shoreline: Herons on the Hunt | Free with park admission |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Noon | Eco Tour on Lake Martin | $25 |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Noon | Junior Ranger Program: Animal Track ID Hike | Free with park admission |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | 10 a.m. | Birding on the Trail: Finding Birds in Wooded Areas | Free with park admission |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Noon | Painting in the Park: Thanksgiving Day Parade | Free with park admission |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Noon | Eco Tour on Lake Martin | $25 |
Four of the ten programs are about birds: migration on October 31, birds in fall foliage on November 7, herons on November 14 and woodland birds on November 21. The Junior Ranger hike on November 15 meets at the Speckled Snake Trail trailhead next to the boat-ramp parking lot, and the registration page lists Ogle as host. The free programs also include overnight guests, so they work for anyone already camped at the park.
The Eco Tour Is the Newest Piece
The boat tour is the newest program on the list. Lake Magazine reports that Ogle spent much of the past year earning a captain's license so he could take the program onto Lake Martin, and that the Eco Tours debuted this summer.
In that summer profile, he talked about the park's ospreys. "Right now, at the park, we've got three confirmed osprey nests," he told Lake Magazine. "So, I like taking people to see all of those." The magazine describes the ospreys as thriving in the warmer months. The registration page describes the tour only as a guided boat ride around Lake Martin and doesn't list a fall route.
So the October, November and December trips are the first cold-weather runs of a program that started in summer. Each date showed "Only 6 Left!" when the page was captured, at $25 a seat. With so few seats per trip, booking ahead is the only realistic way to get on the December 13 run.
A Lower Lake Changes the Shoreline Programs
Wind Creek's fall programs line up with what Lake Martin is doing this year. On October 9, 2026, Alabama Power's Lake Martin page put the level at Martin Dam at 487.44 feet msl. It said the Martin Fall Extension criteria were not met, so the extension won't happen this year, and that dry weather means the lake "will continue to decline without rainfall." The same page explains that the operating guide drops through fall and early winter to leave room for winter and spring flood flows.
That means the November 14 heron program, and the eco tour later that day, will take place on a lower lake than the summer tours did. How much more shoreline shows by then depends on rain between now and then, which is why Alabama Power adds that lake elevations are "always subject to change." If you bring your own boat, the park lists a $5 launch fee on top of admission.
Trails for the Gaps Between Programs
Most programs start at 10 a.m. or noon, which leaves time to walk before or after. The park lists these trails:
- Alabama Reunion Trail: a 3.8-mile loop rated moderate to difficult, split by Highway 128 into a 1.95-mile north section and a 1.8-mile south section.
- Campfire Trail: about 1.8 miles, mostly moderate with some steep stretches. It starts and ends in the park's north section and has three connectors of about 0.2 mile each.
- Speckled Snake Trail: labeled 3 miles on the park's trail map PDF, which dates from 2019. Its trailhead is the November 15 meeting spot.
- Jeff Reed Horse Trail: about 20 miles of equestrian trail, split into a 15-mile Blue trail and a 5-mile Orange trail.
For a view without a hike, the day-use area page says you can climb the silo near Pavilions 1 and 2 to look out over the lake. The park lists its 210-foot fishing pier as open 24 hours, so it doesn't close for the season either. The marina store sells bait, tackle, licenses and firewood. Neither page lists winter hours.
What a Fall of Visits Costs
Wind Creek's fee page lists day use at $5 for ages 12 to 61 and $2 for ages 4 to 11 and for ages 62 and up. The listed annual passes are $155 for a family of up to six named people, $105 for an individual and $55 for a senior.
Run the numbers on the fall calendar. An adult paying day use breaks even on the $105 pass at 21 visits. A family of two adults and two children ages 4 to 11 pays $14 per visit, so the $155 family pass covers itself after about 11 visits. A household that comes for the five free bird and track programs, adds a few trail mornings, and keeps coming back after the lake starts filling in spring reaches that number within the year. The fee page doesn't say whether the pass works at other state parks, so ask at the gate if that matters to you.
The park has also been adding lodging. In August 2025, Alabama Political Reporter covered upgrades at Wind Creek: five new three-bedroom lakeside cottages, plus campground improvements that included wider RV pads, 50-amp power and better ADA access. Since overnight guests get into the free programs, those cottages make a November weekend of programs an option for visiting family.
Lake Martin's off-season is part of why we like living and working here, and the shoreline you'll see on a December eco tour is the same water our clients see from their docks. If you'd like to talk about owning a place near Wind Creek, or getting a lake home ready while the water is down, Lake Area Realty Inc (AL) is glad to help. Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll meet you wherever is convenient around the lake.
