Alabama road trips and scenic drives

12 back-roads routes touch Alabama, with 112 curated stops along them and 11 ready-made itineraries crossing the state.

Routes through Alabama

Natchez Trace Parkway
444 miles, zero billboards, ten thousand years
Natchez → Nashville · ~444 mi · 3–4 days · skips I-55 / I-65 corridor
The Civil Rights Trail
Jackson to Birmingham through the Black Belt
Jackson → Birmingham · ~430 mi · 3–4 days · skips I-20 / I-85 / I-65
US 11: The Valley South
Appalachia's exit ramp
Chattanooga → Meridian · ~330 mi · 3–4 days · skips I-59
US 90: The Creole Coast
the Old Spanish Trail's middle act
New Orleans → Pensacola · ~270 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-10
The Old Federal Road
the road that made Alabama
Columbus, GA → Fort Mims · ~230 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-85 / I-65
The Chattahoochee Trace
the river border nobody drives
Columbus → Bainbridge · ~180 mi · 2 days · skips I-75 (by 90 miles)
Hank's Lost Highway
US 31 from Montgomery to the Bay
Montgomery → Mobile · ~170 mi · 1 day · skips I-65
US 84: Wiregrass to Mockingbird
peanuts, weevils and Miss Nelle
Dothan → Monroeville · ~170 mi · 2 days · skips I-10 (by 60 miles)
The Black Belt & Gee's Bend
quilts, prairie and holy ground
Tuscaloosa → Selma · ~165 mi · 2 days · skips I-65 (by 70 miles)
The Shoals
the river that sings
Corinth → Huntsville · ~150 mi · 2 days · skips I-22 / I-65
The Middle Tennessee Pike
Franklin to the Shoals on the old roads
Nashville → Muscle Shoals · ~140 mi · 2 days · skips I-65
Alabama's Coastal Connection
Dauphin Island to Perdido Key by the Mobile Bay ferry
Dauphin Island → Pensacola · ~95 mi · 1–2 days · skips I-10

Scenic drives and parkways

3 of the Alabama routes follow a named parkway, trace, trail or scenic byway.

Ready-made itineraries that cross Alabama

Stories from Alabama

Other states: Arkansas · Florida · Georgia · Kentucky · Louisiana · Mississippi · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia · West Virginia.

Frequently asked questions

How many Alabama road trips are there, and how long do they take?

12 routes cross Alabama, from 1 day to 4 days each; driven back to back they add up to about 2,774 miles.

What is the longest drive in Alabama?

Natchez Trace Parkway at about 444 miles (Natchez → Nashville), a 3–4-day drive.

What is the best weekend drive in Alabama?

Alabama's Coastal Connection: about 95 miles, 1–2 days, Dauphin Island → Pensacola.

Which neighboring states do Alabama routes continue into?

These routes carry on into Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Louisiana.