Sweet Home Alabama,  known as the Heart of Dixie, Alabama is full of Southern Charm.  In North Eastern Alabama you will find canyons and mountains with fun motorcycle roads to ride. Huntsville is home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Head South to Birmingham and check out the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum with a collection of almost 750 vintage and modern motorcycles.  Alabama is full of History with Indian Mounds, Civil War Battlefields, and the birth of the Civil Rights Movement.  Head south and relax on the Gulf Beaches.  Alabama has a little bit of everything and is a fun state to explore.  

MOTORCYCLE LAWS

Helmet Use: Required by Law

Riding Two Abreast: Yes

Eye Protection: Not Required

Daytime Use of Headlight: Modulating Headlight Permitted

More Information On Laws

BEST RIDES IN THE STATE

Lookout Mountain Parkway    The Lookout Mountain Parkway spans three states as it stretches across Lookout Mountain from Gadsden, Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Within it's 93-miles, one will find waterfalls, canyons, scenic vistas, unique towns and villages, state and national parks and preserves and many more natural wonders.

Telladega Scenic Drive  Also known as Cheaha Mountain Road and Hwy 281.  Catch a bird's eye view of Alabama when you drive the Talladega Scenic Drive. At its highest point, you will find yourself on Cheaha Mountain, 2,407 feet above sea level, the highest point in Alabama. You can see the Appalachian Mountains, rock outcroppings, and small rural settlements nestled among the trees.   The Talladega Scenic Drive is about 90 miles east of Birmingham and 80 miles west of Atlanta. It can be accessed from two major highways, US 78 near Heflin, and US 431 at Interstate 20, plus County Roads 42, 49, and 24.

Cottaquilla Road  Also called County Road 57.  This is a county road just off hwy 9. This is just north of Cheaha Mountain. So if you are at the park this is a fun road to drop by. It is only about 5 miles long, but you can always turn around and do it again. Map

Paint Rock Valley Hwy 65. Paint Rock AL is the start of this ride and heads north up to the Alabama-Tennessee border to Francisco AL. It is a nice smooth narrow road that takes you through a valley of farmland and then into the trees and small hills. There are a few curves and small flowing corners, but nothing sharp like hairpins and not a lot of them at that. This ride will take approximately an hour to ride the 29 miles.
 

Alabama's Gulf Coast  Take a detour off of I-10 and enjoy Mobile Bay and the Gulf Coast. The National Historic Landmarks of Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, the protected lands of the Dauphin Island Audubon Sanctuary, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Gulf State Park, beaches, and a unique culture of working waterfronts with distinct scenery.  

MOTORCYCLE FRIENDLY CAMPGROUNDS & LODGING

Alabama State Parks

Chapman House B & B  Princeton, AL  The Chapman House Bed and Breakfast is nestled in beautiful Paint Rock Valley, in the foothills of The Appalachian Mountains.  2 Rooms, Motorcycle Friendly

Clear Creek Campground   Jasper,  Alabama  Tent Sites, Hot Showers

Deerlick Creek Campground  Tuscaloosa, Alabama  Corps of Engineers Campground Located on Holt Lake northeast of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Campsites, Showers, Laundry

Gulf Shores KOA Lillian, Alabama  Kamping Kabins, RV Sites, Showers, Laundry, WiFi Motorcycle Friendly

Horse Pens 40 Park  Steele, Alabama    Campsites, Cabins, Showers, Store, Restaurant   Motorcycle Friendly

Indian Hills Motorcycle Resort  Rockford, Alabama   Membership Club $5 per year. Cabins, Tent Sites, Showers, Bar

Mentone Campground  Mentone, Alabama  Located in North East Alabama on Hwy 117.  Campsites, Showers and a store.  Motorcycle Friendly

Parnell Creek RV Park  Woodville, Alabama  Motorcycle Friendly  Tent Sites, Cabins, Showers, Laundry. Pool, WiFi, Camp Store

NATIONAL PARKS

Horseshoe Bend     National Military Park  Located near Daviston, AL, along Alabama Highway 49

Little River Canyon   National Preserve  Located near Fort Payne, AL

Natchez Trace Parkway  The parkway runs throught the northwest corner of the state.

Russell Cave  National Monument  Located at 3729 County Road 98 in Bridgeport, Alabama.  It is situated in the northeast corner of Alabama, just south of the Tennessee state line.  Visit the Russell Cave shelter area on a ranger led tour.  Experience first hand the area that prehistoric people called home.   

Selma to Montgomery   National Historic Trail  commemorates the events, people, and route of the 1965 Voting Rights March in Alabama.    The start of the trail is located at Brown Chapel, A.M.E. Church in Selma located on Martin Luther King, Jr. Street. Follow Trail markers to scenic Highway 80 through Lowndes County, AL. Continue on Hwy 80 to Montgomery terminating at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery located on Dexter Avenue.

Trail of Tears   National Historic Trail 

ATTRACTIONS TO SEE / DESTINATIONS

Alabama Covered Bridges

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum  Located in Birmingham Alabama

Cathedral Caverns  Located in Woodville, AL.   Inside the cavern, you will find Big Rock Canyon, Mystery River and some of the most beautiful formations Mother Nature has ever created. Among them, you will see Stalagmite Mountain, The Frozen Waterfall and Goliath, a huge stalagmite column that reaches the ceiling of the cave some 45 feet above!

Cheaha State Park   Cheaha State Park rests on the dramatically rising peak of Alabama’s highest point, enjoying a altitude of 2,401 feet.

Dismals Canyon  Dismals Canyon, is located in northwest Alabama, about 30 miles west of the Sipsey Wilderness, 12 miles south of Russellville, Alabama off US-43/AL-17 between Russellville and Hamilton on Hwy. 8.  If you enjoy hiking and waterfalls, you need to visit this place.  They have cabins and camping and night tours to see the canyon light up with tiny bioluminescent creatures called Dismalites. These "glowworms" require a select habitat to survive and are unique to only a few places on Earth. They are “close cousins” of the rare glowworms found in Australia and New Zealand.

Dreamland Bar-B-Que  Check out the original one in Tuscaloosa at 5535 15th Ave. East.  There are other locations around Alabama, great Ribs!

First White House of the Confederacy  Located in Montgomery, AL

Little River Canyon   Alabama Hwy 176   Located in NE Alabama by Fort Payne  Write-up from 2uptouring

Lookout Mountain and Desoto Falls

Lowndesboro, Alabama   One of the most beautiful and well-preserved antebellum communities in the entire South can be found in the charming, picturesque town of Lowndesboro, Alabama.  Just a quick turn off U.S. Highway 80 onto County Road 29 (South Broad Street) only 15 minutes west of the Montgomery Airport,
Lowndesboro offers an array of historic sites and beautifully preserved homes and other structures. Driving into the town is a bit like passing through time into a different era of American history.
 

Moundsville Archaeological Park  Located On Hwy 69 15 miles south of Tuscaloosa.  Indian Mounds along the Black Warrior River. There is also a museum.  More Information

Noccalula Falls  Located just off US 11 in Gadsden you will find the town's main tourist attraction – the beautiful 90-foot Noccalula Falls.

Tannehill Ironworks State Park  Located in Bryson City, AL.  From spring through fall, the blacksmith, miller and craftsmen demonstrate their trades. Craft shops occupy restored pioneer cabins and artisans chat with visitors from their front porches. Steeped in history, Tannehill feels timeless. The cotton gin, pioneer farm and working gristmill preserve a long-gone way of life. Hiking trails retrace historic roadways. Artifacts of Alabama’s 19th century iron industry displayed in the Iron and Steel Museum put in perspective the massive stone furnaces.

Unclaimed Baggage Center Located in Scottsboro, AL.  If you like bargins and a shopping adventure, then you need to check out this place.  This is where all the unclaimed lost luggage goes.

US Space and Rocket Center  Located in Huntsville, AL.  This attraction offers dozens of demonstrations, including hands-on exhibits and fantastic space-flight simulators

Roadside America Unusual tourist attractions and landmarks, like the Chicken made out of car bumpers on US 231 south of Brundidge, AL.

RALLIES AND EVENTS

Bama Bike Fest  Forkland, Alabama    Summer Rally Held in July  /  Fall Rally Held in October

Ridersville Thunder  Plantersville, Alabama   Spring Rally Held in March  /  Summer Rally Held in July

Trail of Tears National Remembrance Ride   3rd Saturday of September   Starts in Tennessee and ends in Alabama

RESOURCES & LINKS

Alabama Motorcycle Roads  Roads are rated for scenery, amenities and road quality

Alabama Motorcycle Rides This site has devided the state into 4 sections and lists roads for each section.  It also lets you know the charistics of the roads. Twisty, sweepers, scenic, etc.

Alabama Rides by Motorcycle USA

Bama Rides  Motorcycle community and Alabama-based group of motorcycle junkies, sharing information about bikes, roads, rides, trails, and anything to do with motorcycles in and around Alabama.

BMW Motorcycle Owners of Alabama  Favorite Rides

Open Road Journey Rides and Routes

Sunday Morning Rides  Ride maps and GPS downloads

On line Alabama Vacation Guide

Alabama Travel   Official travel and tourism Web site for the State of Alabama.

Alabama Scenic Byways

Alabamiana  Listing of parks, outdoor attractions, natural wonders, and lots more.

Alabama Historic Sites and Points of Interest

Alabama Civil War Battlefields Map

Alabama Civil War Information

Ride Report for Little River Canyon