WorldAtlas the Eight Most Picturesque Road Trips: As winter break and holiday travel approach, WorldAtlas has highlighted the eight most scenic road trips to embark on in Alabama. Keep reading for inspiration for your next picturesque Alabama road trip.
1. Talladega Scenic Drive
Talladega Scenic Drive is a backroad. So strap up for a drive through the peaceful quiet of the countryside in a trip that spans 26 miles. As to how long it will take, well, that depends on how many times you will need to pull over at the many scenic overlooks on this unbelievably picturesque stretch. As a heads-up, this route will transport you to another underappreciated state wonder: The 400,000-acre Talladega National Forest. by WorldAtlas
Discover captivating features along this drive as recommended by WorldAtlas, including:
– Maries BBQ House
– Horseback Mountain Scenic Overlook
– Peaha Mountain
ALSO READ: Explore the National Peanut Festival in Dothan
2. Lookout Mountain Parkway
Lookout Mountain has been immortalized across the planet in a speech many regard as among the best in modern history. Let freedom ring, thundered Martin Luther King Jr., from Lookout Mountain in Tenessee. Well, it turns out that Tenessee boasts only about three miles of Lookout Mountain. Compare this to Georgias 35 and Alabamas 50and you will start to understand why this stretch of Alabama is a must-do. by WorldAtlas
Explore the enchanting features along this drive as suggested by WorldAtlas, such as:
– Noccalula Falls Park
– Little River Canyon
3. Alabamas Coastal Connection
Alabama may not boast the 1,350 miles of coastline that Florida flauntsbut its 53 miles are just as spectacular. The best way to connect to this panoramic coastline is by taking a road trip through the appropriately named Alabama Coastal Connection. This trip is a 130-mile shoreline drama that almost completely encircles Mobile Bay, a shallow Gulf of Mexico inlet tourists do not get enough of. by WorldAtlas
Explore captivating features along this drive as recommended by WorldAtlas, including:
– Bayou La Batre
– Dauphin Island
– Magnolia Springs
4. Appalachian Highlands Scenic Byway
Most people associate the Appalachian Mountains with Virginia and a couple of northeastern states. Well, the truth is that the Appalachian Mountain System runs all the way from Alabama to New Hampshire. For about 80 miles, trippers will experience a maelstrom of goosebumps while traveling through one of the most picturesque sections of the state. Expect to encounter heart-ravishing greenery, quaint communities, and historic towns. by WorldAtlas
Discover noteworthy features along this drive as recommended by WorldAtlas, including:
– Benge Route Trail of Tears Historic Marker
– Historic Fort Payne
5. Natchez Trace Parkway
Many believe this road started as a narrow trail for bison herds and giant sloths thousands of years ago. Native Americans would later use this enormous stretch as did every other species of human beings: preachers, bandits, enslaved people, name them. While this road trip spans a mind-boggling 444 miles and proceeds in a northeastern trajectory from Mississippi to Tennessee, the Alabama section is only about 33 miles long. by WorldAtlas
Discover noteworthy features along this drive as recommended by WorldAtlas, including:
- Birthplace of Helen Keller
- Alabama Music Hall of Fame
6. Selma to Montgomery March Byway
This mind-bending stretch is as much a visual feastas it is a historical feast. While Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation way back in 1863, almost a century later, African Americans could not exercise meaningful voting rights. All that was to change, however, in 1965 when Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act, considered among the most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. Well, the pressure behind this epoch-making legislation was the Selma March, also called Selma to Montgomery March. As the world watched, African American protesters, shielded by National Guard troops, walked the 54-mile route from Selma to the state capitalin a tense, 3-day drama that trapped the nation in a vortex of unease. by WorldAtlas
7. Barbour County Governors Trail
Discover noteworthy features along this drive as recommended by WorldAtlas, including:
- Clio (a small town)
- Eufaula (another small town)
- Octagon House
- Blue Springs State Park
- Lake Eufaula
8. Tensaw Parkway
No other road could be a more fitting capstone to this list. Tensaw Parkway runs in a south/north direction from Mobile, Alabama, a charming town that is an amazing attraction by itself, to Little River, Alabama, named for a river that uniquely flows for most of its length atop Lookout Mountain. Snaking its way for approximately 58 miles, Tensaw Parkway provides access to an impressive number of waterways where trippers can take a much-needed dip to escape the Alabama heat.
For perspective, the water flow in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta is, except for, the Mississippi River Delta, the largest river system in the United States. Spanning 300,000 acres of swamps, marshes, and river bottomlands, this stretch has been validly designated a National Natural Landmark. Then again, this area is also a cultural melting pot and shows imprints of Spanish, French, and British settlements. by WorldAtlas
Our Reader’s Queries
What is the most scenic road in the world?
1. Chapman’s Peak Drive in South Africa offers breathtaking views.
2. Milford Road in New Zealand is a visually stunning journey.
3. The Karakoram Highway in Pakistan is a scenic wonder.
4. Ruta 40 in Argentina provides awe-inspiring landscapes.
5. Route 1 in Iceland is a picturesque route.
6. Transfagarasan Highway in Romania boasts beautiful scenery.
7. The Amalfi Drive in Italy is a feast for the eyes.
8. The Pacific Coast Highway in the USA offers coastal beauty.
9. Great Ocean Road in Australia provides stunning ocean views.
10. The Atlantic Road in Norway is a spectacular coastal drive.
What is the most scenic highway in Arkansas?
The 362-mile Great River Road National Scenic Byway in Arkansas is made up of parts of 13 highways, as well as some forest service and county roads, and city streets. It became an Arkansas Scenic Byway in 2001.