Birmingham AL to Chattanooga drive: Distance, time & best stops
The distance from Birmingham, AL, to Chattanooga, TN, by car is 148 miles, with a 2h16m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Birmingham to Chattanooga drive are the Mustang Museum of America, DeSoto State Park and cloudland Canyon State Park.
Planning a Birmingham to Chattanooga road trip
The drive from Birmingham to Chattanooga takes you from a history-drenched city in Alabama to the edge of the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee.
Birmingham, Alabama, has a rich civil rights heritage. This is best explored on a civil rights tour which links the key sites and, crucially, puts them into context. Other Birmingham experiences include ghost walks and multi-brewery beer tours.
For museums, you’ve got the McWane Science Center, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark and more.
If planning to visit several of them, a Birmingham Area Multi-Attraction Pass will save you money.
The top-rated Birmingham accommodation picks are the Drury Inn and Suites Birmingham Grandview and the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Birmingham South.
Chattanooga in the foothills of the Appalachians is home to the National Medal of Honor Heritage Museum and the Tennessee Aquarium. But it’s mostly an outdoorsy place. Great Chattanooga experiences include rafting on the Middle Ocoee River, backcountry tours in Swincars and kayak adventures to the Nickajack Bat Cave. You can also try Segway tours, guided ghost walks and trolley tours.
Birmingham to Chattanooga distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Birmingham to Chattanooga is 148 miles. You can expect a driving time of around two hours and 16 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-59.
The best stops to add to a Birmingham to Chattanooga road trip itinerary are the Mustang Museum of America, DeSoto State Park and Cloudland Canyon State Park.
Birmingham to Chattanooga road trip attractions: Mustang Museum of America
Of all the American sports car, the Mustang is the one most indelibly associated with the Great American road trip. Therefore, it would seem churlish not to include the Mustang Museum of America on a site about road trips.
In Odenville, Alabama, this museum plays host to more than 100 Mustangs from down the decades. Somewhat surprisingly, some of them are highway patrol vehicles.
Best stops between Birmingham and Chattanooga: DeSoto State Park
DeSoto State Park near Fort Payne, Alabama, offers a wealth of activities, including horseback riding and kayaking on the Little River. There’s an Olympic-sized swimming pool near the DeSoto State Park picnic area, and Screaming Eagle Aerial Adventures runs a zipline course.
For most visitors, though, this Alabama state park is about the waterfalls. The photogenic, cascading DeSoto Falls tend to hog the attention, but there are plenty of others within short walks of car parks.
Birmingham to Chattanooga drive: Cloudland Canyon State Park
The location on the edge of Lookout Mountain gives Cloudland Canyon State Park its sense of drama. The canyon plunges 1,000 feet deep, while elsewhere in the park are massive sandstone cliffs, thick woodland and waterfalls.
Of the hiking trails, the Waterfalls Trail will give you a proper workout, while the shorter Overlook Trail quickly takes you to the best views.
More Birmingham AL road trips
Birmingham to Atlanta | Birmingham AL to Charlotte NC | Chicago to Birmingham AL | Birmingham AL to Dallas | Birmingham AL to Destin FL | Birmingham AL to Gulf Shores AL | Houston to Birmingham AL | Huntsville to Birmingham | Birmingham AL to Jackson MS | Birmingham to Knoxville | Memphis to Birmingham AL | Meridian MS to Birmingham AL | Birmingham AL to Mobile AL | Birmingham AL to Montgomery | Birmingham AL to Nashville | Birmingham AL to New Orleans | Birmingham AL to Orlando | Birmingham AL to Panama City | Birmingham AL to Pensacola | Birmingham AL to Tampa | Tuscaloosa to Birmingham.
More Chattanooga road trips
Atlanta to Chattanooga | Chattanooga to Chicago | Clarksville TN to Chattanooga | Houston to Chattanooga | Huntsville to Chattanooga | Knoxville to Chattanooga | Memphis to Chattanooga | Murfreesboro to Chattanooga | Nashville to Chattanooga | Chattanooga to Pigeon Forge | Chattanooga to Sevierville.