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 and the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.
5 great Chattanooga experiences to book
- 🦇 Pay a visit to the Nickajack bat cave on a guided kayaking adventure.
- 🍴 Take a Southside food tour – and get a history lesson while feasting at multiple stops.
- 🚁 See the city, river and mountains on a sights-packed helicopter ride.
- 👻 On an after-dark ghost tour, uncover murders and mysteries.
- 🌊 Tackle the whitewater on an Ocoee River rafting trip.
Chattanooga in the foothills of the Appalachians is home to Chattanooga Zoo, the Creative Discovery Museum and the Hunter Museum of American Art.
But it’s mostly an outdoorsy place. Great Chattanooga experiences include rafting on the Middle Ocoee River and kayak adventures to the Nickajack Bat Cave.
There’s plenty to see at Lookout Mountain just outside the city – ride the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, be wowed by Ruby Falls and see seven states from the Rock City Gardens.
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 Tennessee road trips
- Getting to Nashville: What to see on the Lexington to Nashville drive, Louisville to Nashville drive and Pittsburgh to Nashville drive.
- Road trips from Nashville: The best stops on the Nashville to Atlanta drive and Nashville to Cincinnati drive.
- Getting to Chattanooga: The best stops on the Atlanta to Chattanooga drive, Clarksville to Chattanooga drive, Memphis to Chattanooga drive and Nashville to Chattanooga drive.
- Road trips from Chattanooga: What to see on the Chattanooga to Sevierville drive.
- Gettting to Memphis: Guides to the Dallas to Memphis drive, Nashville to Memphis road trip, Little Rock to Memphis drive and Louisville to Memphis drive.
