Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Athens, Alabama

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Bankhead roads

This trail is mostly two-lane dirt roads. Forest roads can be traveled in 2WD, but some off-shoot trails will require 4WD. Some side trails are gated. If the gates are open, they are clear to…
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Total Miles
14
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Fork Creek Road

Fork Creek Road or Winston County 440 is a public, mostly unmaintained gravel and dirt road. Surrounded by Timber Company Land, Fork Creek Road offers spectacular views of the surrounding area and some slightly technical…
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Total Miles
3.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

CR339

County Road 339 is a somewhat maintained public gravel road that offers great views of the surrounding area for those looking to get off the beaten path. Running from Alabama Highway 5 east to Rocky…
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Total Miles
5.1
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Meadow Creek Road

Meadow Creek Road or Winston County 357 is a maintained public gravel road running North from Highway 278 through Pine Timber Forestlands to Yankee Trace Road just before Highway 13. Meadow Creek Road offers an…
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Total Miles
4
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Rattlesnake Green Trail

This is a great beginners' trail. It has just about all types of obstacles but they are perfect for first-time off-roaders or those just learning. It is stock friendly and has many beautiful areas along…
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Total Miles
3.5
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa

Turkey Creek Road

A picturesque drive through prime Alabama forest. Turkey Creek Road offers a great opportunity for wildlife viewing, photography, and getting away to the wilderness. Turkey Creek Road is a public dirt/gravel road that is mostly…
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Total Miles
3.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Road 105

This is a very relaxing ride in north Alabama. It's a country back road that is less maintained than other county roads. It offers a beautiful back-road feel with several shallow water crossings, and tall…
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Total Miles
6.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Old Mill Creek Road

Old Mill Creek Road is great for someone just getting into off-roading. Most, if not all, of this route is safe and easy enough for high clearance 2WD, however, there are one to two muddy/rocky…
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Total Miles
4.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Wi / Sp

Warrior Cemetery Road

Warrior Cemetery Road is one of the "main" access roads for the Mulberry Fork WMA. The road is mostly graded gravel and is easily traversed with any 4WD and higher 2WD vehicles. There are several…
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Total Miles
5.5
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Camp Creek

An out and back trail offering access to Mulberry Fork WMA. There are opportunities for hunting, fishing, and photography, as well as a great lunch spot overlooking Bankhead Lake on the Black Warrior River at…
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Total Miles
2.6
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Su / Sp

Coalmont OHV Company Farm Road

Right-of-way trail to get to and from Coalmont OHV from Company Farm Road. This. makes a great cut-through if you want a faster way to town to get more supplies. You will need an off-highway…
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Total Miles
2.4
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp / Wi

Wildlife Management Area Road 5

Easy gravel and dirt; grab a permit at the start. Government maintained, no fee to enter, but donations accepted. There are a few creek crossings that are simple during dry months but will become impassable…
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Total Miles
6.8
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Sp

Coalmont Trail 15

Trail 15 leaves the parking and camping area and loops back to the overlook road. Along the way, trails 16 and 17 intersect and branch off. The trail has a few mud holes but nothing…
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Total Miles
1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Coalmont OHV Main Road

Located in the Heart of Grundy County, come see what Coalmont OHV is about! This trail connects the camping and parking area to the beautiful overlook and the beginning of Trail 1. The overlook on…
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Total Miles
0.5
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Coalmont OHV Trail 2 Green

Trail 2 Green goes from Trail 3 to Trail 2 Blue and Trail 11. The trail is easy to travel and has smooth dirt most of the way with very few rocks. There is a…
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Total Miles
0.4
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Coalmont Trail 11 Green

Trail 11 Green traverses from Trail 2 Green to Trail 13. The trail has gentle slopes and a few rocky spots along the way. There is an overlook spot through the trees that you can…
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Total Miles
1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Ellis Pt/Bluff View Road

These two trails start at the end of Tower Road. The trail is mostly a narrow single track but traffic is two-way so be mindful of that. This trail, as with all the trails in…
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Total Miles
3.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Dry Branch Road

The trail is mostly a narrow single track but traffic is two-way so be mindful of that. This trail, as with all the trails in Prentice Cooper, is a very nice drive in the woods.…
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Total Miles
2.8
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

The Gutter

This trail is within a public mud park open only on specific weekends. Barnyard Mud Boggers or BMB offer more than 700 acres of land to ride. The Gutter trail isn't technical unless rain has…
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Total Miles
1
Tech Rating
3 Moderate
Best Time
Su

Tower Road

This is a very level and maintained road that any vehicle should be able to travel. This is the main road through Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area that you will use to access all of…
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Total Miles
11.5
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Georgia Traverse

Anyone who's heard a country song can probably picture Georgia. It's a land of green hillsides, charming southern towns dotted with white picket fences, and sunny fields tied together by red dirt roads. It's tough…
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Total Miles
372
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Pot Pt Road

There is a pond with a large parking area near the beginning of this trail. The trail is easy to navigate in the dry but would become more of a challenge in the rain. We…
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Total Miles
4.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

USFSR #532

USFSR #532 begins in the small community of Rabbittown on Brown Bridge Road. It starts off as pavement by giving right of way to private property, and ends on pavement at USFR #500. This is…
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Total Miles
4.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

USFSR #500K

USFSR #500K is the last trail that spurs off the primary road going in and out of the Shoal Creek Ranger District portion of the Talladega National Forest. This Northernmost trail is outside the Choccolocco…
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Total Miles
4.3
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Wi

USFSR #500 pt 2

This northern portion is NOT in the Choccolocco wildlife management area, but still is in the Talladega National Forest. USFSR #500 is considered the "primary" road that runs from the southern end; starting at Skyline…
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Total Miles
2.9
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

USFSR #540

USFSR #540 begins at USFSR #532 and ends at County Rd 55 in the small community of Rabbittown. It is riddled with shallow mud holes throughout the entire trail, with gravel and dirt as the…
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Total Miles
5.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

USFSR #522

USFSR #522 is an entry/exit road to the Choccolocco Wildlife Management Area within the Talladega National Forest. It begins at AL HWY-9 and ends at USFSR #531. Its maintained nearly all year long, but is…
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Total Miles
3.2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

USFSR #500

USFSR #500 is considered the "primary" road that runs from the southern end; starting at Skyline Drive/AL HWY 281/US HWY 78 and ends at the Northern part in the city of Piedmont in Calhoun County.…
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Total Miles
19.5
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Black Cat Bottom

This trail is not very technical. There are a few water crossings to play in, with one having a small waterfall. Other water crossings may appear further down the trail depending on rain. The trail…
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Total Miles
3.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

USFSR #530

USFSR #530 is a beautiful scenic ride from USFSR #500 and dead ends at private land, with no exit. Some maps may show two small trails, but there is no entrance to those small trails…
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Total Miles
3.2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi