Origin
Huntsville, AL
Afternoon in Huntsville on Saturday
Local time
1:00 PM
CDT
Current temp
77°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Huntsville, AL to Fairfield, AL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
5h 29m
Distance
281.3 mi
453 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$42
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
5h 16m
★
6 AM
5h 29m
8 AM
5h 56m
10 AM
5h 39m
12 PM
5h 36m
3 PM
5h 40m
5 PM
5h 55m
8 PM
5h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Huntsville, AL
Wikimedia Commons
Fairfield, AL
Taryn Elliott
Trip Overview
The drive from Huntsville, AL to Fairfield, AL covers 281.3 miles and takes about 5h 29m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on West Side Square, South Side Square, East Side Square for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. At current regular gas prices, budget about $42.48 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
140.7 miles from Huntsville, AL
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 2h 44m into the drive .
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West Side Square | — | — |
| South Side Square | — | — |
| East Side Square | — | — |
| Washington Street Southeast | — | — |
| Washington Street Northeast | — | — |
| I 65 | — | — |
| I 65 South | — | — |
| I 22 West | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
West Side Square
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Huntsville, AL and Fairfield, AL.
1
Start on Spring Street Southwest
3 ft
·
4 sec
·
Spring Street Southwest
2
Turn right onto West Side Square
377 ft
·
16 sec
·
West Side Square
3
Continue on South Side Square
371 ft
·
16 sec
·
South Side Square
4
Turn left onto East Side Square
371 ft
·
9 sec
·
East Side Square
5
Continue on Washington Street Southeast
364 ft
·
9 sec
·
Washington Street Southeast
6
Continue on Washington Street Northeast
0.5 mi
·
54 sec
·
Washington Street Northeast
7
Take the ramp slight left
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
8
Merge slight left
19 mi
·
20 min
9
Take the exit slight right toward I 65: Birmingham, Nashville
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
I 65: Birmingham, Nashville
10
Keep slight left to continue on I 65 South: Birmingham
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
I 65 South: Birmingham
11
Merge slight left
74 mi
·
1 hr 18 min
12
Take the exit slight right toward I 22 West, US 31: Memphis, Fultondale
0.5 mi
·
38 sec
·
I 22 West, US 31: Memphis, Fultondale
13
Keep slight left to continue on I 22 West: Memphis
0.5 mi
·
38 sec
·
I 22 West: Memphis
14
Keep slight left to continue on Montgomery
0.4 mi
·
28 sec
·
Montgomery
15
Merge slight left
150 mi
·
2 hr 45 min
16
Take the exit slight right toward 106, 55: Georgiana, Starlington
0.3 mi
·
47 sec
·
106, 55: Georgiana, Starlington
17
Turn left
9.4 mi
·
11 min
18
Continue on Crum Foshee Highway
12 mi
·
14 min
·
Crum Foshee Highway
19
Turn right onto County Road 82
0.3 mi
·
58 sec
·
County Road 82
20
At the end of the road, turn left onto County Road 107
203 ft
·
10 sec
·
County Road 107
21
Turn right onto Ealum Mill Road
2.3 mi
·
5 min
·
Ealum Mill Road
22
Continue on Loango Road
8.5 mi
·
20 min
·
Loango Road
23
At the end of the road, turn left onto Judge Smith Road
1.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Judge Smith Road
24
Arrive at your destination
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 140.7 miles from Huntsville, AL, or about 2h 44m into the drive.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 62 miles or 1h 12m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 140.7 miles or 2h 44m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 4h 29m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Fairfield, AL than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Huntsville, AL so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Huntsville, AL
This is one driving day of about 281.3 miles and 5h 29m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 62 miles from Huntsville, AL.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
141 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 62 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 140.7 miles from Huntsville, AL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$42.48 one way
$84.97 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
98 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $46.64 | $93.27 |
| premium | $4.56 | $50.49 | $100.98 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $62.11 | $124.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$42
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$67–$92
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 98.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $30 in charging · 1 stop · 66% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 84.4 | 1 | $29.54 | $13.50 |
| Efficient EV | 70.3 | 0 | $24.61 | $11.25 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 112.5 | 1 | $39.38 | $18.00 |
Gas CO2
98 kg
EV CO2
33 kg (66% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Fairfield, AL
Afternoon in Fairfield on Saturday
Local time
1:00 PM
CDT
Current temp
81°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
4 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
5h 29m on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
281.3 mi in 5h 29m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
24 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Main road: West Side Square.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 5h 29m drive. You will face about 0 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Huntsville, AL to Fairfield, AL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
About the Cities
Starting in Huntsville, AL
Full guide →Huntsville is in northern Alabama, about 20 miles (32 km) from the border with Tennessee. The city is a center for missile defense and aerospace technologies, with companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman having major operations here. Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in the country, is home to many of these companies.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 5h 29m. Total distance: 281.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
5h 29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
We did not find dedicated rest areas on this route. For a drive this long, plan bathroom and stretch breaks around gas stations, fast-food stops, or small-town downtowns — check the Nearby Places section for options.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 1 meaningful breaks. Dedicated rest areas are limited, so plan gas or food stops as your bathroom breaks.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Huntsville, AL to Fairfield, AL is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Not recommended in a single day. At 5.5 hours each way, a round trip means 11.0 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Fairfield, AL before the return drive.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Fairfield, AL
More trips to Fairfield, AL
Explore more options from Huntsville, AL or browse trips ending in Fairfield, AL.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse AL road trips.