The Cotaco Backroads Metric ride is 63 miles, rolling with long grades and three climbs. It travels on mostly good pavement thru beautiful quiet farmland, with rest stops at 17, 27 and 37 miles.

To skip the final climb and shorten the ride by two miles:
at mile 52.4, stay on Pines Road another 3.5 miles, then Right on Fowler Road for 1.0 miles, then Left on Fowler Cove Road and continue the route at 59.2 miles.

Directions to start: This ride begins and ends at the Cotaco-Florette Road intersection with AL-36, south of the Tennessee River. Travel South from Huntsville on US-231 (Memorial Parkway) across the Tennessee River. Three miles after the bridge turn Right on AL-36 at the flashing yellow light. Travel 8.3 miles to the intersection with Cotaco-Florette Road.

You'll pass the Cotaco fire station on the left before reaching the intersection. There's a convenience store with parking on both sides of the road, and the Cotaco School is located just to the west.

 Turn Leg  Description Mile
South 0.9  on Cotaco-Florette Road 0.0
0.9  on Red Oak Road x
0.2  on AL-36 at "T" x
1.6  on Herman Bailey Road x
4.2  on Antioch Road (no sign) x
2.2  across Upper River Road onto
 Sharp Ford Road		 x
2.8  on Charest Road at "T" (no sign) x
0.2  across Upper River Road onto
 J Henderson Road		 x
4.1  on Center Springs Road (no sign) x
0.2  on Main Street / Bluff City Road x
Rest Stop -  at convenience store in Somerville,
 next rest stop in 9.4 miles		 x
0.6  South across AL-67 onto Cut Off Road x
1.4  on Old 6 Mile Road x
0.1  on AL-36 at "T" (no sign) x
1.7  on S Old 6 Mile Road x
0.8  on 6 Mile Road at "T" (no sign) x
1.9  on 6 Mile Creek Road x
Begin Climb 1.9  405' in 0.9 miles, 8.5% average grade x
1.0  on Eva Road at "T" x
Rest Stop -  at convenience store on left,
 next rest stop in 9.8 miles		 x
2.6  West on Lawrence Cove Road /
 Wilson Mountain Road		 x
3.2  on Key Turney Road x
   
 Turn Leg  Description Mile
0.4  on Nat Key Road at "T" x
2.6  on Gandys Cove Road x
Begin Climb 0.9  265' in 0.8 miles, 6.3% average grade x
0.1  on Lawrence Cove Road x
Rest Stop -  at convenience store across Eva Road,
 26.7 miles to the finish		 x
5.5  East on Lawrence Cove Road x
2.3  to stay on Lawrence Cove Road x
0.3  on Gum Pond Road at "T" (no sign) x
0.2  on AL-67 at "T" (no sign) x
2.1  on Crawford Road x
3.5  on Apple Grove Road x
2.0  on Pine Ridge Road / Pines Road x
3.6  on Morrow Mountain Road
 and Begin Climb:
 410' in 0.9 miles, 8.6% average grade		 x
0.9  on West Point Road (no sign) x
2.1  to stay on West Point Road x
0.2  to stay on West Point Road x
2.2  on Fowler Cove Road x
0.4  on Dotson Road x
0.1  on Guyer Cove Road at "T" (no sign) x
1.3  on Cotaco-Florette Road at "T" x
Finish -  at AL-36 in Cotaco x