Home       
Cycling       
Graphics       
       

Guntersville Visitors Center 73

        This is an alternate start point for two Guntersville Parks and Mountains rides. The normal routes start at the Lodge in the Lake Guntersville State Park but the Marshall County Visitors Center is closer to Huntsville, only 30 minutes from Hampton Cove.

This start/finish option adds ten miles and one climb. From the visitors center the metric loop would total 73 miles, the 76 mile loop would become a 85 mile ride.

This ride begins south through old downtown Guntersville and heads up a moderate climb (topo) at the three mile mark. There are two lanes and traffic is usually light so it's a pleasant ascent. The descent travels along a wonderful winding road that leads to the Lake Guntersville state park and intersects with the metric and 76-mile routes.

Late in the ride, upon reaching the 52.0 mile mark of the metric, or the 64.5 mile mark of the 76-mile route, follow this route to return to downtown Guntersville along Wyeth Mountain Road. The return includes some long rolling hills but is reasonably quiet, eventually descending down to within two miles of the visitors center. Traffic on the final two miles can be hectic late in the day, there's a factory on AL-227 that gets busy after noon.

Guntersville Parks and Mountains map
       
Cue sheet Route map Google Earth file:
KmzGuntersvilleVisitors73.kmz

The total elevation gain for the 73 mile option is 3,580', starting at 600' with a maximum elevation of 1,245'.

Guntersville Visitors Center 73 ride elevation profile
        Directions to start:

This ride begins at the visitor's center in north downtown Guntersville, about a 30-minute drive from the Sutton Road intersection near Hampton Cove (Walmart/Publix). From Hampton Cove, travel south on US-431 28 miles to Guntersville. The visitor's center is the first building on the right, just after crossing the bridge and entering town.

Google Maps driving directions to the visitor's center in Guntersville

Directions to Guntersville Visitor's Center