Paint Rock Valley Loop

The Paint Rock Valley Loop is 76 miles, starting and ending at the Madison County High School on Highway 72 near Gurley. The loop is mostly flat-to-rolling with no long climbs, but there are a few long grades along the northern section of the Paint Rock valley. It travels on good pavement through two of the most beautiful valleys in the area, Hurricane Creek's farmland and the Paint Rock Valley along a quiet tree-covered winding road.

The route includes an unavoidable two mile section on the shoulder of Highway 72. While not particularly pleasant due to the high speed traffic, the shoulder is wide enough to ride a reasonable distance from passing cars. Unfortunately the shoulder also includes a rumble strip that narrows the rideable width.

There's also an 84-mile version of this ride, traveling counter-clockwise and starting from the Cove Park ballfields. A good hot weather option starts from Trenton on AL-65, the Shady Paint Rock 70.

Cue sheet

Route map

The total elevation gain is 1,490', starting at 630' with a maximum elevation of 1,110'.

Directions to start:

Travel East on Highway 72 from Huntsville. Go 6.9 miles after passing the Moores Mill Road intersection (just after descending out of Huntsville). Turn Left on Brock Road and the Madison County High School is on your left after 0.2 miles. If you reach Gurley you've gone too far.

Google Maps driving directions to Madison County High School.