Route Suggestions Dallas to Birmingham, AL

First weekend of October myself and a friend will be riding from Dallas to Barber Motorsports outside of Birmingham, AL for the big Vintage Bike Festival they have each year. We'll both be on big adventure bikes.

We could just slab it over there but was looking for alternate routes that would let us check out some interesting, off the beaten path sites.

New Orleans was considered but that adds a ton of miles to the ride so it's not high on the list yet. Plus, I've done it enough times now that it isn't all that. Shreveport isn't high on the list for stops either.

Thought maybe some of you guys may have some suggestions so I'm throwing it out there for comment.

Go north. Eat lunch at Bozo's BBQ in Mason Tn. I can't help with non slab in between but that would be different from New Orleans and I can vouch for the pulled pork and the baked beans.

Have fun, I've done the Dallas to Barber twice now and loved both times.

I'm pumped for Barber and the museum. Never been to a vintage bike festival. Should be a lot of fun.

A couple of years ago, I did a really nice ride to Natchez MS. I more or less followed US 84. Nice 2-lane and good scenery all the way, and Natchez itself is a really picturesque town, and a good place to spend the night.

From there, you could jog north to Vicksburg (which will give you some time paralleling the Mississippi River), then work north & east on any number of secondary roads to Birmingham.

Alternatively, and running farther north out of Dallas, 82 goes east from Texarkana. I've been over that road at least as far east as Indianola. It's not as scenic and bayou-esque as 84, but it's a nice road that will keep you off the super slab.

Just my $.02.

tshelfer said:

A couple of years ago, I did a really nice ride to Natchez MS. I more or less followed US 84. Nice 2-lane and good scenery all the way, and Natchez itself is a really picturesque town, and a good place to spend the night.

From there, you could jog north to Vicksburg (which will give you some time paralleling the Mississippi River), then work north & east on any number of secondary roads to Birmingham.

Alternatively, and running farther north out of Dallas, 82 goes east from Texarkana. I've been over that road at least as far east as Indianola. It's not as scenic and bayou-esque as 84, but it's a nice road that will keep you off the super slab.

Just my $.02.

Click to expand...

Look at Natchez and it looks like a definite possibility. It's also about the right distance from the house for a first night stop.

Thanks for the tip!

I did that trip a few years back. 13 hrs there from Austin. Rained on us some but not a bad trip. Loved the venue. Try to do the parade lap, when I did it the guide went as fast as dared.
On the way back I did Naches. It was great but has slow speed limit. Ended up staying at a hotel in casino country.
Enjoy the trip . It's a must do.

Vinny said:

I did that trip a few years back. 13 hrs there from Austin. Rained on us some but not a bad trip. Loved the venue. Try to do the parade lap, when I did it the guide went as fast as dared.
On the way back I did Naches. It was great but has slow speed limit. Ended up staying at a hotel in casino country.
Enjoy the trip . It's a must do.

Click to expand...

2 votes for Natchez is looking promising. What's casino country, Shreveport?

copb8 said:

Look at Natchez and it looks like a definite possibility. It's also about the right distance from the house for a first night stop.

Thanks for the tip!

Click to expand...

I think you'll like this route. It's quite nice through Texas. And when you get to the Red River and parts east, much of the road is covered by a canopy of trees. So it's cool and shady. Also very little traffic.

Natchez itself is a historic town. I haven't spent a lot of time there, but have made it a stopover for the night several times. Lots of nice eateries along the river. Not surprisingly, there's a nice park that runs along the Mississippi offering great views. And there's particularly nice bridge there that's fun to photograph at night.

copb8 said:

2 votes for Natchez is looking promising. What's casino country, Shreveport?

Click to expand...

That's it. Lost more there than the whole trip cost. Nice rooms and good price. Then 4 hours to Austin

Barber is a must do, Vintage fest makes in a bucket list trip. This will be the first in many years I dont go as the MXDN is in the USA that weekend and I am going as it is at historic Redbud and should be an amazing matchup of Team USA against the World (Ok mostly Herlings VS Tomac)

And another vote for Natchez and Vicksburg...used to live not far from The Trace and rode to the end quite a few times. My first long bike trip in 1982, camped in Vicksburg and got a history lesson from a few locals. Interesting stuff if you get off the main roads.
The Vintage Festival is a Bucket List item for sure!
I was thinking of throwing a bike in the van and camping on site for the event, but all the campsites are already sold out. Checking on nearby hotels. If I go I'll leave the van at the hotel and ride the bike over to the event and around the area. Hopefully I can still get on a parade lap one of the three days. The museum is an amazing place, I could easily spend a couple days in there. The Vintage Bikes will be icing on the cake. I have more traveling and visiting to do afterwards so not practical to just ride there and back.
Have fun and take lots of pictures!

Make sure to set aside some serious time for the museum. Went there last October and the guy I rode over with said some famous last words of "I hear you can spend hours in there, I just don't see how that is possible."

It took us five full minutes just to get past the first display and get to the cash register to pay the entrance fee. And then we DID spend hours in there.

Make sure to take a good hard look at some of the oldest bikes in there. Think about how crazy it is that people will put a busa engine in a go kart and then realize that that mindset has always been around because at one point someone said "Hey, we got these wooden bicycles, how bout we take one of them thar pressurized steam engines and stick it between our legs and see how fast we can make it go!?" Absolutely amazing.

I've ridden from Rockwall to North Alabama twice and will do so again on Wednesday. My favorite route takes I30 East to 36 south just past Caddo Mills. Next 250 miles are two-lane blacktop to Monroe, LA. Crappy road options in eastern Louisiana forces me onto I20, which takes me 150 miles across the Mississippi, and to the Natchez Trace in Jackson. I ride the Trace up to Tupelo for the night (great restaurants), hit I22 to Hamilton AL the next morning, then meander east. If interested I can send route details.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll be napping these out to see if they'll work out. Thank you

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I'm in Tupelo now. Highlights from today's ride include:
-144 from Cason to Jenkins
-729 from Lone Star to Hwy 49
-146 from Homer, LA to Vienna, LA
-Natchez Trace

Hwy 2 in Louisiana is relaxing, but the speed limit drops from 70 to 55 at the TX/LA state line. And the pavement actually improves crossing the border, so a bit of a bummer

The Natchez Trace is awesome. Sure, the posted limit is 50, but traffic is so sparse north of Jackson that you can cruise at 65. 100+ miles with no vehicles ahead or behind me has dividends.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Natchez Trace was in my friends list of roads to ride. We hope we can make that work

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Louisiana LOVES 55mph. Not a lot of highways besides the interstate that let you run 65 or 70.

copb8 said:

Natchez Trace was in my friends list of roads to ride. We hope we can make that work

Click to expand...

I ride DFW to Gatlinburg every year...

3 years ago we decided to give the Natchez Trace a shot. While it's nice, and off the beaten path... it was one of the most boring rides I've ever done on a bike.

The good: Beautiful scenery, well maintained road, no commercial vehicles.

The Bad: Mostly straight, hours... of straight road. This is not the typical road that most motorcyclists seek out. Max speed limit is 50 with a large chunk at 40. Speed Limit is a HARD limit. They will pull you over in a heartbeat and it's a federal fine (not local or state).

https://natchez-trace.thefuntimesguide.com/federal_speeding_ticket/

That's simply my opinion... I know it goes against the grain of the other's on here, but now you have some other information in which to make an informed decision.

Aaaargh........no wonder I never hear people rave about riding LA or MS and always head to AR.

So other than the history of it, what does Natchez Trace really have to offer? Straight, slow and with good, not great, scenery. I need to encourage my bud to find another route.

The Trace is a good way to end a long day of riding. After 400+ miles I was looking to disengage my brain a bit. With tightly controlled access points and minimal traffic (130 miles with no one ahead or behind me) it was the most direct route between Jackson and Tupelo. While I like burning off chicken strips as much as the next guy, the smooth tarmac and lush shading was welcomed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I like the idea of riding a short piece of the Natchez Trace from Natchez to Vicksburg. I agree with GLFlyer, a long dose of the trace can put you to sleep. Once you've seen one tree, you have seen them all. I didn't think the trace was straight though, just slow. It is smooth and the temptation will be there to wick it up a bit. I always wondered why they built this racetrack and then posted a 50mph speed limit!

If you were to continue north on the Trace beyond Vicksburg towards Nashville, there is the memorial for Meriwether Lewis, who died under suspicious circumstances. If you are into history, the towns of Natchez, Vicksburg and the Natchez Trace has plenty of that. I try not to combine my history expeditions and my bike riding, it is just to hard to walk around in boots, get in and out of my gear, and find secure places to put the stuff I can't wear.

Having spent time in both cities, my preference is Vicksburg. We stayed at the "Relax Inn", what looked like a converted Days Inn downtown. I probably wouldn't take my wife there, but for us guys, it was cheap and clean but spartan. If you're looking for a Marriott, it isn't that. They also had covered parking in a somewhat secure parking garage. What was good is a block to the 10 South Rooftop Bar & Grill. Sit on the top of a 10 story building watching traffic on the Mississippi while enjoying dinner and an adult beverage. Unique!

Barbers is fantastic. It will be crowded.

jfink said:

What was good is a block to the 10 South Rooftop Bar & Grill. Sit on the top of a 10 story building watching traffic on the Mississippi while enjoying dinner and an adult beverage. Unique!

Barbers is fantastic. It will be crowded.

Click to expand...

If we go this way I'm DEFINITELY stopping here! Thanks.

I plan on riding to eat at this rooftop café and then go on up to Clinton and hit the trace and take it about 120 miles part of which is along Ross R Barnett Reservoir and then over to Barber. I have never ridden it so I would like to see for myself what it is about. Some people love it some people don't. I love riding the Blue Ridge Pkwy but I have a friend that does not. Personal preference I guess.

I've done this a few times, all several years back. Used to go to Barber, then on to Atl. Always did it by myself. It was almost always some kind of adventure. I took the smallest, twistiest roads I could find. I found out some places in MS aren't mapped very accurately (at least not 8-10 yrs ago).

Took some variation of a route on little roads up thru Henderson/Gilmer/Jefferson, TX; over to Magnolia, El Dorado, Crossett, AR; crossed the river at Greenville, MS.

Once I got hit by a turkey buzzard on Hwy 8 coming out of Hamburg, AR. I was running about 50mph at the time, having slowed from about 65 when I saw a bunch of the birds off to the side of the road just up ahead. Broke the windshield off the bike. Nearly knocked me off.

Once I ended up on roads that were 4"-6" deep in river rock. Miles and miles of deep, wallowing river rock. I can't remember now if it was in the Delta Nat'l Forest or the Bienville National Forest.

To be honest I was lost. The roads seemed to go nowhere. The tree cover was so deep the GPS was useless but even when it worked the maps were useless.

I finally emerged from the trees, exhausted after 2 1/2 - 3 hours of trying to stay upright, and found myself on a tractor path in the middle of some huge farm field. I have a picture of that somewhere.

There was a guy on a combine about a 1/2 mi away. I had to ride past him to get to the nearest road. He sure did look at me funny.

I think I took Hwy 8 across MS, and sometimes Hwy 82. I'd have too look back at my GPS maps.

I never really had a plan - ride to this town and eat, ride to this town and sleep - that sorta thing. I just sorta rode. So I can't be much help there. But I can say that there are some very enjoyable routes to B'ham thru southern AR and northern MS.

I have also come back on the south side of I-20 via Hattiesburg and Natchez and thru the Kisatchie National Forest. That was fun, too. Wasn't GPS-mapped all that well either at the time, as I recall. Probably much better now.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

AlanP said:

I plan on riding to eat at this rooftop café and then go on up to Clinton and hit the trace and take it about 120 miles part of which is along Ross R Barnett Reservoir and then over to Barber. I have never ridden it so I would like to see for myself what it is about. Some people love it some people don't. I love riding the Blue Ridge Pkwy but I have a friend that does not. Personal preference I guess.

Click to expand...

The locals use The Trace from I20 to just south of the reservoir, so don't get discouraged by the traffic as it tapers off fairly quickly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk