Origin
Arab, AL
Morning in Arab on Sunday
Local time
9:19 AM
CDT
Current temp
75°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Arab, AL to Huntsville, AL
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
43m
Distance
31.7 mi
51 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 40m
★
6 AM
0h 44m
8 AM
0h 51m
10 AM
0h 46m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arab, AL
Wikimedia Commons
Huntsville, AL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Arab, AL to Huntsville, AL is 31.7 miles and takes about 43 minutes via Heart of Dixie Highway, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip connects two points within Alabama's Southeast region. Expect a local driving experience with frequent turns, making it a straightforward, same-day journey. It’s a quick hop that doesn't require extensive planning, perfect for a spontaneous outing or a necessary commute.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Heart of Dixie Highway | 26.5 mi | 34m |
| North Brindlee Mountain Parkway | 2.5 mi | 2m |
| North Main Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| West Clinton Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Access Road Southwest | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Jefferson Street South | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Spring Street Southwest | <0.1 mi | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Heart of Dixie Highway
— 26.5 mi, about 34m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Arab, AL and Huntsville, AL.
1
Start on AL 69
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
North Main Street
Use the straight lane.
2
Turn slight left
114 ft
·
5 sec
3
Keep slight right at fork
108 ft
·
3 sec
4
Merge onto US 231
2.5 mi
·
2 min
·
North Brindlee Mountain Parkway
Use the straight lane.
5
Continue on US 231
26 mi
·
34 min
·
Heart of Dixie Highway
6
Take the exit
322 ft
·
7 sec
Use the slight right lane.
7
Merge onto US 431
506 ft
·
10 sec
·
Access Road Southwest
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
9
Turn right onto West Clinton Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West Clinton Avenue
Use the left / right lanes.
10
Turn right onto Jefferson Street South
363 ft
·
11 sec
·
Jefferson Street South
11
Turn right onto Spring Street Southwest
4 ft
·
0 sec
·
Spring Street Southwest
12
Arrive at destination
Spring Street Southwest
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 1.6 and 31 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Keep slight right at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
5
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
US 231 / North Brindlee Mountain Parkway
Merge onto US 231 / North Brindlee Mountain Parkway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
30.6 mi into trip
|
~40m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
4
30.7 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
US 431 / Access Road Southwest
Merge onto US 431 / Access Road Southwest
Merge point - match speed before joining
5
31 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
West Clinton Avenue
Turn right onto West Clinton Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.79 one way
$9.57 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $5.26 | $10.51 |
| premium | $4.56 | $5.69 | $11.38 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.00 | $14.00 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.33 | $1.52 |
| Efficient EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.77 | $1.27 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.7 | 0 | $4.44 | $2.03 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
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
Huntsville, AL
Morning in Huntsville on Sunday
Local time
9:19 AM
CDT
Current temp
77°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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
2 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
43m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This drive is characterized by its frequent turns, giving it a distinctly local feel rather than a high-speed highway experience. With only an 8% highway share, you’ll be navigating local roads for most of the 31.7 miles. The longest stretch without a turn is 26.5 miles along the Heart of Dixie Highway, offering a brief period of more consistent driving. As you progress, the route will transition through various local roads, including North Brindlee Mountain Parkway and North Main Street, requiring your attention to navigation.
Only 8% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 26.5 mi on Heart of Dixie Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.6 miles in.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 31.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 43m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 1.7 miles (US 231 / North Brindlee Mountain Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 30.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving 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 43m. Total distance: 31.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
43m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 26.5 miles on Heart of Dixie Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Huntsville, AL before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 1.7 miles (US 231 / North Brindlee Mountain Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 30.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Huntsville, AL before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner 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.
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