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Trip from Clay, AL to Gadsden, AL

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

56m

Distance

43.5 mi

70 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 13 min
4 AM
0h 52m ★
6 AM
0h 56m
8 AM
1h 5m
10 AM
1h 0m
12 PM
0h 59m
3 PM
1h 0m
5 PM
1h 5m
8 PM
0h 54m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time
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Downtown Clay, AL, AL

Clay, AL

3B

city in and the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama

Gadsden, AL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Clay, AL to Gadsden, AL covers 43.5 miles and takes about 56m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 59, Old Springville Road, Main Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 27.6 miles on I 59. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.37 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 59 27.6 mi 29m
Old Springville Road 6.4 mi 11m
Main Street 2.9 mi 4m
I 759 2.2 mi 2m
South 11th Street 1.5 mi 2m
Marietta Road 0.7 mi 1m
Walnut Street 0.6 mi 1m
Black Creek Parkway 0.5 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 59 — 27.6 mi, about 29m

Traffic on I-759

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 8 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

3 PM

~1,171 veh/hr typical · worst 1,415

Quietest

1 AM

~56 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

20.9×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 105 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Clay, AL and Gadsden, AL.

1

Start on Old Springville Road

6.4 mi · 11 min · Old Springville Road
2

At end of road, turn left onto US 11

2.9 mi · 4 min · Main Street
3

Turn right onto AL 174

0.7 mi · 1 min · Marietta Road
4

Take the ramp

0.1 mi · 16 sec
5

Merge onto I 59

28 mi · 29 min · I 59
6

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 51 sec
Exit 182 Toward I 759: Gadsden
7

Continue on I 759

2.2 mi · 2 min · I 759
8

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 31 sec
Exit 2 Toward Black Creek Parkway
9

Turn slight left onto Black Creek Parkway

0.5 mi · 52 sec · Black Creek Parkway
10

Turn slight right onto South 11th Street

1.5 mi · 2 min · South 11th Street
11

Turn right onto Walnut Street

0.6 mi · 1 min · Walnut Street
12

Turn left onto South 6th Street

0.2 mi · 35 sec · South 6th Street
13

Arrive at destination

South 6th Street

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Downtown Highland Lake, AL, AL

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Highland Lake, AL

22 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Springville, AL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Steele, AL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 21.8 miles from Clay, AL, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 8

5 decision points cluster between mile 6.4 and 40.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
6.4 mi into trip | ~11m in | US 11 / Main Street

At end of road, turn left onto US 11 / Main Street

Navigation decision point

3
9.4 mi into trip | ~15m in | AL 174 / Marietta Road

Turn right onto AL 174 / Marietta Road

Navigation decision point

3
10.1 mi into trip | ~17m in

Take the ramp

Navigation decision point

5
37.8 mi into trip | ~46m in

Take the exit toward I 759: Gadsden

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Exit 182 Toward I 759: Gadsden
5
40.5 mi into trip | ~50m in

Take the exit toward Black Creek Parkway

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Exit 2 Toward Black Creek Parkway

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.37 one way

$12.75 round trip

$3.72/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.13 $7.07 $14.15
premium $4.49 $7.68 $15.37
diesel $5.60 $9.59 $19.18

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 15.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 13.1 0 $4.57 $2.09
Efficient EV 10.9 0 $3.81 $1.74
EV Truck/SUV 17.4 0 $6.09 $2.78

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (67% 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.

Forecast as of Sep 2, 2026

Origin

Clay, AL

Evening in Clay on Friday

Local time

6:15 PM

CDT

Current temp

73°F

Clear

0 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 9:42AM CDT until September 5 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Birmingham AL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 9:27AM CDT until September 5 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Huntsville AL

Destination

Gadsden, AL

Evening in Gadsden on Friday

Local time

6:15 PM

CDT

Current temp

73°F

Mostly Clear

0 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 9:42AM CDT until September 5 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Birmingham AL

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 9:27AM CDT until September 5 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Huntsville AL

72°F

Highland Lake, AL

22 mi in

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

56m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

43.5 mi in 56m, mostly highway — 27.6 mi of that is on I 59.

69% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 27.6 mi on I 59.

How Hard Is This Drive?

4/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 59 and Old Springville Road. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 6.4 miles in near US 11 / Main Street.

Driving Effort 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 56m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 6.4 miles (US 11 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 9.4 miles (AL 174 / Marietta Road): Navigation decision point; at 10.1 miles: Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

1,029 ft 534 ft

Total Climb

125 ft

Total Descent

510 ft

Highest Point

1,029 ft

~3.4 mi in

Elevation Range

495 ft

About the Cities

Arriving in Gadsden, AL

Full guide →

Founded 1867

Gadsden is a city in the Appalachian foothills of Alabama.

Top landmarks

  • • United States Post Office — historic government building in Gadsden, Alabama
  • • Mort Glosser Amphitheater — open-air theatre in Gadsden, Alabama, United States
  • • Eleventh Street School — historic school building in Gadsden, Alabama, USA

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 56m. Total distance: 43.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

56m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (69%). Straightforward navigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 27.6 miles on I 59. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 6.4 miles (US 11 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 9.4 miles (AL 174 / Marietta Road): Navigation decision point; at 10.1 miles: Navigation decision point.

Yes — Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and Freedom Riders National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Gadsden, 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, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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