Decatur to Harvest is 26.5 miles and takes about 42m via Old Railroad Bed Road and I-565, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Alabama, connecting two points in the Southeast region. The route primarily utilizes surface roads, offering a straightforward connection between these two locations. With minimal mileage and a short estimated drive time, it's a practical choice for a quick transit or to explore a bit of the local area without a significant time commitment. Consider this an easy hop rather than a grand adventure.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Old Railroad Bed Road
7.9 mi
14m
I 565
5.9 mi
6m
County Line Road
5.9 mi
10m
Huntsville-Decatur Highway
3 mi
3m
6th Avenue Northeast
2.2 mi
3m
Lee Street Northeast
0.3 mi
<1m
Ferry Street Northeast
<0.1 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
Old Railroad Bed Road
— 7.9 mi, about 14m
Traffic on I-565
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 50 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,249 veh/hr typical
· worst 3,776
Quietest
1 AM
~184 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
17.7×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
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 Decatur, AL and Harvest, AL.
1
Start on this road
426 ft·36 sec·this road
2
At end of road, turn left onto Ferry Street Northeast
164 ft·8 sec·Ferry Street Northeast
3
Turn left onto Lee Street Northeast
0.3 mi·56 sec·Lee Street Northeast
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
4
At end of road, turn left onto US 31
2.2 mi·3 min·6th Avenue Northeast
Use the left lane.
5
Continue on US 72 Alternate; AL 20
3.0 mi·3 min·Huntsville-Decatur Highway
Toward HuntsvilleUse the left lane.
6
Continue on I 565; US 72 Alternate
5.9 mi·6 min·I 565; US 72 Alternate
7
Take the exit
1.2 mi·2 min
Exit 7Toward County Line Road, Madison Boulevard
8
Turn left onto County Line Road
5.9 mi·10 min·County Line Road
Use the left lane.
9
Continue on CH 11
7.9 mi·14 min·Old Railroad Bed Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
10
Arrive at destination
CH 11
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 6
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 12.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|Ferry Street Northeast
At end of road, turn left onto Ferry Street Northeast
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
5
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|Lee Street Northeast
Turn left onto Lee Street Northeast
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
6
0.4 mi into trip|~1m in|US 31 / 6th Avenue Northeast
At end of road, turn left onto US 31 / 6th Avenue Northeast
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
11.5 mi into trip|~15m in
Take the exit toward County Line Road, Madison Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 7
Toward County Line Road, Madison Boulevard
5
12.8 mi into trip|~17m in|County Line Road
Turn left onto County Line Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.88 one way
$7.76 round trip
$3.72/gal25.4 MPG avg9 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.13
$4.31
$8.62
premium
$4.49
$4.68
$9.36
diesel
$5.60
$5.84
$11.68
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.3 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
8
0
$2.78
$1.27
Efficient EV
6.6
0
$2.32
$1.06
EV Truck/SUV
10.6
0
$3.71
$1.70
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Decatur, AL
Morning
in Decatur on Friday
Local time
6:49 AM
CDT
Current temp
75°F
Mostly Clear
0 mph1% chanceLive forecast
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 10:36PM 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
Harvest, AL
Morning
in Harvest on Friday
Local time
6:49 AM
CDT
Current temp
74°F
Mostly Clear
0 mph1% chanceLive forecast
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 10:36PM 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
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
1 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
42m 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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
You'll experience approximately 78% surface roads for this drive. The longest continuous stretch on a single road is 7.9 miles on Old Railroad Bed Road. The highway portion, making up 22% of the route, will likely involve merging and navigating more traffic as you transition to I-565. Expect a mix of local cruising and a brief period on the interstate.
Only 22% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.9 mi on Old Railroad Bed Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Ferry Street Northeast.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 42m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Ferry Street Northeast): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles (Lee Street Northeast): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (US 31 / 6th Avenue Northeast): Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
837 ft562 ft
Total Climb
318 ft
Total Descent
58 ft
Highest Point
837 ft
~24.6 mi in
Elevation Range
276 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Decatur, AL to Harvest, AL, road signs begin pointing toward Huntsville along the way.
The longest stretch is about 7.9 miles on Old Railroad Bed Road. 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 0.1 miles (Ferry Street Northeast): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles (Lee Street Northeast): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (US 31 / 6th Avenue Northeast): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Harvest, AL before heading back.
