Black Warrior River Scenic Byway
Black Warrior River Scenic Byway is a State Scenic Byway in Alabama. Within Alabama it covers roughly 11 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Black Warrior River Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Alabama's Black Warrior River Scenic Byway runs about 12 miles along the river through Tuscaloosa and Northport. It runs from Capitol Park along Jack Warner Parkway to Bryant Bridge, through a city named for Chief Tuskaloosa, whose warriors clashed with Hernando de Soto's Spanish expedition here in 1540; the 'Black Warrior' translation of his name stuck to both the chief and the river. White settlement began around 1816, with Tuscaloosa incorporated in 1819 and Northport in 1871, and a bridge replaced the original river ferry in 1835. Starting in 1888, the US Army Corps of Engineers built a series of locks and dams that turned the Black Warrior into a navigable shipping channel, making Tuscaloosa-Northport a significant inland port. Capitol Park marks the site of Alabama's state capitol from 1826 to 1847, before the seat of government moved to Montgomery. Today the byway mixes that river and political history with bike and pedestrian trails, fishing piers, and boat landings along an actively used urban waterfront.
- Capitol Park
- Chief Tuskaloosa
- Jack Warner Parkway
- 12 miles
- Black Warrior River locks and dams
- Tuscaloosa-Northport
- Hernando de Soto
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What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Black Warrior River Scenic Byway
3 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Black Warrior River Scenic Byway.
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