Talladega National Forest Forest Road 555 Cheaha Wilderness Perimeter Drive

Forest Road 555 wraps around the shoulder of Cheaha Mountain, Alabama’s 2,413-foot high point, through dense hardwood forests and rocky creek bottoms that test your vehicle’s articulation. The route starts near Cheaha State Park’s main entrance and winds north along the wilderness boundary, passing the historic Civilian Conservation Corps stone bridge at Talladega Creek before climbing through a series of technical switchbacks carved into the mountainside during the 1930s.

This is a challenging moderate route requiring high-clearance 4WD and rock sliders for the creek crossings and loose shale sections. Spring through fall offers the best conditions, though summer can be brutally humid in the hollows. Dispersed camping is available at several pull-offs with ridge views, but water sources are seasonal. The payoff is solitude in Alabama’s most rugged terrain and glimpses of the Coosa River valley stretching toward Birmingham.