You've got a free Saturday, Alabama's peak foliage window is open right now, and you've been circling the 2026 Ram 1500 on our lot for two weeks. Skip another test loop around the dealership. Put the truck on the actual roads your commute and your weekends use, load it up, and see whether it earns your money.
Peak color in Central and North Alabama runs late October into early November, according to the Farmer's Almanac. So this weekend is not a rehearsal. The route we use covers about 130 miles round-trip from Birmingham, mixes a stiff grade on Shades Crest Road with the long I-20 climb toward Cheaha, and throws in a gravel access road for good measure. Three stops. One truck. A real read on whether the Ram 1500 fits your life.
A caveat is worth naming up front. The Ram 1500 is not a small truck, and it parks like it. If you're navigating tight downtown Birmingham parking daily, that matters. But on the open backroads and state-park access roads that make up this run, the size works entirely in your favor.
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What's the Route?
The table below is the backbone of the day. Drive times are real-world estimates on fall weekends, not GPS-clear-day math.
| Stop | From | Est. Drive Time | What to Do | What to Pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hallmark CDJR (Start) | 1409 5th Ave N, Birmingham | . | Pick up the Ram 1500, fuel up | Nothing yet |
| 2. Oak Mountain State Park | ~20 mi south via I-65 | 25-30 min | Scenic road loop, Peavine Falls overlook | Camera, water, layered jacket |
| 3. Cheaha State Park | ~80 mi east via I-20 / SR-281 | 1 hr 15 min (from Oak Mountain) | Highest-point overlook (2,407 ft), Bunker Tower trail | Lunch, hiking shoes, a tow strap if you go off the paved loop |
| Return to Birmingham | Cheaha back via I-20 | ~1 hr 30 min | Straight shot west, full highway cruise evaluation | Empty bed (or a load of firewood) |
Three stops, one full tank, back before dark. Plan around that.
Stop 1: Oak Mountain State Park, Pelham
Oak Mountain sits 20 miles and 25 minutes from downtown Birmingham off I-65 South, close enough to feel like a morning warmup, yet the park road up toward Peavine Falls is genuinely hilly, with tighter turns than the suburban setting suggests.
The 2026 Ram 1500's five-link coil-spring rear suspension starts paying off right here. Ram built that setup to deliver car-like isolation over broken pavement without giving up load capacity. On the park road, even with a couple of passengers and a bed half-full of gear, the truck doesn't bounce or hunt the way a leaf-sprung rival does on the same surface. You'll feel that difference, and it's worth a moment to notice it instead of just watching the leaves.
Leave the trailhead parking lot and take the scenic loop around the lake. It runs about four miles, and the tree canopy closes in tight on both sides in late October. The Ram 1500's turning radius on those bends is manageable, though it'll remind you this is a full-size truck. Not a complaint, just information.
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Stop 2: Cheaha State Park (The Real Test)
Cheaha is Alabama's highest point at 2,407 feet above sea level, and reaching it from Oak Mountain means a long I-20 eastbound run followed by the climb up SR-281, a winding two-lane that gains elevation in a hurry. This stretch is where you'll form a real opinion on the engines.
The 2026 Ram 1500 offers four powertrains. The table shows what each one means on a grade like Cheaha's.
| Engine | Output | Max Tow (properly equipped) | What It Feels Like on SR-281 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6L Pentastar V6 with eTorque | 305 hp / 269 lb-ft | Up to 8,130 lbs | Capable, smooth, pulls the grade without drama |
| 3.0L Hurricane I6 (Standard Output) | 420 hp / 469 lb-ft | Up to 11,610 lbs | Strong off the line; the highest tow rating in the lineup |
| 3.0L Hurricane I6 (High Output) | 540 hp / 521 lb-ft | Up to 10,000 lbs | Fast. Really fast. More performance than most truck buyers need on a daily run |
| 5.7L HEMI V8 with eTorque | 395 hp / 410 lb-ft | Up to 11,320 lbs | The one Ram brought back after customer pushback; broad, familiar V8 pull |
Ram's own announcement confirmed that feedback drove the HEMI's return for the 2026 model year, after the lineup went six-cylinder-only for 2025. A real story, not marketing spin. Drove a previous Ram and missed the HEMI? It's back. Open to the Hurricane I6 for the first time? The grade at Cheaha will tell you everything you need to know about its low-end torque.
At the top, the Cheaha overlook gives you a clear read on why people drive this route every October. The views cover most of the Talladega National Forest canopy below. Allow 30-45 minutes up here. Lunch, a walk to Bunker Tower, or just sitting on the tailgate and watching the color in the valley.
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What Else to Know Before You Go
A few things our team points out during Ram 1500 test drives on routes like this.
- The 4-Corner Active Air Suspension, available on upper trims, automatically adjusts ride height for speed and load, which means a more comfortable highway return and better clearance on that gravel stretch near the Cheaha summit loop
- Uconnect 5 puts an 8.4-inch touchscreen on standard trims, and upper trims step up to 12 or 14.5 inches, the largest available in any full-size truck segment according to Ram
- The Ram 1500 Crew Cab offers class-best rear legroom, which matters if you're putting adults in the back seat for a day like this
- The multifunction tailgate with 60/40 split swing-away doors makes unloading at a trailhead much easier than a conventional gate, especially when the bed is packed
Stop 3: The Return Run and the Real Verdict
The I-20 cruise back west into Birmingham is where you stop evaluating the truck and just drive it. Highway manners on a Ram 1500 are genuinely comfortable. The cabin stays quiet at speed, the eight-speed automatic hunts for the right gear predictably, and if you loaded the bed at Cheaha for the return, you'll notice the truck doesn't change its attitude much under load.
Balancing those jobs is the point of this whole route. A day like this isn't extreme towing. Call it hauling stuff on weekends, commuting on hilly surface streets during the week, and occasionally a longer run like this one. The Ram 1500 is built for exactly that balance. You don't have to choose between a capable work truck and something you want to sit in on a Saturday.
One tradeoff is worth naming plainly. Fuel economy on the HEMI V8 is 17 city and 22 highway per the EPA for the 2WD configuration. Call it real-world math. The Hurricane I6 Standard Output does 18 city and 25 highway in 2WD. If you're driving the truck hard every week, that gap adds up. Worth knowing before you decide which engine fits your situation.
Tweak It to Your Crew
Not everyone needs the full Cheaha run, so here are a few variations that make sense depending on who's coming.
- Families with kids will find Oak Mountain's beach and picnic area on the south end of the park extend the stop into a full afternoon without the SR-281 climb
- Contractors who want to evaluate the bed can load 1,500 pounds of concrete mix and stop at Oak Mountain only; the park road tells you everything about how the Ram 1500 handles a working payload over real terrain
- Buyers who want to see the premium interior should take the Laramie or Limited trim on this route specifically to feel how the 4-Corner Air Suspension changes the ride character versus the Tradesman on the same hills
Whichever version fits your Saturday, our pre-owned Ram 1500 inventory is available if you want the same capability at a different price point. And if you've got a truck sitting in the driveway you're ready to move on, we can value it before you come in.
By the Hallmark Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Team | October 2026