Alabama State Route 65

State Route 65
State Route 65
Route information
	Maintained by ALDOT
Length	27.540 mi (44.321 km)
Existed	1940–present
Major junctions
South end	US 72 in Paint Rock
	SR 146 in Swaim
North end	SR 97 at the Tennessee state line north of Francisco
Location
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Counties	Jackson
Highway system
	Alabama State Highway System; Interstate; US; State;

State Route 65 (SR 65) is a 27.540-mile-long (44.321 km) state highway in western Jackson County, in the U.S. state of Alabama. The southern terminus of the highway is at an intersection with U.S. Route 72 (US 72) at Paint Rock. The northern terminus of the highway is at the Tennessee state line, north of Francisco. North of the state line, the highway continues as Tennessee State Route 97 (SR 97).

Route description

SR 65 and Tennessee State Route 97 serve as a connecting route between US 72 in northern Alabama and US 64 in Franklin County, Tennessee. From SR 65's southern terminus, the highway is aligned along a two-lane road with numerous curves as it travels through the mountainous regions of northeastern Alabama and southern Tennessee. North of Paint Rock, SR 65 travels through the unincorporated communities of Garth, Trenton, Hollytree, Princeton, Swaim, and Francisco, before it crosses into Tennessee. The route is notable because it travels through the entire length of the Paint Rock valley, a scenic valley in the Cumberland Plateau. This highway is also known as the Curly Putman Highway, named after the songwriter who lived in the northern portion of the valley.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Jackson County.

Location	mi^[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
	0.000	0.000	US 72 (SR 2) – Huntsville, Gurley, Paint Rock, Scottsboro	Southern terminus
Swaim	17.543	28.233	SR 146 east – Estillfork	Western terminus of SR 146
	27.540	44.321	SR 97 north – Huntland	Tennessee state line; northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi