📷 DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0Edmund Pettus Bridge
Selma, AL
The bridge where voting-rights marchers were attacked on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. You can walk across it; interpretive centers are at both ends of the route to Montgomery.
The Edmund Pettus Bridge spans the Alabama River in Selma and opened in 1940. It is about 380 m (1,248 ft) long and carries four lanes of traffic plus sidewalks. It is named for Edmund Winston Pettus, a former US senator and Confederate brigadier general. It became known worldwide on March 7, 1965, when law enforcement officers violently broke up a voting-rights march on the bridge on "Bloody Sunday." The successful march began on March 21 with about 3,200 people and reached Montgomery on March 25 with about 25,000. Less than five months later, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. The bridge has been a National Historic Landmark since 2013.
You can cross the bridge on foot via the sidewalk. Around the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee in the first week of March, expect large crowds and closures.
- Nearest town
- Selma, AL
- Category
- History & culture
- GPS
- 32.4044, -87.0185
- Editor's pick
- ★
Hours, fees and access change. Confirm with the operator or park before you go.
Good to know
Best time to go
The most pleasant months are usually April–May and October. Still fine, with some compromises, in March, June, September and November. Hot in July–August. (Estimate from long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass seasons)
Sources
Featured in these trip guides
Nearby
Campsites nearby
- Mary's RV ParkMotorhome stopover5 mi from Edmund Pettus BridgeMotorhomes
- Praire Creek CampgroundCampsite15 mi from Edmund Pettus BridgeTentsCaravansElectricityDrinking water
All campsites in Alabama · Campsite data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0 · Updated October 3, 2026
FAQs
Where is Edmund Pettus Bridge?
Edmund Pettus Bridge is in Selma, AL, at GPS 32.4044, -87.0185. It is about 42 mi from Montgomery.
Can you camp near Edmund Pettus Bridge?
Yes. The nearest campsite listed in OpenStreetMap is Mary's RV Park, about 5 mi away; within 25 mi there are 2 campsites and motorhome stopovers.
Which road trips pass Edmund Pettus Bridge?
Edmund Pettus Bridge is a stop on these CampingSpirit trip guides: Alabama’s civil rights trail: Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery.
What is there to see near Edmund Pettus Bridge?
Places worth a stop nearby: Rosa Parks Museum (41 mi), National Memorial for Peace and Justice (42 mi), Vulcan Park and Museum (76 mi) and Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site (76 mi).
When is the best time to visit Edmund Pettus Bridge?
The most pleasant months are usually April–May and October. Still fine, with some compromises, in March, June, September and November. (Estimate from long-term temperature averages, terrain and pass seasons)