This trail is now paved for approximately 25 miles, from Branford to Olena State Park (High Springs). The cool thing is that it connects several parks. The north leg of the trail from Branford will take you to Little River Springs
and Park its really nice but you will need to ride a county paved road for a short distance about one mile or so.
Camping is permitted at Ivey Park in Branford for visitors on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail and the Green Ways Trail. Branford has one small motel close to the river and trail.

I rode this trail on October 15, 2009. I started the day on the Nature Coast Trail in Fanning Springs, rode to Cross City on that trail, and travelled 29 miles on routes 351, 349, and US 27 to Branford. I first rode the 2.5 mile north leg. The first 1.5 mile section was excellent, but the last mile had to leave the railroad bed and run on the powerline right-of-way. The trail condition was still good, it was adjacent to the road. I returned to the trailhead and rode toward Itchetucknee Springs State Park. Once again the first few miles on the roadbed through the Gopher Tortoise preserve were excellent. There is a tree canopy over the trail, and though I didn't see any tortoises, I saw numerous birds, particularly bright red cardinals. Unfortunately the trail left the railbed after a few miles, lost the canopy, had numerous hills, and trail degredation due to tree roots under the asphalt. I was pleasantly surprised as I crossed the Itchetucknee River to discover that the roadside trail continued. The route is mark through Fort White, but leaves the railroad completely and follows route 18 to O'Leno St. Park on US Route 41. There were over 10 miles of trail where I expected to be riding the road. So, there were about five miles of outstanding trail and over fifteen miles of adequate trail beside highways.

"This trail is now paved for approximately 25 miles, from Branford to Olena State Park (High Springs). The cool thing is that it connects several parks. We cycled today from Olena State Park to Ichetucknee Springs State Park (15 miles each way). The not-so-cool thing is that maintenance is lacking. "

"I rode this trail on March 11, 2004. The section described in the trail description on this Web site, from Branford to Little River Springs, is very nice. It may be as nice as any of the trails I have been on.

However, the section running from Branford out to the Ichetucknee River is a total disgrace. It was covered with broken glass in numerous places. It was also covered with horse manure in numerous places and the sand and debris had washed across the trail in several places, making it necessary to walk the bike thru the deep sand. It doesn't look like it has been mowed in many months. In addition it runs along a very noisy road. I managed to ride a toatl of 27 miles round trip on this trail, but I will definately will not return to ride this one again.

The other rail-trails in Florida are a pleasure. This one is not. The trail needs some TLC to get it up to the standards of the others.

**NOTE FROM RAILS-TO-TRAILS CONSERVANCY**
Folks wishing to volunteer to assist with the maintenance of rail-trails in the state of Florida should contact the Florida filed office of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. See their Web site at www.railstrails.org/fl for their contact information. Many local jurisdictions do not have the funds to properly maintain their rail-trails, so support from those who ride the trails is integral to proper maintenance of the trails. Please contact the Florida field office of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (www.railstrails.org/fl) to learn more about specific trails you may be interested in assisting with maintenance activities."