Description
The Palatka to Lake Butler State Trail (PLB) corridor stretches nearly 47 miles from SR 238 in Lake Butler to west of US 17 in Palatka but the current (spring 2012) open trail section is only about 14.5 miles long. The trail follows the bed of the former Norfolk-Southern Railroad right-of-way through Putnam, Union, Clay and Bradford counties.
The current open segment connects Keystone Heights through just east of Florahome, where it mostly parallels State Route 100. The trail passes through upland pine woods and a rural setting before arriving in Keystone Heights. The trail passes through downtown Keystone Heights and has several road crossings, so use caution.
The trail ends abruptly at SE 57th Street but you can see where the corridor continues through the trees. The rest of the Palatka-Lake Butler Trail is still under design and construction. There are plans to connect St. Augustine to Lake City in the future, which would make the trail more 100 miles long.
Parking and Trail Access
No official trailhead parking exists yet, but parking is available along the main street of Keystone Heights (shopping mall parking) and at the east end of Grandin and SR 100. You can also park at Twin Lakes Park (6065 Twin Lakes Road) and along Twin Lakes Road. There is limited on-street parking on Sykes Road (just east of CR 315) as well as in Florahome.
Enjoyable ride
By
mmeeske
in
April, 2013
Very pleasant ride today, our group enjoyed the ride through Florida farms and woodlands. Construction (previously discussed in 3/13 review) will take time to be completed but easy to ride or walk your bike through, don't let the ROAD CLOSED SIGNS deter ...
read more
Enjoyable on the Lake Butler Side
By
dbjr76
in
March, 2013
I frequently use the Lake Butler portion of this trail either biking or a casual walk, enjoying the scenery and occasional deer. The trail in Lake Butler features a paved parking area off of SR238 and it ventures southeastward, through town and then you ...
read more
Construction on the trail 3/10/2013
By
otherland
in
March, 2013
A section of the trail between Grandin & Putnam Hall is in the process of being repaired right now (3/10/13). They are repairing an area where the pavement kept cracking. I am not sure when it is supposed to be done but I would imagine it will take a ...
read more