By sarahf7 in January, 2012
This trail was well maintained, and had plenty of benches and water. Would ride again.
By beyerjf in May, 2011
I started at the southern terminus in Lutz and went north about 10 miles. Mostly flat as is a lot of this section of Florida, paved everywhere I went. You have several opportunities to go "inland" away from the actual Parkway and get away from the traffic. As others have mentioned, limited amenities and water/restrooms. I am used to rail/trails in my home area of Pennsylvania so if you are on vacation in FL this would be a real treat.
By sramp6 in May, 2011
Rode this trail on April 26, 2011. On a visit from CT, I found this trail challenging for a mid - Florida trail. Not flat like the van Fleet. There is a series of hills at the last 15 miles before the northern trailhead. Not long & steep hills like you'd find in CT, but downshifting was required. Water was limited, but available periodically. The bathroom facilities at Cortez were terrific, especially for a riding trail. The pedestrian/bike bridge over Route 50 near Cortez was a nice touch. Some of the other road crossings are pretty risky affairs. Riding at mid day, I only saw a couple of other riders. As evening approached, more riders, walkers, and rollerbladers appeared. The northern trailhead was very barren; 1 picnic table and a handful of signs. Lot's of parking there. I wasn't pleased with the parking fee imposed by the Hillsborough County for their 2 parking areas @ W Lutz Lake Fern Rd & the other one @ Route 54. It's $2 per car; their bathroom facilities consist of Port-a-Potties and they warn of break-ins of cars parked there. Seems odd since none of the other trailheads imposed parking fees and some had better bathrooms (like Cortez). I would suggest parking at one of the other trailheads.