Find the top rated hike trails in Haines City, whether you're looking for an easy short hike trail or a long hike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Scenery: 4/5
Shade: 4/5
Condition: 3/5
Crowdedness: 3/5
Amenities: 4/5
Road Crossings: 2/5
Signage: 3/5
This is a great trail, but it's not perfect. It meanders through several cute neighborhoods, towns, and wooded areas with a diverse array of pleasant scenery (woods, charming homes, open vistas, etc.). Stations and outposts all along the trail provide better amenities than most other trails. With just a few exceptions, shade is ample. The trail is very popular and can get quite crowded, especially between the end point at Killarney Station and the Apopka-Vineland outpost. Once you get past the Apopka-Vineland Outpost (heading east from Killarney Station) and turn north, the crowd really thins out and it's much easier to travel. Naturally, crowds are heaviest on weekends and when the weather is mild. The trail is in good shape for the most part, although there are places where it is noticeably bumpy due to root incursion. My biggest complaint is the number of road crossings - there are a LOT. Some of them are very busy with automobile traffic, and some of them are quite rough. All in all, though, it's a very pleasant trail, and I would certainly ride it again. It's important to note that this trail is relatively long. I have ridden the entire trail, and my observations apply to the trail as a whole. Some observations may not apply to certain sections of the trail.
Scenery: 5/5
Shade: 4/5
Condition: 5/5
Crowdedness: 4/5
Water Availability: 3/5
Road Crossings: 3/5
Signage: 2/5
This is one of my favorite trails in Central Florida. In this area, the West Orange Trail is the most popular, but I think the South Lake/Lake Minneola Trail beats out in terms of scenery and crowdedness. Except for the portion of the trail that follows the shoreline of Lake Minneola, shade is ample. It is less crowded than the West Orange Trail, except for the portion that runs through the lakefront park on Lake Minneola. This is understandable given the nature of the park. The crowded stretch is manageable as long as you take it slow and are patient, and it's relatively short compared to the rest of the trail as a whole. The scenery both through wooded areas and along the lake is great. On the western end, the section through Lake Hiawatha Preserve is beautiful albeit very short. Beyond the Preserve (heading west), there's not much to see. The trail is in very good shape, but there are a good number of road crossings. Overall, a really great trail that, in my opinion, is more enjoyable than the West Orange Trail.
Rode 5 miles South of Inverness then 5 miles North.South was better but both very nice.
The northern portion is gorgeous with Waterview to the west and a nice ride through beautiful parks. I went a little further and did the regional trail just north of this one and it was absolutely beautiful but very short. The section after the high school heading north is dangerous for unsteady cyclist. The local community is actively working to improve this 3 to 5 mile section of trail Once that is complete the trail will be quite nice. The majority of the trail is a double wide sidewalk, so it is not good for a zone four or five ride. It is perfect for a leisure zone 2 ride. The Northern section is excellent for a family bike ride. On my way back heading south. I avoided the double wide sidewalk and rode the generous bike lane until it ended.
On Easter, we parked in the Hernando lot and drove south to Floral City, before returning! Scenery ranges from beautiful partially shaded trails, several lakes and waterways, turtles, and alligators. LOTS of potential restaurants for a break (seafood, pizza, ice cream, etc.). We sat on the deck at Stumpknockers (5 blocks off trail) for an horsdoeuvre and bevvy! This portion of the trail was 29 miles round trip. We’ll be back to do the Northern portion!
Pick a cloudy day and maybe a mountain bike. Lots of gators and birds. We started from the green mountain trail head and I would start at one of the other trailheads instead. They spent so much on the trail head that there is no money to maintain the trail and the first two miles are extremely rough.
This is a short city trail ride but well maintained. There are sections of it which are quite pretty. There are amenities along the way, and with a Dunkin Donuts, 7-11, and a Diner at the trail end.
I started this trail at the southern entrance. I got less than 3 miles into my bike ride and turned around. Too many intersections with heavy traffic. Perhaps this trail is better towards the northern end.
Parked at historic train station. Headed east and after a mile or so found the trail is closed by Duke Energy to update electrical poles. Back to the truck, reloaded our bikes and headed to Mondon Hill Road and parked the truck. Took off for Withlacoochee Trail. On the return ride we spotted a fox squirrel, a hawk having dinner, and a free range chicken. Nice ride!
I ride this area at least twice a week. The trails are wide & the scenery is pretty good. It is great place to ride at night if you enjoy that. The neighborhood is always well decorated at Christmas.
On our visit to Florida and first time in the saddle in six months we opted for a short day, about 20 miles. We parked at the Copper library which was convenient and had nice bathrooms and water. There are new developments and a shopping complex since the details to this trail were written. At about mile 5 there is a Publix, Starbucks and a few more retail stores. There were a lot of roads to cross and hills to climb. We opted for a 6 mile round trip down the intersecting Lake Shore trail to Minneola Lake. That was a nice, scenic section. Overall a good day to start our season.
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