Explore the best rated trails in Hernando, FL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Withlacoochee State Trail and South Lake (Lake Minneola Scenic Trail) . With more than 27 trails covering 319 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
This is a great trail. If you don’t have all day to get a work out. It goes along a beautiful canal that leads to the Gulf of Mexico. The complete stretch round-trip is a little over 13 miles. There are areas where there’s beautiful views and several places to stop to take in the scenery. We also saw a lot of wildlife. Well maintained. Good for riding bikes, horseback riding, or walking.
Bumpy ride, & snakes, alligators, egrets, herons, & hawks. A nice afternoon ride.
I recommend every cyclist and runner … to check out this trail. It’s just amazing.
This is a great trail, beautiful shade. We saw deer, otter, a rat snake, and a pigmy rattlesnake. We love nature and if you don’t bother it, it won’t bother you. Lots of places to sit, as well as overview spots. Flat for most of the trail that we did. I recommend it highly
First time visiting this trail. There are bike trails for road and MTBs, hiking trails, etc., This 6.5 mile trail is newly paved (asphalt) and still being worked on some parts. Clean trail and facilities located in parking lot 8 and end of the trailhead at junction of Starkey and Suncoast. Mile markers and small sheds along the way. Not much shade as pine needles surround the trail. Although mostly flat it’s quiet and serene. Ample parking with rangers present.
Did the entire trail and came in with 64 miles overall on roller skates. Started Trenton. The Trenton asphalt isn’t too great quality but it is doable. The Suwannee River Bridge is beautiful but usually where the traffic of the trail is. Skated to the end in Cross City. It’s very open in this section which can be difficult with wind. I will say the surface is better in this leg. Skated back from Cross City and took the Wilcox Junction to Chiefland. The Chiefland leg is shaded and has a good quality surface for most of it. All three of the depots are cute. I think Chiefland’d depot is the prettiest….but also getting to it sucks since you must cross a busy road. Overall, this trail is quiet and a beautiful tel. Saw a garter snake and lots of rabbits
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.
Scenery: 2/5
Shade: 1/5
Condition: 5/5
Crowdedness: 5/5
Water Availability: 1/5
Road Crossings: 1/5
Signage: 3/5
Skip this one if you have better options. The description pretty much says it all: not much scenery (almost entirely suburban), hilly (for Florida standards), no water, no shade. On a clear day, there is some scenery at the northern end where you can see Lake Apopka and the Orlando skyline on the eastern horizon, but rampant development is quickly wiping that out. There are a lot of road crossings, some busy. Virtually all of the trail parallels a rather busy, noisy road. The trail is in good shape (except for a few spots where roots have created bumps - mostly on the southern end), but I'm not sure why the description says that it is 14 feet wide. There may be short sections where that is the case, but mostly not. The trail is not crowded at all, but, given its shortcomings, that's not surprising.
I had to add my 2 cents, don’t be discouraged by a previous review talking about steep hills and bumpy pavement in the 5 miles near Gainesville. I rode it in the pre dawn hours and took it really slow so as not to out run my light. Yes there are bumps - I had no issues and my tires are 23s. As far as hills, this path is what we call in the Midwest flat. Maybe some steep hills for Florida, but again not a real issue. Enjoy it - I look forward to riding it again someday!
Rode 5 miles South of Inverness then 5 miles North.South was better but both very nice.
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