the trail has been extended on the southern end and now it's 9+ miles and ends at Plymouth Avenue instead of Denton Avenue

The paved trail is pretty flat with the exception of some bridges across busy streets. From the parking lot at the Chamber of Commerce on the Winter Haven side to the end of the trail at W. Haines Blvd in Lake Alfred is 5.1m out and 5.1 miles back. It's pretty basic, but I would like to add some suggestions to make the ride slightly more enjoyable.

1) Try and time your ride for the third Saturday of the month. There is a free water ski show on Lake Silver. The show time changes so check the website for the Cypress Gardens Ski team. I suggest that you do your ride first and hit the show on the way back into Winter Haven as the bike path goes right past the lake.

2) Instead of just dead heading out to where the trail ends in Lake Alfred, take a little detour off the path to the Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve. The preserve is a better destination than just the abrupt end of the trail in downtown Lake Alfred. It's about a mile east of the trail.

3) There's not a lot of shade on the trail so stay hydrated and bring sunscreen. There is a "splash pad park" along the trail in downtown Winter Haven where you can cool off under the misters so DEFINITELY bring a change of clothes.

4) Enjoy Winter Haven at the end of your ride. Again, bring a change of clothes...and explore the downtown area. There are public restrooms for changing near the splash park for changing. They have nice restaurants, coffee shops, a brewery, antique shops for browsing, and live music on Saturdays (once Covid subsides) - It's a cool little area to walk around after your ride.

I think it's a great way to kill a Saturday afternoon if you're looking for a leisurely ride. A good portion of the trail is through industrial areas, which is to be expected as this was an old train track bed, but if you're looking for a nice 10 or so mile easy trail, this is a good option.

Easy ride. Trail is clean-has a few leaves & sticks. Easy to park & go to the trail.

This is a very flat trail with good, wide pavement. The westerly half is particularly rural, skirting large cattle ranches with oak hammocks. There are no trees for shade. There are many birds on this trail - hawks, herons, killdeer, kingfishers, storks, egrets, etc. - and the occasional alligator. It’s a good trail for spinning. Be sure to wear sunscreen.

I come here every morning to run and rollerblade and it’s amazing. Although, it’s not long it is very good pavement to rollerblade!

Parked at the Port Mayaca lock area right off of 441 S. and easily got right on the trail and headed north. Did the 14 miles mentioned in the reviews and it was great--no construction in that area. Well paved path, beautiful scenery on either side, the lake is majestic! Passed 6-7 other bikers over the course of 2 hours, so not well traveled on a weekday or maybe it's the Covid crisis? I plan to go further next time or head south from there and see where that leads. Only reason I can't give it 5 stars is because there are no bathrooms or real shaded areas at all during that stretch so be prepared for that--we had perfect weather, not terribly hot. Maybe it changes in different areas depending on where you are on the lake, if so I'd like to hear about it.

A good walking trail

Beautiful trail and park. The town was very wise to preserve this area for everyone to share. There is a small section where there is no trail but you can ride on the road to connect to the rest of the trail but it is not marked

We started the trail at Moore Haven, Alvin Ward Park. We headed toward Lake Harbor but there was construction after 11 miles so we had to turn back. The ride there was beautiful. We were up on the levee road with waterways on both sides. The trail was absolutely flat with no elevation. There was a variety of birds to be seen along with alligators. There is no shade so put your sunscreen on and take plenty of water. We really enjoyed this ride and wish we could’ve made it all the way to Lake Harbor.