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Trans-Florida Central Railroad Trail: So read the lettering on a new pedestrian overpass spanning I-95. I'd never heard of it, and couldn't find it on the internet, so I decided to drive down and check it out.
I started at the Fellsmere Trailhead Preserve, just west of I-95 on highway 512. A young mother was watching her child on the playground as I unloaded my folding bike. Inside the shelter I found restrooms and a wall map of the Regional Greenway, which includes the rail trail (see pictures).
Pedaling around the trailhead, I saw no way to the trail until I came to a hard packed sand roadway leading north from the entry road. A road grader operator confirmed that this was the way to the overpass.
At the trail, packed sand gave way to a hard gravel surface with pinewoods on either side. I turned left, to find the end of the trail at a locked gate. Here the old railbed led straight west, through the woods of the St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park towards Fellsmere.
Turning around, I pedaled a half mile eastward to the paved section, twelve feet wide, beginning at the approach to the overpass. Out to the left were several structures of the FIT Challenge Course: horizontal rope nets, wooden walls to scale- challenges I might have tried half a century ago.
Descending the overpass, the trail turned a few degrees south of east and ran board-straight between stands of tall pine to the vanishing point. Not much shade; a summer afternoon sun would shine straight down the trail, and this morning there were only a few patches of broken shade.
It was busy on this Saturday morning- two couples walking abreast, pushing a tandem stroller; two young girls walking a huge, furry poodle-ish dog; other couples and individuals pedaling or strolling. The mile and a half of pavement led to North County Regional Park and its large, well attended swimming pool. I could hear shouts and splashes as I passed. A trailhead shelter here was closed.
From the pavement's end, a nicely wooded mile of gravel trail meandered through thick woods, over several boardwalks across the wetter places and through an oak hammock with some magnificent trees. I passed a young lady jogger, then a fast moving male cyclist, who confirmed that the trail ran on into Sebastian.
It popped out of the woods at a bridge over an arm of the St. Sebastian River, where it joined a wide sidewalk on highway 512, continuing the Regional Greenway northeast into town. I didn't have time to ride it, but looked it over by car- a true greenway. More than half its length was set back from the roadway and screened by tall, thick rows of cedar. Some of these sections adjoined neighborhood streets. A number of walkers and cyclists were using it.
Four miles of greenway led from the end of the rail trail to the downtown Sebastian waterfront, at US 1, which boasted a mile of wide bike lanes. A block east, Indian River Drive followed the shore of the Indian River Lagoon, with a half dozen seafood restaurants overlooking the water.
Starting at US 1, a rider could go about six and a half miles to the east end of the existing rail trail. Plans call for the rail trail to extend about three miles further west, into downtown Fellsmere.
Fellsmere has two very authentic Mexican restaurants, one including a bakery, plus a local pizza parlor. Southern comfort food is on offer at the century-old Fellsmere Estates Building, in a small historic district along Broadway St. The town has the oldest operating library in the county, and was the first town in the south where a woman voted in a municipal election.
Despite its imposing name, the Trans-Florida Central Railroad was never more than a feeder for the main rail line along the east coast. It reached about fifteen miles inland, to the St. Johns marshes and the former town of Broadmoor, planned for development but abandoned after a hurricane flooded the area in 1916.
The rails brought lumber and building materials inland to Fellsmere, carrying out whatever products were harvested from the marshy land over the decades- sugar, citrus, potatoes, muck for fertilizer, pulpwood. Early in the last century, passenger service ran four times a day between Fellsmere and Sebastian.
This short rail line buoyed the region's economy for half a century. Its legacy is a pleasant greenway, well used by locals and worth a visit for anyone seeking a leisurely ride.
Beautiful trail. Started in Apopka and ended in Winter Garden where my girlfriend and I grabbed lunch and rode back to Apopka. Not many bikers for a Sunday afternoon.
We packed lunch and headed-out to the Osteen Community Center on Hwy 415. Parking and restrooms are excellent. We went west over the pedestrian/bicycle bridge and rode approx 6 miles to Green Springs. Easy ride with about half of the trail covered by a canopy of tree limbs. We visited the Springs and then had lunch at a park bench by the boat ramp over-looking Lake Monroe. We then rode the 6-miles back. A very easy-going enjoyable 12-mile ride. I will return to do the complete ride on the east section of Osteen and then turning back west and ride past Green Springs on the one-way 12-mile ride at a higher rate of speed. Must be a great kept secret as there were only a few people out on a Saturday!
Thank you for the trail.
Good shade well maintained but mileage is poorly marked. Boombah softball field is a good rest stop with rocking chairs, shade and clean restrooms. Walking is fine not much of bike path due to all the stops.
If you are in to going fast than use the roads, this is for relaxing rides. Not sure why there are so many complaints, I find the trail quite relaxing and very nice. Not sure where people are riding saying they have to stop ever 1/4 mile. I've been riding this trail since it first opened. I remember walking down the railroad tracks that follow the same path when I was a teenager back in the early 70's.
We parked at Thornby Park, Restrooms and water. There were several parking areas also nearby and all marked nicely. We headed east and weren't sure how far the trail went. Some maps I looked at showed all the way to Titusville. It actually ends 8 miles. Five miles in there is a great diner (recommended by another reviewer), Osteen's Diner is a great stop to take a break and grab a bite to eat. This is a beautiful 8 mile, tree shaded trail with lots to see. Head west and you're on the Spring to Spring trail for an additional 8 miles. We'll possibly do that trail another day.
Lake Monroe is around the corner from where we parked, beautiful view.
Not marked very well and lots of stopping for traffic lights
We came to Florida from the north to get in some riding at the start of spring. This route is perfect. It is 22 miles from end to end but you could continue. Wide shoulder, courteous drivers and lots of beaches to stop at.
Tips: 1) do not take the Jungle Trail - it is sand, has no view and is frustrating; 2) you can eat in San Sebastian Inlet State Park and though it is $2 to get in, it is worth it; 3) if you come from the South cut in at the 7 Eleven at Sea Gull Dr. and go into the beach part of Vero Beach as it is great back there, lots of shops, foods and a market on Saturdays; 4) Spend some time in Round Island Beach park as you can see manatees and go to the ocean for a swim on the other side.
This ride really made our trip and was a nice compliment to General Van Fleet and others that are totally segregated. Highly recommended.
Perhaps I should have read the reviews more closely. We were on cross bikes with 28 mm tires and we started at the north end. All sand until we got off and rejoined the A1A trail. Very hard to ride even though we ride cottage roads up north with the same style of bike. Too much soft sand.
The biggest disappointment is that there is nothing to see. No cut outs so you can see the reserve, no easy access benches or tables or wooden walkways. No animals and then the brutal part where you have million dollar houses on either side with a thin row of jungle in between.
This trail was a great start to our vacation as it is flat and about 22 miles long. We enjoyed the whole thing which has about 750 ft. of elevation change. Best part is Winter Garden which is a beautiful town with a couple of fantastic bike shops and lots of places to eat. It is about 6 miles in from the western end of the trail. Also loved the West Orange Bikes and Rentals as they set us up with great bikes for the week.
Just a caution that much of this trail goes, or will go, thru areas popular with hunters, in season.
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