We enjoyed this trail so much! So beautiful, serene and peaceful. Two mile mark from parking lot off of Bruce. B down has a water area which is great because going that far with children it’s nice to have a stop point where they can Reenergize. Great for all workouts ie cycling blading or roller skating and jogging due to smooth asphalt

Few trails offer the variety of scenery that the West Orange Trail provides. It breezes through tasteful urban, suburban and small-town vistas near Orlando. The trail is wide, clean, and well maintained. The West Orange Trail has something for everyone, with great restaurants in downtown Winter Garden, excellent trailheads, canopies of shade, and charming suburban neighborhoods.

This trail is 2 miles from my house and we ride our bikes there once or twice a week. The main trail is pavement which is well maintained and very flat (hence the name! You will see many distance cyclists flying through the park, training.) There are water stations every two miles that provide cold fresh water and some shelter from the sun. There are, also many, many off road trails to take. These trails can be challenging due to all the tree roots and the holes created by wild hogs on the sides of the trail. Sometimes the width of the trail is less than a foot. These off road trails definitely require a hybrid or mountain bike if riding. My opinion is that Flatwoods is best for cyclists, runners, or inline skates, not so much for walking. You have a 2 mile walk to get to the trail loop (which is 7 miles) and the scenery does not vary much throughout. Going off road is fun although difficult to enjoy your surrounding as you have to concentrate fully on navigating the path. Although I’m not a fan of walking the trail you will see all ages and abilities enjoying the trail on foot. Wildlife sightings have mostly consisted of birds although, near dusk and dawn you may see deer. We had an exciting encounter on an overcast day with 6 deer close to the path. We stopped and they crossed the path only several feet behind us. I took away one star on this path because of the sameness of the scenery and that once you go in there is no quick escape route if you tire. Proper walking shoes are a must as well as hat and sunscreen, and bring your cell phone in case of emergency.

4 stars MAINLY because it is not a trail. It is more of a side-walk trail through the city’s water front. So like I said This is pretty much a sidewalk trail BUT and scenic ride nonetheless. Great addition if your local and need some fresh air.

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

Rode the Van Fleet RT Feb 21-22, 2020. Combined with the semi-rural
Aburndale TECO trail the distance is 35.6 miles. If you like nature you'll
love the Van Fleet. Fully paved with mowed lawn on sides, then cypress
swamp and longleaf pine forests of the 322,690 acre Green Swamp Preserve. Saw a bobcat, a small snake and plenty of birds. From Park on
SR 33 in Polk City there's access to Aburndale trail going south and the
Van Fleet north. Parking at north end in Mabel take 121st Ave off route 50,
a 100yd long lumpy dirt road to nice parking area.

I just spent three days biking the majority of this trail - Day 1: From my hotel the Crystal Bay in West St. Pete to Clearwater (with a side trip to Clearwater Beach). Day 2: West St. Pete to downtown St. Pete and around the bay (don't recommend this - it was pretty but congested, better for a walk and not a ride), then an evening ride to Treasure Island Beach followed by a long beach walk. Day 3: drove to Palm Harbor and rode south to Largo, with another side trip to Clearwater Beach. The trail is so well signed and generally well maintained. Numerous parks along the way for bathroom breaks and refill water bottles (check out John Taylor Park in Largo - there is much more to this park than the initial parking lot you bike to to use the bathroom) - go deeper and ride (slowly) on the limestone trail around the little lake). The many overpasses - especially in the south portion - add a nice little challenge. I mean how much flat and easy riding can you take (ha ha). I admit my speeds going up the overpasses were slow (in my flat pedal rental hybrid) and I was constantly passed by clipped in men in their road bikes and lycra bikewear, but I never walked the bike (yay me and for those how did - more power too you - you were OUT there on your bikes!!!) and I enjoyed the downhill. What amazed me is how COURTEOUS the drivers are. At four way stops they wait for you and let you pass. At signaled stops they stop for you even before you engage the signal. There are a LOT of road crossings which mean you will never pick up speed on this trail, but because the drivers are SO courteous you often only need to slow down and look and rarely need to stop. (except in downtown St. Pete when you will need to stop at al the intersections). I recommend you take the side trip to Clearwater Beach. The views over the bay are incredible. Like all the overpasses, my speeds on the overpass were slower than slow, but I made it. If you have to walk your bike do it. I want to personally hug every driver that stopped for me and to all the citizens and agencies that made this trail possible for me. I spent over $500 in three days while in your county, so please be assured that investing bike trails is good for your economy.
(If you are considered a trip here - this is how I did it, I rented my bike from ABC Bicycle less than a mile away from the Crystal Bay. The Crystal Bay in west St. Pete was a good location for trail use - The room was large enough to store my bike overnight - just had to haul it up and down the entry stairs and then used the elevator to get to my room. They have an INCREDIBLE breakfast that allows you to fill up in carbs and protein and ride for day. I don't like eating out so right next to the bike store (a quick ride or < mile walk) from the hotel was the origins food market with a great salad bar - after that high calorie breakfast I needed to eat light at night)

great trail, shaded, hills, good views, frisbee golf to watch out for, phillies baseball, overall super fun to ride.

loved it. very cool and shady. lots of rest areas and frisbee golf.