Find the top rated running trails in Marathon, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
There are only small sections of this advertised trail that are dedicated and away from traffic. Shared lanes are tight and very dangerous. We were disappointed to find out that the dedicated bike bridge, at 7 mile bridge stops at pigeon key. There are some portions of pave bike trail throughout key Largo that are off the road and offer a little buffer. I would not recommend segments that are shared with car traffic. This is not a true, 106 mile trail.
Very disappointing. We came to ride but is incredibly dangerous. Many multi use bridges across the ocean are closed as they are not being maintained. Therefore bikers must bike on the overseas highway where shoulders are narrow. Several places the biker must actually cross the highway which is extremely busy and dangerous.
We rode some sections but avoided the parts of the trail that did not seem safe. Parts of the trail are littered. The trail surface in some parts is in bad shape. But... riding over the water was pretty awesome.
We are in our early 60's and have biked several trails in recent years. We chose the Heritage Trail (Key Largo to Key West) to bike with another couple of who had never biked long distance and point to point with gear. We thought this would be a good trail since it was relatively short in distance and flat. As has been stated in other reviews, parts of the trail were well-maintained, the scenery was beautiful and we had some of the best meals/drinks ever on vacation. HOWEVER, if Florida wants this to be a tourist attraction, much trail work needs to be done. Some sections were littered with trash and road gravel and several pedestrian/cyclist bridges were closed, necessitating crossing to the next key alongside cars and trucks. This trail gave new meaning to "switchbacks" and crossing US1 was often challenging--a few designated crosswalks/caution lights would have been nice (take notes from Sanibel). The most harrowing was south of Cudjoe Key where we shared the road for about 4 miles. There was very little signage in spots and the trail would just end. Our friends opted to take a shuttle across 7 mile bridge due to safety concerns which were valid. We observed speeders who "passed" other cars and came dangerously close to us. Generally most drivers were respectful of cyclists; there was just a lot of traffic. While parts of the trail were great, overall we would not recommend to a novice rider or a low risk taker. Riding sections that are cyclist friendly are recommended until Florida Parks can make significant improvements for a safe and enjoyable thru ride.
The views are great for those of us who don't live near water, but the trail is in need of major repairs. South of Marathon, most of the trail bridges have been closed so you will need to use the bike lane on the road.
What a great concept and if repaired I would like to ride it again.
If you’re up for an adventure and are comfortable enough riding with tractor trailers, speeding traffic, and trucks towing huge boat trailers, this is the ride for you. I did it in September 19-20, 2020 solo, starting at Dagney Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park. My husband supported my ride and had a cooler full of water, Gatorade, and cold towels soaked in icy water. I rode it in two segments, stopping in Marathon for the night. Although day 2 was less mileage, the stretch from Sugarloaf to KW was a killer with no shade, and a confusing and disjointed trail. It was of course blinding sun and scorching heat—and even by my standards (I am from Florida and used to the heat). I made it and was no worse for wear. Just did it again this weekend. 5/28/22
Beautiful area and views. I live in the keys so I ride sections of the trail with the bike path and some small bridges. I do not fell safe riding on the road. Too many cars.
My husband and I rode from Marathon to Key West. IMO The trail is not scenic or safe. Most of the ride is next to the highway where you encounter road debris. Our biggest disappointment was not being able to bike across the seven mile bridge. Only 2 miles have been repaired. Skip this one.
A gorgeous 2 mile ride out to Pigeon Key where the entrance fee is $30 for the day. We didn’t go in. We went on Tuesday, February 8 at the peak of the tourist season. Plenty of parking and the all bike and walking bridge was not crowded. Weekends ends may be different. The refurbished bridge is an easy ride. saw at least a dozen Spotted rays swimming along with a few small sharks. If you are in the area, don’t miss this.
I only rode short distances on Key Largo where there were so very many commercial entrances and exits that I road into the parking lots to avoid cars. The mid keys of Grassy Key and Marathon were better. Some historic bridges have excellent separate hike/bike crossings while others are dangerously close to high speed car lanes. Only saw 2 or 3 long distance bikers, mostly short distance day bikers. Completing this trail is only for courageous bike trail die hard challengers.
We biked about 8 miles of the west end of the trail from Sugarloaf Key to Lower Sugar loaf. The majority of the trail was on the road right along US1 with car and trucks flying by within 5 feet or so at 45+ mph. We did NOT feel safe or relaxed. Would not recommend.
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