We walked this in two different sections. The first time we started in Madison, where you have to just park on the side of the road, and walked almost to the picnic area just outside of Pinetta. The next time we parked in Pinetta at the parking area in town by the picnic tables and restrooms and walked to the river and then back to the same picnic area outside of Pinetta. Most of the trail is very shady, which is great in our southern heat. If you are heading to the river, be sure and spray with Off or some other type of bug repellent as the biting flies can be pretty bad at times. Wish I could figure out how to upload my pictures because it is really a pretty hike.

From beginning to end the ride took about an hour each way. The shade and rest spots along the way were a welcomed reprieve from the sun and gave us a chance to apply more sunscreen and drink some water. The ride takes you past numerous pastures and livestock. Shady oaks cover most of the trail. It was a bit difficult to find parking. We ended up parallel parking on a residential street.

The Four Freedoms Trail is a pretty 12 mile trail that parallels a state highway for much of the way. A strip of trees provides a buffer from the road noise and wind. It has several sections of oak canopy and traverses some very pretty countryside. The final two plus miles north of Pinetta are more isolated and do not parallel the highway. Unfortunately, as others have pointed out, the trail is poorly maintained. I rode my road bike (with cyclocross tires) on today's ride. There are numerous tree roots, some potholes, sandy spots, and a lot of debris (leaves, twigs, branches) on portions of the trail. The majority of the trail is doable for road bikes but the section immediately south of Pinetta (miles 7 to 8.5) is very rough and is best suited for mountain bikes or hybrids. The trail has great potential if someone from the state or county is willing to take care of it.

I rode this trail on 3/27/19, the day after a thunderstorm. Be that as it may, the trail is not well-maintained. The leaves were piled up almost to the pedals at places, lots of cracks and breaks in the asphalt and there were lots of exposed tree roots that were not marked. The area is quiet, beautiful, the trail does not seem well-used. I only passed 3 people along my ride.

Great trail for hilly terrain and good views.

We began our ride at the little park in Pinetta where we used the restrooms before heading towards Madison. The first couple of miles was littered with branches and upheavals from tree roots, but soon improved. Although the trail parallels the highway, there is enough distance between the two that the moderate traffic is not much of a distraction. The biggest detractor for us was that in our 19 mile round trip ride there were no other restrooms until our return. As we ride slow, and my wife is disabled, it was a real inconvenience. Other than that it was a pleasant ride.

My husband and I really enjoyed this ride. We parked at the airport and rode by the golf course. It was relaxing and quite enjoyable. Just a few small crossroads. Very nice!

Biked the stretch from the library downtown out to the golf courses at Cherokee and back. Nice stretch with 2 shaded bench rest stops with water. A few road crossing with decent sight lines. Saw a dozen folks working out and 2 folks transporting themselves via bike to/from work. Nice to see it used, miles marked, and two trailheads.

The trail begins in the gorgeous old town of Madison and courses north to the Withlacoochee River and the Georgia border. This is a trail to go slow on and savor every rolling hill, farm, stands of trees, a tiny town that time has passed by; in other words, a journey into the agricultural, rural past of the country. I loved this trail; there wasn’t another soul on it for the 24 miles round trip.