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Enjoyed the ride very much. The trail overall is in great shape and very smooth. Our only issue was after starting in Keystone Heights heading toward Palatka, the trail was completely underwater and impassable after only 7 miles so we had to turn around. I would put in on the Palatka end next time.
We finally got to ride the western part of the Palatka to St. Augustine Trail today that runs from Hastings to Palatka. I reviewed the eastern part, St. Augustine to Hastings a few weeks ago.
There is plenty of parking in Hastings on Main St. but we parked in the Post Office lot a block off Main for safety reasons. The trail goes right through town and you pick it up on Main St. The first part is through local neighborhoods where unfortunately some locals find it fun to break beer bottles on the trail so use caution. Once out of town you border farm fields with an open trail which would be very hot in warmer months. A few miles down the trail though you get into some shade but not much. It appears the trail is not much used as we saw only 4-5 other cyclists but it was a week day. As you get closer to Palatka it narrows and then becomes essentially a sidewalk and once in town crosses many parking lots so safety could be an issue. The trail near Palatka also becomes very trashy and industrial.
All in all though this is a great ride. If you wanted to go from St. Augustine (actually Vermont Heights about 3 miles out of St. A.) to Palatka it would be a very good ride mileage wise. There is beautiful farmland, creeks with very nice bridges across, and lots of wildlife, mainly large birds. In Hastings there is a fantastic restaurant named Norma D's Kitchen, "The Local Spot" that has great food. Right on Main Street about 100 yards from the trail, it is open only for breakfast and lunch and is well worth either starting there after a big breakfast or ending there for lunch. We had breakfast and were very happy with the food and service, and price! Our next ride we plan to start there and back for lunch.
I started at Lake Beresford Park which has a loop trail good for maybe 2+ miles. Head south towards Blue Springs which is an interesting place especially viewing the river & watching the manatees swim around where you could otherwise swim in summer. Surprisingly lots of people at the park for a weekday morning. Further down the trail there was some construction going on to extend the trail; after that riding on a wide sidewalk for mile or 2. I'm not sure how you'd get to the southern section via bike because of very busy road in DeBary.
So I packed up the bike & drove to Monroe Park and headed north & east. First few miles were very scenic over a boardwalk. The trail is good until just after Gemini Springs where it parallels a very busy road for a few miles but becomes a peaceful, scenic trail by the time you hit Green Springs. Here is meets up with the East Coast rail trail that goes another 7 miles or so to the gap.
It will be nice once this trail is continuous and also connects up with short stretches in DeLand where there's a lot of jumping around on sidewalks, trails, roads, etc. Some signs would be nice to help navigate. All-in-all a nice trail but needs connectivity work.
I rode from "downtown" Keystone Heights east through Florahome and onward through the new section of trail. I stopped at the 8 mile trail marker and think the trail is finished through to Palatka but had to turn back due to lack of time.
My family and friends walk this trail all the time, and drive out to the parking lot. We always see animals and fish in their natural habitat. It would be unusual not to see dolphins here, fishing in the barge canal and at the end of the walk/near the picnic tables is great.
We road the trail today from St. Augustine, actually Vermont Heights where there is parking and bathrooms, to Hastings. The section between Spuds and Hastings is now complete so you can ride all the way to Palatka. The new section is fantastic with some great bridges and farm fields. Most of the trail has plenty of shade also. There is still some finish work to be done but it is completely surfaced and ready to ride. It was great seeing so many people out today from serious riders to families on cruiser bikes. If you do the ride plan on being in Hastings early morning and hit up Norma's Kitchen for breakfast. We were not able to get there at that time but will plan around that next time.
Nice well paved trail. The new extension is particularly pretty.
We came in on the north spur and headed east. If I knew how bad the road was I would have been better prepared. We started out on hard-packed gravel which wasn’t too bad, but as we traveled east, the road deteriorated to a bumpy semi-paved trail. This was much worse than the gravel. We had to slow to 10-12 mph. After we let some air out of our tires, it was a little better but had to closely watch the road for bumps and holes.
Ride this trail today on our tandem. I had been told about the unfinished gap between Spuds and Hastings. The gap is now completed and you can ride the trail the entire distance.
Rode from Green Springs Park to Gemini Springs Park on 11/24/18. Both parks were worthwhile stops. The trail itself between the parks mostly ran along a road and was not scenic at all. Drive your car to the parks and bike somewhere else!
Had a great ride on the new section of Trail. Added a good five miles. This is a very flat and smooth Trail.
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