Find the top rated running trails in Tampa, 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.
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We started at the south at the Polk City trailhead and traveled north. The trail quickly goes into rural and then mostly wild surroundings on both sides of the trail. Looking at the maps, you can see the wildlife management area, but the same type of flora is found earlier in along the trail. A few houses, and views over farming on the east side of the trail.
Make sure to go far enough to get to 'The Bridges' which are near Withla on Google Maps. We saw alligators, snakes and hawks, and a lot of other birds and lizards.
Nice ride, almost straight & flat. The western part near Brooksville is somewhat rough & bumpy--probably been around longer than the newer more easterly section which is very smooth. The connection to the Withlacoochee makes it worth doing especially since it's pretty short. Great start in connecting these trails as in other states such as MN, IA, WI.
The past two Novembers my wife and I have joined our best friends at their condo in Dunedin, what an enchanting town, and ridden this trail out of Dunedin both North and South. The trail does have numerous road crossings but bikers are given special consideration and expected by drivers. The trail offers a variety of settings and places to sight see, eat, and just relax. We recommend the Boxcar in Dunedin for a snack, Home Plate On The Trail in Dunedin for a meal, or if you travel to Tarpon Springs the trail runs right by Toulah's restaurant so stop, park your bike and enjoy. We highly recommend this trail.
We have done the Auburndale Trail many times. The trail itself is fine and well maintained, however, the bathrooms are a disgrace! Many times in the past it would be out of toilet paper or slightly dirty. We overlooked these shortcomings, thinking we were just catching it on an off day. Today it was so horrible I felt I had to say something. I also have photos to prove my point but I haven't figured out where to post them yet. The women's toilet was so backed up it was disgusting to even look at. There was toilet paper and trash all over the floor. The men's bathroom didn't have the same extreme problem, but was totally out of toilet paper. A better job needs to be done.
This was a nice Saturday afternoon ride. We started in front of the park headquarters and ended up riding both directions and a little the second time around to get 14 miles. It was easy going for casual riders, but the walkers and 4-wheeled pedal cars would make it frustrating for any speedsters. We appreciated the convenient restrooms. Although we did not visit them, an historic fort, piers, and beaches were all a stone’s throw from the trail.
This loop trail is a great ride and allows for viewing natural surroundings. My wife and I started at the park headquarters where we paid our $2 parking fee and used the restrooms. The loop is plenty wide enough to accommodate slower, casual riders such as our selves while allowing more serious riders (and skaters) to pass. We took the 2 mile extension to the other park entrance where more facilities and refreshment is available. The main path was under water, but a foot bridge has been constructed to get over it.
If one were to ride this repeatedly, it might get a little boring I suspect. But for a couple of northerners escaping the cold, it was a little taste of heaven.
Just up the road from the park is the development of Cross Creek with lots of good places to eat.
We picked a great 1st time ride for Florida! Legacy Trail was well maintained and such a different scene from the Midwest trails. We rented from Popcycles near top end of trail. Easy 10 minutes on sidewalk to trail head. 2 thumbs up!
Be aware that some signage on the Weam Wilson trail refers to this trail as the ' Duke ' energy trail.
Enjoyed the trail. The ' you are here ' signage is much appreciated. However, some of them and the steet sign at the Philies camp indicate 'Progressive ' energy trail versus 'Duke ' energy trail. Which is correct I don't know, just some FYI that they're the same.
Over the years, I have run over 10,000 miles on this trail so I am pretty familiar with it. I am a marathon runner and do almost all of my training here. Every day brings something different in the way of wildlife to see, depending on time of the year, time of the day, weather and luck. You will very often see alligators, turtles, vultures, peacocks, and numerous other types of birds. I have also seen deer, armadillos, raccoons, snakes, hawks, osprey, bald eagles, fox and even a bobcat once. Occasionally you'll even hear a lion roar, as part of the trail runs parallel to the border of Big Cat Rescue. This trail is a treasure for residents and visitors alike. Unfortunately, in recent years there has been a push to develop more and more of the land surrounding the trail. But with the well-placed water stops and restrooms, it remains a great place for a run, a bike ride, or just a quiet walk through some of the beautiful terrain of Florida.
The section we did was from Largo to Causeway Blvd and was easy with changing scenery. The disappointment was the many many intersections. We finally realized most of the drivers do slow down so we were able to cross quicker with less up and down effort. The highlight was Duniden. This trail town earned its name we had lunch here on the way back followed by a visit to a chocolate shop. Can’t get much better. Overall, this trail was a bit too urban for us.
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