Find the top rated mountain biking trails in Florida, whether you're looking for an easy short mountain biking trail or a long mountain biking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a mountain biking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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This long concrete path links Bokeelia in the north, to St James City in the south of Pine Island.
Yes, it can be somewhat boring, due to lack of buffer landscaping and rest areas along the busy main road, Stringfellow. However, just off the path are some truly unique sights: such as the historically-significant Calusa homeland, Pineland (extinct indigenous peoples of southwest Florida), and beautiful conservation areas, like Galt Preserve.
Off-path side roads are flat, quiet and welcoming for bicyclists, especially beginning north of Harbor Drive-Pineland, keeping west and north. Don't be afraid to venture off the concrete, but bring plenty of drinking water and snacks.
Great photo opps: Bokeelia fishing pier, Pineland Marina pier, Calusa shell mounds, Randall Research Center.
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Note: locally, bicyclists and residents have been asking Lee County, FL to reduce speed on Stringfellow to 45 mph. In the meantime, use caution when crossing Stringfellow Road.
Of interest to mountain bike and dirt riders: numerous dirt-sand roads crisscross Pine Island's many palm plantations. Some, but not all of these roads, are public property. Consult local maps for the best guides, available at Pine Island Library, Russell Road.
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.
It is a nice ride through natural Florida & it’s so beautiful and peaceful, really enjoyable ride.
We had previously ridden the Spring to Spring Trail, which we highly recommend, and hoped that it would be connected to this trail, however, that is not the case,,,,, yet. We opted to take to this trail at the northern most spot which was at Gobblers Lodge, which had great parking and an outhouse. We found the path to be in excellent condition, with occasional rest stops with benches and refuse cans, however, not much shade, so wear your sun block. At the 6.5 mile mark of our ride, we came to the split, where you would either opt for Edgewater to the left, or Titusville to the right. We took the left fork and continued on. Although it was a beautiful Sunday, there were not many riders out, but this part of the trail is not near anything, or any homes or businesses. Just a trail through the natural beauty of Central Florida. We reached Rt I95 at the 10 mile mark, and drove under it, As we neared Edgewater, we came across a pedestrian bridge, which took a little effort to cross, but you can avoid it and cross the road instead with little problems due to low traffic flow. We continued on until we reached the end of the trail in Edgewater and took the sidewalks for an additional mile in order to reach the Indian River, where we had lunch. On our return ride, we stopped at a local deli for some awesome sandwiches, which we saved for later along the trail. We saw some wildlife during our ride, which included an Eagle, Pelicans, a beautiful blue heron in flight, a huge turtle, 1 snake on the path, and an armadillo. We finally reached our van after our 48 mile ride, which was allot longer than I had planned for today, but I hate to stop and turn around before reaching some kind of destination, which usually involves a body of water. LOL. We had a great time, and plan to return in order to head toward Titusville, which appears to be a longer ride. We will most likely pick up the trail at the parking lot just after the split on the trail for this ride. Thank you for all those responsible for these wonderful trails.
We wanted to take this trail at its northest point near Indian Beach Park, just north of 41st street and go southward. Not possible. Bikes are not allowed on the boardwalk. Large signs posted by the city of Miami Beach. We had to turn around.
Rode various portions of the trail over the course of three visits to complete the whole trail. From Killarney Station to Vineland-Apopka Station is still the best bike trail in Florida. Skip the part from Vineland-Apopka Station to Lester Road. Even so, this trail deserves 5 Stars
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!
A good portion of this relatively short bike path runs along the main road which is shared by bicycles and golf carts. Once your reach the lighthouse and town center, the scenery improves and there are options for dining and refreshments. You can take the Cape Haze Trail to the causeway onto the island, but be prepared to pay a hefty $3.00 per bicycle toll to cross over.
I heard from a friend that the trail was now open all the way to Fellsmere, so went to check it out. The gate into the St. Sebastian River Preserve had been modified to leave an opening for pedestrians and bicycles. West of the gate, the trail was a bumpy dirt track, mostly hard packed and grassy. As I approached a wider cross track marked Red Trail, it had long patches of soft white sand. From the crossing, I could see long patches of white all the way to the vanishing point, so I turned back- too soft for my hybrid bike. It might be OK for a mountain bike or beach cruiser.
Going back east, I followed the trail to its junction with the Sebastian Greenway at the county highway 512 and continued into Sebastian, a stretch I had not ridden before. The Greenway was just wide sidewalk for a mile or so, then was set back from the highway behind a belt of tall cedars, set close like a hedge; it continued like this all the way to the FEC tracks beside US 1. Apparently the cedars were planted on the original railroad grade, up to two feet above the level of the trail. They screen the trail from traffic noise and provide a lot of shade early in the day. There are several street crossings, but the busier ones have traffic signals and walk lights.
Training for a marathon. There are water fountains and bathrooms all along the path. It is scenic, few over the road crossings. As a lone woman runner, it is relatively safe as it is well used, plenty of people around, few areas of isolation.
With winter approaching and freezing temperatures at home it seemed like the ideal time to cycle the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. This 106.5 mile Rail-Trail offers a scenic tropical bicycling adventure without leaving the continental United States.
The trail runs on Henry Flagler’s old railroad from mile marker 106 in Key Largo to mile marker 0 in Key West, Florida parallel to US Route 1. While more than 75 miles of the rail-trail were paved, several large sections of the trail and bridges were recently damaged by hurricane Irma. Unfortunately, much of the damage has not been repaired yet. As a result, cyclists are forced on to the roadway on bike lanes or narrow shoulders with the usual road debris and hazards. I did experience a flat.
So, riders beware! Although this trail is classified as a rail trail, it is not for the faint of heart when it comes to riding on the road. Expect a lot of road cycling on a busy highway with cars and large trucks speeding by alongside of you. In addition, the trail continually changes from side to side along US Route 1 forcing cyclists to cross the highway.
Ken
CycleAcrossAmerica.com
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