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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We rode from the Lake Monroe Park TH at the southern end near I 4 expressway to Gemini Springs. My wife is not an experienced bicyclist and does not ride longer distances or on the road. She loved this trail! It is very scenic with shaded board walks or smooth asphalt surfaces. It is moderately busy with cyclists, walkers and skaters. The people are courteous + unusually friendly. We had several great conversations when asking the locals for information. Past Gemini Springs it becomes more suburban along roads, but the initial portion is mostly wooded. We turned around and drove to Green Spring which is beautiful but emits sulfur odor.
We rode this trail in March, 2019 and would like to share some observations. The trail has great potential, connecting four state parks. Personally, when I ride it again, I would stick to the western section beginning just east of Grayton Beach SP to Topsail SP. The eastern section has over one hundred driveways and an annoying surface including paver bricks and sidewalk. In addition, the Seaside and Seagrove Beach areas were very congested and I had to walk my bike through crowds of people. To be fair though, it was during spring break.
Gayle's trails is actually four different interconnected trails, each interesting. I suggest that you park in Frank Brown Park, which has bathrooms and water. The park also is the trail head and has a very useful map of the trail system.
The northwestern start of the trail is at the Dollar Store in Sopchoppy. I suggest you park at the old train station/museum two blocks west, which also has modern rest rooms and water. There are NO facilities (not even a bench) along the trail. There is one trail head at the intersection of the trail and US 98.
Another trail I hesitated doing because of the short distance, but I was able to create a 12 mile ride loop out of it.
I had considered riding down the sidewalk from Daytona beach to this trail but I was very glad I did not. The sidewalk there is very narrow and lots of dips for driveways, and lots of road crossings. I did park slightly north of the trail head when I found a section of free angle in parking at an area where the sidewalk/trail was much wider. This was in Wilbur. I soon discovered I was only a few blocks from a big parking lot with restrooms on the corner of Toronita and Atlantic ave "Toronita Avenue Park" mid week in off season there was plenty of parking.
There is one entrance to Ponce Preserve along the trail and I stopped to take a photo of the trail map. It looked like a very sandy trail and hot as it was on the interior. Will have to save that for a hiking day.
You can continue all the way down to Lighthouse point park which was fun to explore, it had some interior shady trails, and great views of the inlet. There are boardwalks to the breakwater that people were riding their bikes on. People can park cars on the beach there so it may be hard enough to ride a bike.
I continued back north on S Peninsula drive which was very shady and not much traffic. No problems riding on the road. Soon a sidewalk appeared and I switched over to riding on the small sidewalk. There are several beautiful parks you can access from Peninsula, including Timucuan Oaks Garden a mix of formal garden and then a boarwalk out to a creek, and the other side of Ponce Preserve, but unfortunately their boardwalk out to the intercoastal was closed that day.
It would not be a good ride on a road bike, though I did see some in the streets. If you are out for a casual ride, and have a hybrid or mountain bike there is lots to see and do. Just get off the sidewalk and explore!
A fun adventure I almost did not come because of the short mileage but discovered a gem of a park and ended up completing 7.7 miles in exploring the park and trail.
Inside the park the trail is not marked, I just rode on the hardpacked shell roads and explored, outside the park entrance, there is a beautiful concrete wide trail that is totally shaded, a beautiful gem but that section is short.
I parked inside the Tomoka state park (do have to pay a fee to enter) at the "Tomoka Outpost" which unfortunately is closed on Wednesday as it seemed to have everything. The restrooms were open, and the view of the river/intercoastal was fantastic.
Parking was confusing at first, by the outpost most of the parking spaces are for cars with boat trailers as that is also the boat launch. Right next to the building they reserve a bunch of spots for customers/quick drop offs. There is a lot more parking right across the streets but no signs to direct you there.
I first road north on the hard packed crushed rock/sand road and had no problems on my hybrid bike. I even rode my bike on the nature trail (on one end marked .5 miles and on the other end marked 1 mile) it was hard packed and just wide enough for the hybrid. I explored several side roads, one leads to picnic areas on the intercoastal and that road has some big dips that could fill with water but must drain fast as it rained the night before and they were dry but muddy for my ride, I could easily avoid on the edges. The other side road leads down to the RV camping area.
Upon leaving the park entrance, you cross the road and that is where the concrete and totally shady trail is. Beautiful but that section is short.
You can continue on down N Beach street on a sidewalk all the way to Ormond Beach at W Granada Blvd. You don't have views of the intercoastal but the houses are nice and it could make for a nice ride. There are some pretty gardens at Granada Blvd and you can also connect to the Halifax River trail (really a sidewalk but with an intercoastal river view)
I only take 1 star away for the lack of signage, and its a fun adventure on a hybrid bike or mountain bike. Not a road bike trail.
This is an easy trail and the town people are friendly. Hurricane Michael devastated this area. Riding this trail will make you realize how powerful a category 4-5 hurricane really is. Blountstown is more than 60 miles from the coast and Michael still landed a major blow here. Hats off to the folks that cleared this trail! Still nice but not as much shade for reasons you will discover!
This was the first time I have ridden the trail all the way from New Smyrna Beach to Titusville. Overall the trail is flat, straight, and the pavement excellent. There are very few road crossings in the Volusia County portion of the trail. But in the Brevard County portion, there are many road crossings, some that are very treacherous. Also there are benches along the trail in Volusia County and none in Brevard County. Much of the trail is through the woods and beautiful but as you get to Mims the trail parallels US1 and is not nearly as scenic. Overall, a great place to ride if you use caution on the crossings in Brevard. Being flat and straight, it lacks a signature feature like a tunnel or viaduct. There is really nothing that makes you want to go and ride the trail as a destination. I give it 9 gears on a 10 speed cassette.
Attended the ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday 6 April, 2019. About 200 people...riders, trail group pavilions, dignitaries, and trail friends. Official opening of the last link from Spuds thru Hastings to the rest of the segment starting west of Hastings. Beautiful run. Got a newly broken in 40.6 mile bike saddle butt on the new Palatka to St Augustine State Trail, which will become another finished segment of the St Johns River 2 Sea Loop, a 250 mile loop in north central Florida.
Parked in Hastings FL and went east out first to the end of segment near I-95 heading towards St Augustine 24.2 miles out and back. Then headed west to the trailhead in Palatka. 16.4 miles out and back. Little sore in the saddle the last few miles. Overall. A great day, and a new daily distance record. 283 total miles recorded in the first two months of trail biking in central Florida. Mostly rails to trails corridors.
All I can say is it is definitely worth the trip. Beautiful trail, well maintained and friendly people.
I share the same sentiment of many reviews made already. I will take partial credit for not reading the description of the trail in full detail. I had no idea that the trail disconnects in many places and expands through heavy traffic. I also drove an hour to get to this trail, looking forward to 22.8 miles one way as opposed to 22.8 round trip. Very disappointing.
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