The Commodore Trail is a 5-mile paved route that takes you along several roads including South Miami Ave., Bayshore Dr., Main Highway and Douglas Road. Sights along the way are Alice Wainwright Park, Museum of Science/Planetarium, Vizcaya Museum, Kennedy Park, Peacock Park, and the Barnacle Historic State Park. Its southern endpoint is just on the other end of the round-a-bout for a connection to the Old Cutler Trail trailhead, an 11-mile trail goes through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the greater Miami area. Along the way, the trail will vary from from bike lanes to extended road, shoulders to dedicated paths, and some caution will need to be utilized. At its northern end on Brickell Avenue, riders looking for longer travel can hop right onto the Rickenbacker Trail for 8 more miles to Key Biscayne.
Parking available at CocoPlum Circle, Coconut Grove shopping area, Kennedy Park, and Alice Wainwright Park.
We rode the Commodore Trail today and found it to be a mixed bag.
There were some very lovely spots along the way where the path was wide and clearly marked and then there were a few sections where you have to ride in the road. The scenery along the way is interesting. Lots of beautiful homes with meticulous landscaping, churches, schools and a downtown area where there were shops and restaurants to explore. We enjoyed resting in a couple of parks along the way. While this is a good trail for adults, I would hesitate to bring young children because there are many busy roads to cross in some sections.
I only traveled on the southern portion of this trail for about two miles. There was one spot getting off of Edgewater Rd where the trail wasn't marked, I missed it and kept running to the end of Edgewater. Then had a wtf moment before turning around and backtracking. It is relatively flat and easy to run and bike with slightly more room than the average sidewalk. However, it narrowed significantly around Matheson St. Basically, you are running or biking on the shoulder of the road with only two feet or less of asphalt. That's when I turned around and headed back--no way was I going to get hit by a car that veered just a few inches outside of its lane. I'm not sure how long this narrow portion lasts; wasn't worth the risk to find out.
The neighborhoods were nice. I felt safe during the day. Too bad you're running/biking so close to the road with all of the car exhaust and dbags that honk all the time. Serious cyclists will probably find this path too slow. There are a lot of pedestrians and car traffic to watch out for; if you're actually one of the three that watches out for those sorts of impediments.
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