Still More Great Rail Trails of the Deep South

"STILL MORE GREAT RAIL TRAILS OF THE DEEP SOUTH"

By Glenn Oster

This is a sequel to my recent article on the Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trails. In this article, I'll describe the Suncoast Trail, the Pinellas Trail and the Ormond Scenic Loop Corridor.

Suncoast Trail

After completing the trails in Georgia and Alabama, I drove to Crystal River in Florida and visited with my bicycling friends, Cheri Fitzgerald and Bob Prouix. They had experience with the Suncoast Trail in their area and agreed to ride part of it with me. We started at the trail's current northern terminus at US Route 98. We rode some 14 miles to a point south of Florida Route 50 and returned. I planned to complete it another day. Several days later, I drove north from Tampa and picked up the trail at its southern terminus at Lutz Lake Fern Road. I rode up to Route 50 and back that day, again with adverse winds, but not so vicious as on the previous trails.

This trail is approximately 45 miles in length as of this writing in spring, 2004 and is expected to extend farther north in time. It's a paved multi-use trail, opened in 2001, built strictly for recreation and is officially designated as part of Florida's Statewide Greenways and Trail System. It does not follow any abandoned railroad as so many do. Most of this trail is in the open, paralleling the Suncoast Parkway, a toll road in western Florida. There are numerous access points with parking facilities and a few locations where porta-johns are available. This trail is essentially flat in its southern sector, but north of Route 50, you'll experience some modest roller coasters.

When I rejoined the trail, I began in the southern sector in the morning and found the trail to be heavily used, essentially by runners, in-line skaters, walkers and bicyclists, in that order. However, as I made my way north, the usage of the trail dropped off substantially.

Places for food stops are scarce on this trail. A rider told me of a gasoline station / convenience store a short distance east of the trail, probably on Florida Route 50.

This trail mostly crosses open areas and is close to the highway; so, it is not as scenic as The Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trails that I had ridden the previous week. Nonetheless, it is well worth doing. You can get a great workout, especially on its rolling hills in the north.

The only trail map that I could locate was on the web. Look up the Suncoast Trail. Contacts, perhaps for better information, would be:

http://www.hillsborough.org/parks/home.html , (813) 264-8511; http://gov.pascocounty.com/pubser/deptp/parks.html (813) 929-1260 and http://www.co.hernando.fl.us/parks_rec/index.htm

Pinellas Trail

Presumably, everyone's heard of Florida's Pinellas Trail. I've ridden its length several times, but in the event that a reader hasn't sampled it and finds him /her self in the area, it's worth riding at least once.

The trail's southernmost trail head is at 34th Street North (US Route 19) in Saint Petersburg and extends 34 miles to a point just above the City of Tarpon Springs. It goes through 18 areas where there are separate maps, though all are not unique municipalities..

The trail is paved with smooth asphalt and in some places has separate lanes for walkers and cyclists, separated by a grassy median with trees. However, as you probably guessed, even though there are bicycles painted on the bike lane and walkers painted on their lane, I observed bicyclists on the walkers' lane and mothers pushing baby carriages on the bike lane. That flaunting of safety efforts will be a question to me to my grave.

Most of the major highway crossings have bridges over them, well built and welcome-come. It's interesting that the ramps on both sides of the bridges have periodic level areas, preceded and followed by the normal climbing or descending grade. I'm told it is to give persons in wheelchairs a place to stop for a break. Thoughtful. The southern part of the trail, up to Seminole, has relatively fewer intersections to be crossed, but from Seminole to the northern extremity, I counted 87 road crossings, excluding those that are bridged. It is not a trail on which to train for speed. Also, ride it in early morning when the weather gets hot.

Amenities are infrequent on the trail, but services are never far from the trail. Detailed information about facilities on or near the trail are spelled out in the trail's website, where you can find an overview map as well. Checkout the trail at www.pinellascounty.org/trailgd/default.htm

The trail is a great one for shorter, light exercise rides. Check it out when you next visit the St. Petersburg, Clearwater area. You'll be glad you did.

Ormond Scenic Loop

Want a scenic 23 miler? If you are in the Daytona/Ormond Beach area, a great loop can be ridden. Start at either end of the Ormond Bridge over the Halifax River and head north. I rode it clock-wise, but either direction is satisfactory.

I started on Beach Street at the west side of the bridge and headed north along a quiet palm lined road. At least it had the potential to be quiet, but I rode it late in the afternoon, and the locals told me it was a poor time to do the loop. I suspect that just after rush hour in the morning would be optimum.

Beach Street passes by homes on the left with a sidewalk partway if the traffic intimidates you. However, you'll eventually have to return to the roadway. Considering that there is no shoulder, you have to ride carefully as vehicles pass in both directions. Along the way, you pass by Tomoka State Park and its sub-tropical forest vegetation and birds. You'll turn east on Walter Boardman Road past more woodland and across The Crabbing Bridge. Turn right onto Highbridge Road and snake your way alongside the river and over it on The High Bridge to John Anderson Drive. Follow John Anderson Drive south past beautiful houses and grounds onto Halifax Drive to Granada Avenue and right across the bridge to your starting point.

Other than at Tomoka State Park, you will have to leave the loop to reach food or restrooms.

For more information, visit the website at:
www.daytonabeach.com/TheLoop.asp
or phone 1 (800) 854-1234.

Who knows, next year on my way to ride Bike Florida, I may come across more good trails to report on. There surely are lots of enjoyable trails and routes to ride, especially in the cooler months. Savor them.

For more information on each Web Page or Trail click on its name.