| Mountain biking in Florida offers some
outstanding "off-road" biking
trails. Year-round riding is possible,
although Spring and Fall are the
most pleasant periods for casual
bikers. Part of the fun of mountain
biking in Florida is the unpredictable
weather. A thunderstorm can turn
a sandy trail into churning mud
within minutes. The heat will
be a constant companion. You are
also likely to do battle with
mosquitoes and other bugs for
ownership of the trail. Nonetheless,
mountain biking in Florida is
enjoyable and scenic. One of the
best trails is in the Blackwater
River State Forest. There is no
designated biking route in this
183 000 acre forest, but there
is a 14 mile trail on a doubletrack
service road that covers an area
between Coldwater and Dixon creeks.
The sandy surface is most challenging
during dry weather, although rain
on the trail brings its own difficulties...
This will be confirmed on more
than one occasion, while mountain
biking in Florida. In East Jacksonville,
a series of trails begins near
the corner of Beach Blvd. and
Kernan Blvd. The terrain is mostly
rolling hills, although it varies
quite a bit, with twisting rough
cut singletrack trails that are
ideal for the more advanced and
technical rider. Another area
to visit while mountain biking
in Florida, is around the Oleta
River area north of Miami. This
is a six mile singletrack trail.
It is well marked according to
level of the rider. It is best
to start with an easy trail to
test your skills, and then step
up the level if you want more
of a challenge. These trails are
dedicated to cyclists, so there
are no hikers or oncoming traffic
to consider. This allows you to
ride as fast and tight as you
want, although with mud, sand
and slippery obstacles, it is
may be wise to exercise some caution!
For a different experience of
mountain biking in Florida, follow
the narrow sandy track of the
Grayton Beach Recreational Park
Mountain Bike Trail. It meanders
through interesting, dense vegetation
for about 4 miles, and is quiet
and easy - making for an ideal
vacation ride. You are not done
with mountain biking in Florida,
until you have been on the Razorback
trail in Reddick. Rated as in
the top 50 in America, this is
intermediate to advanced riding
at its best! The 10 mile loop
will test your stamina, your reflexes,
and your courage. There is a less
demanding beginner loop of about
6 miles. Kids will feel at home
on their own mile long loop. The
Razorback is about 20 minutes
from Santos Trails. Mountain biking
in Florida, particularly the north
central region, can be packed
into a 6 day trip if you have
the stamina. The 327 mile Florida
Springs Bicycle Tour is one way
of doing this. Covering 10 parks
and a forest, the rural roads
will lead you to spectacular areas,
including the Suwannee River.
For a great guide to mountain
biking in Florida, read the revised
edition of 'Mountain Bike! Florida'
by Steve Jones. More than 300
action-packed pages will give
you an overview of all the classic
trails in the area. The maps and
photos will help you to plan your
trip. More than 80 trails are
covered. There's no leaving this
sunshine state, until you can
say that you have been mountain
biking in Florida! For more information
visit Best-Mountain-Biking.com
Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com
researches, writes, and publishes
full-time on the Web. Copyright
of this article: 2006 Rika Susan.
This article may be reprinted
if the resource box and hyperlinks
are left intact. |
