North Florida Bicycle Routes
The great thing about the miles and miles of bicycle routes in North Florida is every mile offers something for everyone. Coastal shores, oak hammocks, and trails lined with palm trees provide a picturesque backdrop to every adventure. Whether you and friends are taking a leisurely weekend ride or are participating in a century ride, viewing Natural North Florida from two wheels is sure to leave lifelong memories.
These routes feature the region’s most interesting attractions and the best available routes to reach them. The featured attractions are the best of what Visit Natural North Florida has to offer. They feature interesting scenery, springs and rivers, state parks, state forests, national wildlife refuges, small towns as well as lodging/camping opportunities. Some of the routes are grade-separated trails. However, most are rideable road shoulders on paved roadways where riders should expect automobiles and truck traffic. They avoid the busiest roads and minimize the use of limerock/dirt roads, but a few sections busy roads and limerock/dirt roads are used as they represent the best, or sometimes only, route available. Generally, the route descriptions note the presence of unpaved roads and recommend work-arounds or alternative routes for those who wish to avoid them. For families with children, it is best to stick with the grade-separated trails.
Most of the routes average between 50 to 60 miles in length. Users can start at different points than those suggested, or only ride that portion of a route as desired. Some of the routes provide suggested side trips. Such side trips can always be ignored to compensate for time and distance limitations.
Cell phone coverage can be spotty to non-existent in rural areas, particularly along the coast when away from U.S. Highway 98. We suggest printing the maps, cue sheets and route descriptions and taking them with on your ride. If relying on GPS devices or cell phones, battery charging devices are recommended to keep such devices from running out of battery before running out of route!
BICYCLE CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Bike Florida - Organizes rides throughout the state
Florida Bicycle Association - Promotes bicycle safety
Gainesville Cycling Club - Provides organized rides in and around Gainesville
Suwannee Bicycle Association - Provides organized rides in the northeastern portion of the region.
Capital City Cyclists - Provides organized rides near Tallahassee and the northwestern portion of the region.
Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association - promotes off-road rides in the northwestern portion of the region.
DISCLAIMER
The Original Florida Tourism Task Force (dba Visit Natural North Florida) and the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council do not warrant the safety of the routes on this map for use by bicyclists. Bicyclists should use these routes only if they have the adequate skill level as bicyclists, and bicyclists must make that determination. All the roads shown are used by automobiles and trucks, and bicyclists assume the risks for their own safety when using the roads and/or routes indicated on this map. The Original Florida Tourism Task Force, the local governments in which these bicycle routes are located and the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council are not responsible for any damages whatsoever from its use.
