Explore the best rated trails in Ocala, FL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Withlacoochee State Trail and Neighborhood Lakes Scenic Trail . With more than 33 trails covering 423 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Trail closed, drove to get here and found out with signs up at all the crossings in our area.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/withlacoochee-state-trail
This is a great trail. If you don’t have all day to get a work out. It goes along a beautiful canal that leads to the Gulf of Mexico. The complete stretch round-trip is a little over 13 miles. There are areas where there’s beautiful views and several places to stop to take in the scenery. We also saw a lot of wildlife. Well maintained. Good for riding bikes, horseback riding, or walking.
Bumpy ride, & snakes, alligators, egrets, herons, & hawks. A nice afternoon ride.
I recommend every cyclist and runner … to check out this trail. It’s just amazing.
I rode this a couple of weeks ago, starting at the Florahome Trailhead, approximately 10.5 miles east of the Keystone Heights Trailhead. This segment is in real good condition, although there are quite a few tree limbs hanging down that need to be trimmed back. Even with an early start, most of the trail was under the Sun. It is approximately 12 miles from Florahome to the end of the paved trail, a few miles west of Palatka. I've now ridden the entire paved section from Hampton to Palatka, approximately 31.5 miles. Surprised at how lightly traveled this trail is compared to the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail which is only 14.5 miles in length.
This is a great trail, beautiful shade. We saw deer, otter, a rat snake, and a pigmy rattlesnake. We love nature and if you don’t bother it, it won’t bother you. Lots of places to sit, as well as overview spots. Flat for most of the trail that we did. I recommend it highly
Did not ride the complete trail but it’s August in Florida so… We did enjoy the part we rode from the nice little park in Elkton to East Palatka. I wish we could have crossed the St John’s River but it was just a bit too far. The next time we’re in the area we can complete the journey!
You will see parking area just a little ways past the Palatka airport Wonderful trail quiet, smooth, shady Beautiful old oaks and gentle streams No major road crossings
Did the entire trail and came in with 64 miles overall on roller skates. Started Trenton. The Trenton asphalt isn’t too great quality but it is doable. The Suwannee River Bridge is beautiful but usually where the traffic of the trail is. Skated to the end in Cross City. It’s very open in this section which can be difficult with wind. I will say the surface is better in this leg. Skated back from Cross City and took the Wilcox Junction to Chiefland. The Chiefland leg is shaded and has a good quality surface for most of it. All three of the depots are cute. I think Chiefland’d depot is the prettiest….but also getting to it sucks since you must cross a busy road. Overall, this trail is quiet and a beautiful tel. Saw a garter snake and lots of rabbits
Rode this trail from Keystone Heights east for about 12 miles (6 out and back) years ago not long after it opened. Today, I rode west from the trail head in Keystone Heights (located on SR 100 one block west of SR 21 between the CVS and Wendy's). The trail went 9 miles west toward Lake Butler before it ended at Navarre St in Hampton. There is a decent sized green space area off the road for parking if wanting to begin the ride at this end. The first three miles from K.H. had quite a few road crossings and then the next six miles had a few more. Most of this section was shaded (I started at 8:30). There were a handful of cyclists, one runner, and one walker with a baby stroller. Going east from K.H., the first couple of miles had many road crossings. Afterward, most were dirt roads leading to people's property. Three miles from the trail head is the Keystone Soccer Club and six miles is a Sunoco Store for those who might need bathroom facilities. After that, there was nothing until the Florahome Trailhead at 11 miles. This is where I turned around and headed back for a 40 mile ride. This section of the ride was barely shaded (after 10:00 by this time) and I didn't pass any cyclists and only a few walkers/runners. This was surprising. However, I did come across at the Florahome trail head a small group of cyclists that I rode back with. That was nice. Overall, the pavement that I rode was in excellent condition. Next time I ride this trail, I'll probably start at Florahome and ride to Palatka and back.
Scenery: 5/5
Shade: 4/5
Condition: 5/5
Crowdedness: 4/5
Water Availability: 3/5
Road Crossings: 3/5
Signage: 2/5
This is one of my favorite trails in Central Florida. In this area, the West Orange Trail is the most popular, but I think the South Lake/Lake Minneola Trail beats out in terms of scenery and crowdedness. Except for the portion of the trail that follows the shoreline of Lake Minneola, shade is ample. It is less crowded than the West Orange Trail, except for the portion that runs through the lakefront park on Lake Minneola. This is understandable given the nature of the park. The crowded stretch is manageable as long as you take it slow and are patient, and it's relatively short compared to the rest of the trail as a whole. The scenery both through wooded areas and along the lake is great. On the western end, the section through Lake Hiawatha Preserve is beautiful albeit very short. Beyond the Preserve (heading west), there's not much to see. The trail is in very good shape, but there are a good number of road crossings. Overall, a really great trail that, in my opinion, is more enjoyable than the West Orange Trail.
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