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Space Coast Area Biking |
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Weather Forcasts |||
Bicycling Forums and Articles |
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Directory of Space Coast
Bike Trail Locations |
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 Here
along the Space Coast we have
trails, miles and miles of trails.
Singletrack, and jeep trails through
wilderness, dikes along vast
wetlands both fresh and saltwater.
Some of our trails systems have
designated backcountry campsites for
a true wilderness bike / camping
experience. For the less off road
inclined cyclists we have greenways
an bike paths that still allow you
to enjoy native habitats and the
birds and wildlife that the Space
Coast has to offer. On the
locations links above the trails are
divided into two catagories, Wilderness
or MTB Trails, and Greenways or paved
trails, and are further subdivided based
on their location within the Space Coast. |
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Overview of Space Coast Trails |
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Space Coast North |
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Starting at the north end of our
coverage area, Space Coast North,
You can MTB nearly all proprties
managed by the St. Johns River Water
Management Area, including Buck
Lake, Salt Lake, Canaveral Marshes,
and Seminole Ranch Conservation
Areas. Another preserve, the Hal
Scott Regional Reserve and Park is
in joint ownership with the District
and Seminole County. These trails
are located within the vast array of
Conserved lands along the St. John's
River Floodplain and contain a
variety of habitats including wooded
uplands, scrublands as well as
wooded marshes and swamp. Of these
areas, Buck Lake, Seminole Ranch,
and Hal Scott contain designated
backcountry campsites that you can
bike to. |
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There are additional recreation
lands that offer wilderness or
mountain biking, and these include
Lake Proctor, Black Hammock,
Chuluota, and the Geneva Wilderness
Areas managed by Seminole County
just west of Brevard's Space Coast.
These offer singletrack trails and
some doubletrack or old jeep trails
where an incredible diversity of
habitats and wildlife can be
observed. Two more properties,
managed by the State are Tosohatchee
Wildlife Management Area in Orange
County and the Little Big Econ State
Forest managed by the State.
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Another biking opportunity exists at
the Orlando Wetlands Park where you
can bike among many miles of raised
dike roads that encircle the
impondments and recreated wetlands
used to treat Orlando's Wastewater.
The wetlands are managed to attract
a spectacular array of birds and
wildlife. |
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Finally, great but mostly overlooked
biking exists at the Merritt Island
National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR)
just east of Titusville. While MINWR
does not have any official biking
trails and the 7 designated hiking
trails are hiking only, the miles
and miles of Dike Roads that
surround the vast mosquito control
salt marsh impoundments are open to
Hiking and Biking and suitable for
Mountain Bikes. From these trails
you can observe literally hundreds
of herons, egrets, ducks, pelicans,
spoonbills, osprey, and many other
species while also viewing
alligators, otters, bobcats, and a
whole varity of wildlife. Many of
the dike roads are also open to
vehicular traffic as well, but the
ones barracaded off to vehicles are
still open to Bikes and Foot Traffic
unless there is a sign specifically
telling you no access. Pack a
fishing rod and a few lures and you
are also set for fishing for our
world class redfish and seatrout as
well.
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For those who enjoy leisurly biking
along paved trails in the North Area
we have the Titusville Area
Wellfields Trail, a two mile paved
multiuse trail preserved upland
woodlands of the scrub habitat of
the ancient Atlantic Coastal Ridge.
The Area around the wellfields trail
is also home the gopher tortoise,
indigo snakes, bobcat, raptors,
songbirds, turkey, gray fox, and
many other species. The City of
Titusville's Chain of lakes Park
Trail takes you around the parks
stormwater lake as well as to an
observation tower that overlooks the
park and the Indian River Lagoon.
Restored and managed wetlands along
the trail offer a variety of
wildlife observation opportunities.
Fox Lake Park in Titusville offers a
bikeway roadway around the park and
offers views of fox lake and a
chance to see everything from
Sandhill Cranes, Limpkins, and many
other species of birds as well as
alligators in the lake. Rounding out
the selection of paved trails in and
around Titusville is the trail at
Sand Point Park as it winds through
this Indian River Lagoon front Park
in Titusville next to the Titusville
Municipal Marina. |
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Space Coast Central |
While
the Central Portion of the Space
Coast has a higher density
development pattern, it still offers
several biking opportunities, both
off road and paved.
The Mocassin Island Trail can be
found within the River Lakes
Conservation Area, managed by the St
John's River Water Management
District and offers about a total of
four miles of wilderness riding
through the St. Johns River
Floodplain as well as an observation
tower, while on Merritt Island, the
Ulumay Sanctuary offers about 7
miles of Dike Road (unpaved)
offering views of the vast mangrove
habitats of the Sykes Creek
Headwaters.
For Paved Rides, yoiu can try the
Walk the Rock Trail, an urban 4.5
mile paved bikeway around a section
of the city of Rockledge, which can
be accessed by bike from the 74 acre
Community Park of Rockledge where a
30 ascre preserve and a paved
walkway / bikeway winds through the
park and offers a wetlands overlook.
Melbourne's Wickham Park offers
paved riding among the many
ammenities of the park including
several ponds, campgrounds, and
access to several miles of hiking
trails. Intracoastal Park on Merritt
Island is a 8 acre park that offers
meandering trails along the Banana
River, while on the beachside, you
can ride the Port Canaveral Multiuse
Trail, which extends from the
campground at Jetty Park past the
many attractions of the Port to the
Locks at Ports End.
Down
in Satellite Beach, you can ride the A1A
Bikepath which takes you along the
beachside of A1A and provides access to
several oceanfront parks. Among those
are Hightower Beach Park, roughly 18
acres of prisine beach and dune habitat
protecting roughly 1/2 mile of coastline
with an observation platform and about
560 feet of boardwalk so visitors can
view the habitat and scan the native
vegetation for migratory songbirds and
other species that reside there. In
addition are the chances to see examples
of
Sabellariid Worm Domes, which are
colonies of Sabellariid Worms
attached to the flatter coquina rock
ridges. Another park, Gemini Beach
Park, has no auto parking being
reserved for Bike riders and
pedestrians only.
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Space Coast South |
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On the
Mainland in Malabar, trails with names
like the Ho Chi Min Trail, the Blue Loop
and Root Canal provide some challenging
single track MTB rides within the
vicinity of the Turkey Creek Sanctuary
while the Boundary Canal Trail a paved
greenways project, provides connection
to additional MTB trails within the
Cameron 100 acres. Three EELs
properties, the Jordan Scrub Sanctuary,
the Malabar Scrub Sanctuary, and the
Micco Scrub Sanctuary provide a combined
28 miles of singletrack and doubletrack
MTB trails through native Florida
habitats. Paved Options include the
Boundary Canal Trail and the Sandhill
Trail while the proposed South Brevard
Linear Trail will offer further options.
On the
Beachside, Sebastian Inlet State
Park has a network of trails, both
MTB and paved which begin at the
Sebastian Marina for beachside
riders. |
From the Trail at Buck Lake
Conservation Area
Photo By Dean
Pettit
Natural Perception
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