Blessed with flat terrain and ample warm weather, Florida is a cyclist’s dream. With more than 300 miles of biking and walking trails at our fingertips, we ultimately decide that the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail (pinellascounty.org/trailgd), which runs
34 miles from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, is perfect for us, since we’re leisurely cyclists not at all primed for the Tour de France. we choose to explore the trail’s northernmost 11.7-mile stretch.
Starting in Dunedin, my biking buddy and I unload
our bicycles, including my retro aqua Boss with its wide handlebars and cushy seat. You can rent bicycles along the trail for $25 a day at Energy Conservatory Bike Shop (energybicycle.com) in Dunedin and Neptune Cyclery (neptunecyclery.com) in Tarpon Springs, which also has recumbent bikes available for $35 a day.
A quick spin around Dunedin reveals a small town of brick streets, Victorian homes and artsy shops. I duck into a tiny museum housed in the old train depot. Like most Florida trails, the Pinellas trek runs along an old railway line as part of the acclaimed nationwide Rails-to-Trails program.
We circle the bustling farmers market, across the street from a B&B called the Meranova Guest Inn, which touts a “gourmet breakfast in bed.” Good to know. And speaking of food, we catch a whiff of something intriguing — Eli’s Bar-B-Que, right on the trail at Skinner Boulevard, in a converted ice-cream stand with a smoker out back named Bigfoot. Of course there was a line. at the Dunedin city limits, we go up (way up) and over a covered bridge crossing Alt. U.S. 19 (and I am rather pleased with myself for making it without dismounting), which gives us a good view of nearby wetlands.
Little noise besides the clicking of gears accompanies us as we roll along, the rush of wind and the occasional jingling bell of a cyclist passing on the left. The day warms up to a perfect balmy temper- ature. Occasionally, to the west, we catch a glimpse of boats bobbing in the harbors.
Gently angling its way through neighborhoods, past parks and by golf courses, the trail is never far from the coast, places to sight-see or spots to grab a snack. Next up are the communities of Ozona, Crystal Beach and Palm Harbor. The connectivity of the Pinellas Trail has become a major asset, linking together towns like beads on a necklace.
Interspersed among the commercial areas and pockets of woods and wet meadows stand rows of houses backing up to the trail, most with their own customized gates (one even has a tiki bar). I envy these people having the Pinellas so close. The trail, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary, was definitely a tough sell in the beginning. “But once the first section was built,” says Fred Marquis, former Pinellas County Administrator (the trail’s name honors his eflorts on the project), “there was this flurry of building-permit activity to create gates to the trail from people’s backyards. The trail actually drew the community together.”
Though initially conceived as purely recreational, the trail has morphed into so much more. Our companions include runners in sweats, dog walkers leading a canine menagerie from chihuahuas to wolfounds and a row of cyclists in sleek gear, perched on their racing bikes like coiled springs. In addition to hard-core athletes clocking their time, we saw mothers strolling with babies, skate- boarders, in-line skaters and even a soldier in full gear using the trail for training.
Since everyone says hello as you pass on the trail, we strike up a conversation with Deb and Steve, who share with us that they ride their recumbent bicycles weekly and that the Pinellas trail was the tipping-point reason they moved to Dunedin from Iowa. Another woman, Maria, has walked the trail every day for the past 20 years, and an avid cyclist, Morris, brags about logging more than 10,000 miles on the Pinellas.
Riding along, we pass an arts-and-crafts fair in full swing, followed by a flock of bright-green monk parrots swooping overhead. But most startling is the sight of monkeys, chimpanzees and orangutans at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary, which abuts the trail in Palm Harbor. I nearly swerve of the path when I hear the whoops and screeches.
By the time we cruise into Tarpon Springs, a town founded by Greeks in 1936, we’re ravenous and head to Dimitri’s on the Water (727.945.9400) on Dodecanese Boulevard; it requires getting of the trail for a few blocks but is worth it. Located on the old sponge docks, the restaurant overlooks the marina. We choose classic Greek fare — Greek salad, dolmades, gyros and hummus — over the new-age selections.
After an hour of lazily watching boats go by, it’s time to get back on the bikes. The sun dips below the horizon as we manage to grind out the last couple of miles en route to the car. Even though most trail users log one to five miles at a stretch, we have the satisfaction of achieving our 23-mile goal. Next time we’ll try a different section of the trail and see where it leads. pinellascounty.org/trailgd
More Bicycling Trails
- Central - General James A. Van Fleet State Trail
If you want a break from civilization, the Van Fleet Trail east of Tampa offers 29 miles of flat, straight pavement through the scenic countryside. The route runs from Polk City to Mabel, one-third of it cutting through the wildlife-rich Green Swamp area. dep.state.fl.us/gwt/state
- Northwest - Nature Coast State Trail
Connecting five small towns, this T-shaped trail in Northwest Florida spans 32 miles but can be explored in smaller bites of seven-, nine- or 12-mile sections, starting at the hub of Fanning Springs. dep.state.fl.us/gwt/state
- South - Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail
This ambitious trail project, which will eventually cover the entire 106-mile length of the Florida Keys, is now about 60 miles total, traversable in bits. Key Largo has the longest section (24 miles). dep.state.fl.us/gwt/state
- Central - West Orange Trail
This popular trail is just 15 minutes from downtown Orlando and runs 22 miles from Killarney to Apopka. The route is a sampling of Old Florida towns like Winter Garden, 1950s suburbia and rural scenery complete with orange groves. dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide
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