[ft-l] Bicycling on the FLORIDA NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL

[ft-l@mailman.backcountry.net (Kent Wimmer/NONFS/USDAFS)]

Hello Mr. Evans,

Thank you for asking about bicycle riding on the Florida National Scenic
between Miami and Orlando.  The FNST generally is limited to foot traffic
only, but in south Florida there is quite a lot of the FNST that is open to
bicycles due to the constructed surfaces where the trail is located.
Bicycles are allowed along 37 miles of the trail beginning on the west side
of Levee 3 just north of the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, and
continuing north to Lake Okeechobee on Levee 2, Levee 1, Levee 1 East, and
the Miami Canal.  Bicycles are also permitted on the 110 mile long Herbert
Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee, and also north along the 9 miles
on east side of the Kissimmee River between the Lake and SR 70 (the trail
leaves the river and follows the service road to SR 70 at the S65E lock
keepers residence).

North of SR 70 to Orlando, none of the FNST is open to bicycles except for
a eight mile portion in Tosohatchee State Preserve east of Orlando and the
six mile long Cross Seminole Trail between Oviedo and Winter Springs.

If you are considering riding the segments of the FNST described above, I
suggest you order the trail maps numbers 22, 23, 36 - 40 using the form
available from the Florida Trail Association web site:
http://www.florida-trail.org/maporderhtml/map_order_form.html

Good luck, I hope this helps.

Kent Wimmer

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Kent L. Wimmer, AICP
Florida National Scenic Trail Liaison
Florida Trail Association, Inc.
kwimmer@fs.fed.us
(850) 942-9376 (w)
(850) 942-9378 (fax)
(850) 386-8442 (h)
Mailing address:
USDA Forest Service
National Forests in Florida
325 John Knox Rd, F-100
Tallahassee, FL 32303-4160
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