Florida's Rail Trails and Paved Bike Paths, Region by Region

October 9, 2026 · 5 min read · My FL Guide

Old railroad beds and drainage easements left Florida with something most states would pay for: miles of flat, straight, car-free pavement running between towns that are close enough together to ride. A rail trail is the easiest outdoor day in the state to plan, because the only decisions are where to park and which end you start from.

Distances below are the ones our own listings record for each trail. Trail alignments do get extended and re-routed, so treat those as the planning number, and use the trailhead address to get there.

Northeast Florida

• Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail - the state's most famous rail-trail: 16 paved miles from Gainesville's Boulware Springs to Hawthorne, running alongside Paynes Prairie. Completely flat, and the wildlife is not a rumor - expect bison and alligators from the edge of the path.
• Jacksonville-Baldwin Trail - 14.5 paved miles from Jacksonville's Westside to Baldwin, one of the longest in Northeast Florida. Flat, shaded and car-free, which makes it the family-ride pick, and it connects to the Bayard Trail.
• Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail - the first section of the planned Palatka-to-St. Augustine route: a paved rural path through pine woods and farm country near Elkton. Quiet, flat, and a good long road-bike ride without a single car.

Central Florida

• Seminole Wekiva Trail - 14 paved miles from Altamonte Springs to Sanford, paralleling the Wekiva River basin. Popular with road cyclists and birders, and it links to the Cross Seminole Trail and Wekiwa Springs State Park.
• West Orange Trail - one of the best in the state: 22 paved miles from Apopka to Winter Garden, through woods and citrus country. The historic downtown Winter Garden station, playgrounds and bike-rental stops are all on the route.
• Lake Apopka Loop Trail - a paved 21-mile loop around the north shore of Lake Apopka through restored farmlands and marsh, with alligators and birds, a wildlife drive alongside it, and no motor traffic on the trail itself. Trailhead at 2850 Lust Road, Apopka.
• Lake Minneola Scenic Trail - a paved lakeside path around Lake Minneola with 5 miles of roller-coaster hills, beach and dock access, and a link to the South Lake Trail if you want a longer day in Clermont's hill country.
• South Lake Trail - a 19-mile paved network linking Clermont, Minneola, Groveland and Mascotte, with lake views and hills. It ties into both the Lake Minneola trail and the Van Fleet State Trail.
• General James A. Van Fleet State Trail - Florida's longest rail-trail: 29 paved miles from Polk City through Mabel and Green Pond, with equestrian and hiking lanes beside the pavement and very few road crossings. This is the one for a steady, uninterrupted effort.

Tampa Bay

• Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail - the backbone of Tampa Bay cycling: a 38-plus-mile paved rail-trail from St. Petersburg through Dunedin to Tarpon Springs, with cafes, breweries and parks along the way. Bike rentals are available at shops on the route, so you can ride it without owning anything.
• Courtney Campbell Causeway Trail - 4-plus miles along the causeway between Tampa and Clearwater, with open views across Old Tampa Bay, fishing piers and Ben T. Davis Beach. Flat and exposed - the best sunrise and sunset ride in the bay, and the least shaded.
• Duke Energy Bike Trail - about 6 paved miles through the Countryside and Safety Harbor areas of Pinellas County, linking neighborhoods to parks and, at the south end, to the Pinellas Trail.
• Bayshore Boulevard Trail - a 4.5-mile waterfront path along Hillsborough Bay and one of the longest continuous waterfront sidewalks anywhere, with the downtown skyline in front of you the whole way.
• Flatwoods Park, Thonotosassa - 7-plus miles of paved and natural trails through pine flatwoods, with the paved loop open to bikes and walkers. Shaded, flat, and the Tampa-area standby when the causeway is too windy.

Southwest Florida

• John Yarbrough Linear Park, Fort Myers - a 7-mile paved linear trail along Six Mile Cypress Parkway in the south part of the city, popular with cyclists, walkers and skaters, and it connects to the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.
• Del Prado Linear Park, Cape Coral - a paved linear park along Del Prado Boulevard that gives the north Cape an off-road route for bikes and walkers instead of a shoulder on a six-lane road.

And when you would rather have dirt

Not everything with a trailhead is pavement. Three unpaved options our listings cover, for the days you would rather not share the path with a road bike:

• Santos Trailhead and Mountain Bike Trails, Ocala - the state's mountain-biking capital in the Ocala National Forest: 80-plus miles of marked single-track from beginner to expert, plus a BMX track, camping and the paved Cross Florida Greenway crossing the property.
• Alafia Bike Park, Lithia - 30-plus miles of hand-built single-track, flow trails and jumps carved into reclaimed phosphate land at Alafia River State Park. The Tampa area's answer to a bike park.
• CREW Flint Pen Strand Trails, Bonita Springs - a multi-use trail system through pine flatwoods and cypress domes, popular with mountain bikers, runners and equestrians, and dog-friendly.

How to plan a rail-trail day

• Pick a linear trail and decide on an out-and-back, or stage two cars at two trailheads. Most of these are point-to-point, and the whole point is that you never touch a road.
• Read the shade before you read the distance. The Courtney Campbell Causeway is the most scenic and the most exposed path on this list; the Jacksonville-Baldwin and Van Fleet trails are the shaded ones.
• Water, then more water. A 29-mile rail trail with few road crossings means few places to refill - plan for the distance you are actually riding, not the one you meant to.
• Rules vary by who manages the trail. Counties, the state park system and the Forest Service each publish their own speed limits, e-bike rules and leash rules, so check the managing agency's page for the trail you have chosen.
• Check trail status before a long drive. Resurfacing and storm debris close sections, and the managing agency is the only place that knows.

Every trail above has a full card in My FL Guide with its trailhead address, what it is best for, and the parking note. Filter by region, sort by distance, and take the flat day.