There are no mountains in Florida. But there is some shockingly GREAT mountain biking. I say this as someone who has been able to ride many of the best trails around the world.
I have to explain this to many people when I am at home in Florida and say "I'm going mountain biking... so much to the point that I just avoid it by saying 'I'm going cycling... just leaving the word 'mountain out of it altogether'.
It may be shocking, but I would actually ride Florida more then some areas with 'real mountains'. The trail builders in Florida have done an incredibly job of making awesome trails out of the flat land.
In the central/northern part of the state, Florida has old rock quarries used for phosphate mining decades ago which have been reclaimed (With natural trees) creating unique elevations. You can regularly get 30' of up/down hill roller coaster style riding.
That uphill and downhill can add up to a surprising amount of elevation. At Alafia I get about 1,200' of elevation over 20 miles... not shabby for a 'flat' place.
In the southern part of the states, trails have been built over areas that were piled up with dirt from digging sea ports, retention lakes, or landfills.
In this guide I cover the major trail areas that you want to hit if you were travelling around Florida. That said, Florida is fucking huge so you may want to use this little table of contents to jump around.
- If you are in the Central/Tampa area; jump to Alafia, Balm Boyette, Santos.
- If you are in South Florida; jump to Markham Park Or Virgina Key
This is a working piece and not currently complete.
[Trail System] Alafia
If you are only going to ride one tail system is Florida, this would be it. So much awesome riding has been packed into this trail system. There's miles of 'hand built' trail, and then miles of 'natural' here... and it's all packed into one nice area with a central trailhead.
When you first get here, you'll have to stop at the gate and pay $4 if you're by yourself, or $8 for the entire car load. They do take credit card. While the trail system appears to look like a 'mess' of trails, there is actually a loop about 12 miles long that you can follow to hit everything and also cut out any more of the
Favorite & Noteworthy Trails.
All these trails are in my video above.
Moonscape. This is a purpose built double black diamond flow trail. There are some drops and jumps built in along with corners to help hold your speed. Everything does have go-around options.
Serpent. I think this is an underrated gem at Alafia. No one talks about it, but I love it. If you go fast and hold a good pace you'll feel the amazing use of the natural terrain and easily hold your speed.
Gatorback. This is one of the more rugged trails at Alafia. It is more rugged than the other double black diamond trail here of Moonscape. A squirrel-catching bridge followed by a climb starts the trail trail off and from there you'll make your way to the biggest descent in the park. After that you've got some more climbs and a few built features.
Favorite Route: Alafia and most of the trail systems have an intended loop with trails off of it. If it is your first time riding Alafia it is best to roll from the trail head and go to the right into North Creek. (my route in the video above is slightly different as I start by jumping right into the double black of Moonscape)
Here is the route on TrailForks
Is there a bathroom? Have your coffee and take a shit.
[Trail System] Balm Boyette
Only a few miles from Alafia, I think of Balm Boyette as Alafia's rugged brother.
The trails haven't been hand groomed like Alafia (mostly); they're a little more rugged.
There's no facilities and the single track starts a mile or two from the trailhead.
If you want to log miles on the weekends without dodging people Balm Boyette is your ticket.
Admittedly I have a little more fun at Alafia, and prefer Alafia and go to Boyette when I need a little change.
Notable Trails: Ridgeline. I'd say this is the best trail in Florida. It's 2 miles long and runs along the top 'ridgeline' of an old phosphate dig up. When I should people the videos, it's not uncommon to the reaction 'That's in Florida?!'
Is there a bathroom? Nope. No coffee before riding here.
[Trail System] Markham Park
Situated a bit inland from Fort Lauderdale and about 45 minutes from Miami, this trails system will keep everyone entertained with about 9 miles of trails. The trails here stand out to me as being relatively rocky / rooted. I feel like I am constantly getting jarred from little things popping out of the ground. It's also important to mention that Markham park seems 'weak' on blue trails. This observation comes from riding here with my girlfriend. Yes they do have blue trails but 2 of the longer ones, Bermuda Triangle and Mohr Trail, are rather flat and un-entertaining, so if you ride the full loop through markham park and avoid all the black/red options, you really won't get many miles.
There's also some BIG dirt jump lines here, along with some jumps built into the regular trails.
Do Note: To ride here you have to pay a few bucks to get into the park, then you need to go to the park office and sign a waiver and pay a few more bucks. It is kind of annoying. On the weekends this is enforced rigorously by someone at the trail entrance gate checking for a pass to ride the trails, on the weekdays however the pass is usually not checked.
About the trailhead: There's plenty of parking, bathrooms and little bike shop and snack vendor. The shop does rent mid range full suspension bikes as well.
[Trail System] Virginia Key
This trail system is incredibly cool because you get fun mountain biking right on the Atlantic coast in the tropical city of Miami. You can go for a mountain bike ride, swim in the Atlantic Ocean, and party it up on South Beach, all within a few hours.
It's a small park built on one of the key's just off the coast. Nearly 10 miles of trails have been stuffed into an area that is no more than .5 miles by .5 miles. The small area with so many trails and features packed in makes me think of Rays Indoor Bike Park in Cincinnati.
About the trailhead: Plenty of parking, bathrooms. There are rental bikes here but they are entry level hard tails.
Other Notable Florida Trail System
Santos. This trail system is well regarded by many, but it's not a personal favorite. There's lots of miles of XC riding that is enjoyable with an XC bike and then a 2mile section of spicy black diamond, the Vortex trail. Otherwise though I don't feel like the santos trails really keep me on my toes while riding. There are some some nice dirt jump lines.
Loyce Harpe Park. TrailForks. The Florida mountian biking OGs will know this as 'Carter Rd' and recall the trail going through a set of narrow trees right on the edge of a swamp pit.... and countless riders getting bound up and falling in the water every race. That was almost 15 years ago now and the trail has been rerouted.
The trails here are built right on the edge of swamp pits, so no matter where you are riding the, you're just a short fall a way from going it. The trails here can be fun, but I find it really lacks flow. Basically every time you put some pedals in to get rolling, you lose your momentum. I should clarify, its not a bad trail system, but it is a bit of a red headed step child in consideration of the close proximity to Alafia and Balm Boyette.