Biking this weekend? Check out these 10 South Florida trails where cars won’t get in your way
Let’s be honest: We don’t live in a bike rider’s paradise.
Collisions between cars and cyclists are a regular occurrence, and you can guess who the loser usually is. The state’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports 2,520 bicycle crashes in Florida so far this year, with 65 fatalities. Florida has the dubious honor of having the highest rate of bicyclists killed per capita, 7.6 per million people, according to the League of American Bicyclists; the next state with the most fatalities, Louisiana, had 6.1.
The idea of riding a bike anywhere near a South Florida car driver is not very enticing. So here’s a list of 10 trails where you can try to ride a bike safely. On these paths, contact with cars is minimal or nil. The paths are mostly paved, wide and shared only with walkers, joggers, roller bladers and the occasional iguana. They’re a refuge from our often perilous roadways and a place to enjoy our gorgeous spring weather before it gets too hot.
Broward County
Cypress Creek Greenway, Tamarac: Park at Fern Forest Nature Center, 201 S Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, or Tephford Park Playground,10301-10573 Southgate Blvd., Tamarac; www.traillink.com/trail/cypress-creek-greenway
The greenway is a smooth, paved 7-mile path along the Cypress Creek Canal. It begins at the western edge of the Everglades; at the end you can continue, using sidewalks and crossing intersections, to the beach in Pompano Beach. Beware: There’s no shade, but there are bathrooms — at Tephford Park, Tamarac Veterans’ Park and Fern Forest Nature Center.
Markham Park: 16001 W. State Road 84, Sunrise; markhampark.com/biking
The park has 10 miles of trails, but you need to buy a pass and sign a waiver to use its Mountain Bike Trails, which are dirt paths with twists and descents maintained by volunteers. If you’re not a mountain biker, there are many alternative routes.
“There are roads inside Markham that are good to ride on since there are fewer cars and they go slow,” said Eliot Appel, a rider from Boca Raton.
Plantation Mayor Nick Sortal recommends this route near the park, which he has been biking for 20 years: “My favorite road is State Road 84 west of Markham Park, a 4-mile stretch that is parallel to a canal. (So no traffic on the right.) Most serious traffic is above and to the left of us; Interstate 595 has the same path, so most drivers are on that. I consider the road safe because if you stay on the right, there is zero interaction with traffic.”
Hiatus Road Greenway, connects to New River Greenway: Park at Welleby Park, 11100 NW 44th St., Sunrise; www.traillink.com/trail/hiatus-road-greenway-
This is a smooth, paved trail with little shade, about 6 miles round-trip, that stretches from Plantation to Sunrise, with lots of birds and lizards along the way. At the southern end, the path connects to the New River Greenway, also known as the Plantation Canal Path (which leads to Markham Park if you want a long ride).
Pompano Airpark Bike Trail: Trailhead near the Canine Corner Dog Park, 1101 N. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach; www.traillink.com/trail/pompano-airpark-bike-trail
Bike the 4.5-mile loop around the airpark, city golf course and horse stables. It’s flat and paved and you’ll share the path with walkers, joggers and roller bladers.
Linear Park Trail, Davie: Park at Tree Tops Park, 3900 SW 100th Ave.; Vista View Park, 4001 SW 142nd Ave.; or Pine Island Park, 3801 S. Pine Island Road; davie-fl.gov/480/Linear-Park-Trail
This 9-mile paved trail — popular among residents of Davie, Cooper City and Southwest Ranches — follows the north side of the South New River Canal. On the east side, it ends at Florida’s Turnpike. You can take it west until Shotgun Road near Interstate 75 but will have to cross a few busy intersections, including University Drive. There is shade along the path; iguanas scurry into the canal as riders pass. Cross Griffin Road for a smoothie or iced coffee at Bob Roth’s New River Groves, where you’ll see lots of fellow bicyclists on weekends.
Brian Piccolo Sports Park: 9501 Sheridan St., Cooper City; broward.org/Parks/ThingsToDo/Pages/velodrome.aspx
The park has a Velodrome, a concrete track designed for racing and open to recreational cyclists. But you do need a velodrome bike, which maximizes speed and has no gears or brakes. Those with more traditional bikes can get on the path next to the velodrome, which offers 500- and 800-meter loops.
Palm Beach County
Lake Trail, Palm Beach: Park at South Lake Drive and Peruvian Avenue; thepalmbeaches.com/blogs/walking-biking-palm-beach-lake-trail
This trail allows an up-close view of the backyards of several Palm Beach mansions. The 5.5-mile path, on the west side of the island, also takes bicyclists to some of the island’s most famous sites, including the yacht-filled Palm Beach Town Docks and the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum. It’s a relaxed, scenic ride with views of the West Palm Beach skyline as well as fabulous sculptures and statues and enormous kapok and banyan trees. Note: There are no restrooms and two spots where bicyclists must cross intersections.
Riverbend Park: 9060 W. Indiantown Road, Jupiter; jupiter.fl.us/facilities/facility/details/Riverbend-Park-30
Some call it a “hidden jewel.” Riverbend Park has 10 miles of trails on a bike-friendly flat rock surface. The trails pass through multiple historic sites, including the Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park, a turn-of-the-century farmstead with sawmill and cane press and a Seminole Village re-creation. About 1.5 miles of the Ocean-to-Lake Hiking Trail, part of the Florida National Scenic Trail that covers 61 miles from Hobe Sound to Lake Okeechobee, runs through the park.
El Rio Trail, Boca Raton: Park at Tri-Rail station, 680 Yamato Road, Boca Raton; myboca.us/facilities/facility/details/El-Rio-Trail-30
This asphalt trail offers a car-free perspective on Boca Raton as it gets riders close to nature as well as Florida Atlantic University, office parks, Tri-Rail and shopping. There are several fun connector paths to the Spanish River Athletic Park and Spanish River Library. “It is also only a mile from the beach from the Spanish River intersection,” said Michael Simon, president of the Boca Raton Bicycle Club. “There is a constant change of scenery from undeveloped scrub areas to the FAU campus. The trail goes under Yamato Road so you can avoid traffic.” However, if you do the full trail, you have to cross major thoroughfares such as Clint Moore Road and Spanish River Boulevard.
SWA Greenway Trail System, West Palm Beach: Trailheads at 7501 N. Jog Road in West Palm Beach and the bend where 45th Street becomes North Jog Road; also accessible by foot or bike from Grassy Waters Preserve, 8264 Northlake Blvd.; swa.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/SWA-Greenway-Trail-System-10
Palm Beach County’s Solid Waste Authority created these paths from recycled crushed concrete, while boardwalks and benches along the trails are made from recycled plastic lumber. There are several bicycling options, including a mile-long butterfly loop and the 1.4-mile Rookery Trail (although it’s closed during nesting season, Feb. 1 to Sept. 30). Eagles, herons, cranes, deer and alligators make their homes in the nearby flatwoods and marshes.
Do you have a favorite safe biking trail? Write to AskLois@sunsentinel.com.
