the trail is across the road from me bikes go by all the time day after day. we ride on it a lot, love taking the grandskids on it

We came across the Green Pond trailhead quite by accident. So glad we did. Walked to mile 13. Within minutes we had seen a Red Cardinal. Near the bridges we were surrounded by butterflies, at least 5 varieties of Swallowtail. Each of the three bridges had its own Alligator. On our way back we saw 2 Gopher tortoises and lots... More

If your purpose is to get exercise in a relatively safe place, the Van Fleet Trail is a good choice. If your purpose is to see great scenery and wildlife, keep looking for another trail. I think Van Fleet is boring in comparison to some of the other trails, but it has a consistantly smooth pavement surface so you do... More

I went by myself yesterday to explore the rual area of Polk County. To my complete surprise I had numerous wildlife encounters, probably because I was the only one on the trail in the rain. If the sun was out this would have been a brutally hot day. It is a wilderness hike/ride there is no help if you get... More

We wanted to ride in the Mt. Dora area but not on busy streets with Christmas drivers darting about. The few mtn. bike trails in this area are very sandy and offer little thrill factor. A great alternative is a rail trail, these are old railroad routes that were paved for bike an foot raffic, no motor vehicles allowed. The... More

easy parking and it is free. Take your insect repellant and a camera. we only walked the first 2 miles as it was very warm and humid, Take a Bike.

...about 5 miles north of the Polk City trailhead, the trail takes a sharp (maybe 18°) turn to the West. So if the numbing straightness of the trail has put you to sleep, you could wander off (or ride off) into the swamp if you don't make the turn. In spite of the boredom of a perfectly straight trail, the... More