Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail

With winter approaching and freezing temperatures at home it seemed like the ideal time to cycle the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. This 106.5 mile Rail-Trail offers a scenic tropical bicycling adventure without leaving the continental United States. See TrailLink.com for a trail description and map.

The trail runs on Henry Flagler’s old railroad from mile marker 106 in Key Largo to mile marker 0 in Key West, Florida parallel to US Route 1. While more than 75 miles of the rail-trail were paved, several large sections of the trail and bridges were recently damaged by hurricane Irma. Unfortunately, much of the damage has not been repaired yet. As a result, cyclists are forced on to the roadway on bike lanes or narrow shoulders with the usual road debris and hazards. I was riding a new bike and hadn’t bullet proofed my tires yet and I did experience a flat. See my post on “How I Eliminated Flats Forever!” for more details on how to avoid getting flats.

So, riders beware! Although this trail is classified as a rail trail, it is not for the faint of heart when it comes to riding on the road. Expect a lot of road cycling on a busy highway with cars and large trucks speeding by along side of you. In addition, the trail continually changes from side to side along US Route 1 forcing cyclists to cross the highway.

Ken Whittaker