Our Favorite Mountain E-Bike Trails in Florida
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With a top elevation of 345 feet above sea level, Florida is the flattest state in the country. It seems like a strange place to go if you have an interest in mountain biking.
Yet, in the past decade, the Sunshine State has found itself with an increasingly thriving mountain biking subculture. Florida has responded affirmatively to the trend, maintaining and developing trails throughout the state. It seems, in a state with significant car and truck traffic, taking one’s riding off-road becomes a welcome idea.
Florida’s mountain biking renaissance has not just been appreciated locally either. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), a non-profit that advocates for trail access and offers information and guidance on trail maintenance, has also taken notice.
They recently designated two trails in Florida -- Alafia and Santos — as “Epic,” the organization’s highest rank. This reflects their status as being technically and physically challenging while offering an authentic off-road experience in a remote environment. Also, the paths offer over 20 miles of riding, with more than 80% of that being single-track.
Santos
Frequently cited as number one and referred to as Florida’s Mountain Biking Mecca, it seems impossible to not start with this trail out of Ocala.
Stretching about 85 miles across Florida, Santos has a difficulty ranking of Intermediate. With that many miles, though, the trail offers a variety of experiences sure to satisfy any riders from novices to those seeking out a real challenge. An e-bike’s pedal assistance will also make certain parts of Santos rideable to those who wouldn’t dare try it with a traditional mountain bike.
The Vortex is perhaps the most fun part of the trail for those who love an intense ride with plenty of ups and downs. It’s the closest experience to riding a roller coaster you’ll find on a bike.
If you love to go fast on an uncomplicated stretch of trail, the Twister portion of Santos has you covered. At just three miles, it’s a fun way to stretch your legs at the beginning or end of a more taxing, challenging ride.
If your interest in mountain biking extends beyond riding and into the full experience of being in nature, Santos more than has you covered. It boasts some of the prettiest scenery in all of Florida, dominated mostly by sand pine scrub forest.
For the flora and fauna-motivated riders, check out Spider Kingdom North. Like Twister, it’s short and great for warmups and cooldowns. It also gives you plenty of opportunities to encounter local wildlife including deer or turkeys. Be warned though, if you do have a bit of arachnophobia, the name is not just for show. Avoid a morning ride if you don’t fancy eight-legged friends.
On the path, riders will also find stations to get drinking water, bathrooms, shaded pavilions, and even places to camp. If you want to make a long weekend of mountain bike riding, Santos may just be perfect, offering you both the distance to justify the vacation and the sites to make it comfortable and easy to grab some sleep along the way.
Santos also has developed a strong series of events throughout the year for riders to enjoy. Whether you are a mountain bike enthusiast, love to push your body to its limits, or just can’t pass up a good costume party, Santos has the event for you.
In addition to labeling it the best in Florida, Singletracks also considers it to be the third-best track in the world. Pretty impressive for a path that tops out at about 510 feet high.
Alafia River State Park
A sort of little brother to Santos, Alafia boasts many of the same attractions in a package about a quarter of the size. These included places to refill your water bottle, a shaded pavilion, a playground, a volleyball court, and a bike washing station.
One of the biggest advantages Alafia has is its easy and plentiful parking. This makes it a very popular spot during the weekends. Still, if you’re the sort of rider that prefers to avoid crowds, weekday riding offers you plenty of empty trail to dig into.
As with Santos, Alafia is the kind of trail that offers riding experiences for all skill levels and interests. If you want to test your physical limits and the strength of the e-bike’s pedal assistance, Alafia can deliver for you. If a family-friendly path’s more your speed, Alafia offers that too.
On the second Saturday of every month, Alafia also offers an organized night ride. Lasting nearly three hours, it's an opportunity to test your ZuGo Rhino headlight, experience a completely different kind of riding experience, and do so in good company. Night riding can be a thrilling event and with others present, you can be sure it will be a safe one too.
Speaking of safety, Alafia also offers a mechanic shop right on the location. If you encounter any issues while riding, you can get your e-bike fixed without worrying about dragging it to a nearby city or ignoring the issue to finish the day.
With a rental store also on location, you don’t necessarily have to wait for those repairs. Rent yourself another cycle and experience some more of Alafia while you wait.
Looking beyond West Central Florida
While those two trails can get you started, Florida has several other exciting paths to enjoy underneath the fat tires of your ZuGo Rhino e-bike.
Santos and Alafia are both located in the West Central region of the state, easily the part of the state with the most excellent trails offered. Withlacoochee State Forest, Loyce E. Harpe Park, and Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve all would fall in the top ten and are also located in the west-central part of the state.
In the interest of highlighting all Florida has to offer, we want to give you some excellent paths in other regions of the state.
The Panhandle: Timberlake Mountain Bike Trails
Another 20+ mile single-track trail, Timberlake ranks as one of Florida’s top ten offerings.
Don’t worry; despite being located on an Air Force base, it’s open to the public. It does require a 20-dollar permit. Given all the other areas the pass offers access to, including fishing, you’ll likely decide it's worth the money.
The Timberlake Trail offers a variety of levels of challenge so novice, families, and experienced, driven riders will all find sections that will satisfy without boring or scaring them. The paths are well-maintained by the riders themselves, ensuring that the only challenges will come from the terrain, not a poorly managed trail.
Northeast: Kathryn Abby Hanna Park
Kathryn Abby Hanna Park offers a different kind of riding experience than most of the trails featured on this list. That’s because it offers little by way of heights, appropriate for the generally flat state.
In its place, the Park challenges riders with sand, switchbacks, and lots of bumps. Even though it's a shorter trail and lacks elevations, it provides a more challenging ride on average than most of the other trails suggested here.
Given its difficulty, maintenance is incredibly important. The Jacksonville Parks and Rec Department seems well aware of this: the small entrance fee goes directly into trail management and the town organization does a great job maximizing those funds.
East Central: Orlando Wetlands Park
Short, family-friendly, and well-maintained, this is an excellent low-difficulty course.
A relative newcomer to the scene at just 6 years old, Orlando offers a pump track for new riders seeking to develop their trick riding skills. For an e-bike rider, the pump track doesn’t offer much, but it's a fun scene to observe.
When you’ve gotten your fill, you can head into the woods and enjoy all your e-bike has to offer. Winding in and around the Wetlands, the scenery and the wildlife are the stars here. Mountain Bike Rides has declared it the 9th best trail in Florida because of everything you can see, smell, and hear while you explore.
Southwest: T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve
Called a “growing gem,” T. Mabry Carlton offers trails that range from novice to intermediate skill levels. As a result, it probably doesn’t offer much for the rider looking for an intense challenge, but will likely well suit all other kinds of riders
The challenges it does present come mostly in honing your ability to take turns on its soft sand terrain. Overall though, this is another track that is more about enjoying the location than besting its trails.
Nonetheless, Sarasota has done a great job promoting the just over a year old Reserve and it has quickly become a popular spot for off-road biking.
Southeast: Markham Park
Stoked MTB declared Markham Park “a trail system meant for those who truly love mountain biking,” and it’s easy to see why.
First, it’s the only offering on this list designated entirely to just mountain biking. This means that the paths tend to be well-attended but never crowded, and you know everyone there is as committed to mountain biking as you.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a strong community has grown up around Markham. If you’re new to the area or the trail, you’ll have no problem finding a fellow rider enthusiastically ready to lend a helping hand or point you in the right direction.
Finally, the trails feature a range of terrains, from rocky to hard-packed to downright swampy (especially after a rainstorm). This gives Markham a safe but unpredictable feel that keeps the riding interesting for those new to the park and those who ride it regularly.
The best part, for you at least, is that all the trails highlighted here are e-bike friendly. You can see how wonderfully the Rhino handles, how suited its fat tires are for mountain biking, and how included add-ons like the headlight serve to ensure a fun all-weather riding experience.
