Mark's Bike Tock: May 2025

The General James A. Van Fleet Train is one of the most remote in Florida. The distance from population centers offers excellent wildlife habitat. It is paved, flat, and very straight. I rode it in May of 2025. I started at Green Pond (28.31886, -81.86212) and rode north to Mabel (28.57737, -81.97610), a bit over nineteen miles.

A couple of miles north of Green Pond is a series of three bridges. Reviews of the trail suggest that under these bridges is likely habitat for alligators. Sure enough I spotted several alligators under the bridges. I did not see much interesting wildlife the rest of the way to Mabel. On the return trip I saw a rough green snake, at least a dozen gopher tortoises, and an alligator along the trail. I suspect there were more alligators along the trail but a small embankment and vegetation hid the water that was along the trail. There was one area with a warning sign about a wasp nest but I didn't stop to try to locate it. I started my ride at 9:30 am. Perhaps an earlier or late afternoon start would have afforded more glimpses of wildlife.

The trail pavement had some depressions that could be problematic if you unexpectedly hit one. These were highlighted with paint. Otherwise the pavement was smooth. There was water at both ends of my ride but only a pit toilet about halfway along my nineteen mile ride. The nineteen miles I rode along with an additional ten miles to the south belong to the state. Additional trail beyond that is locally owned. Traillink lists the Van Fleet as 29 miles, an additional 7.3 miles is the Teco Auburndale Trail.

For more information see the Florida State Parks website.

My biking to do list has long included Shark Valley in the Everglades National Park. The tram road is a flat fifteen-mile paved loop for trams giving visitors a close-up view of the everglades. The road is closed to all but trams and an occasional ranger patrol. You are allowed to cycle here and they even rent bicycles. One of the attractions for me was the almost guaranteed sightings of allegators. I have seen many varieties of wildlife from my bike but never an allegator.

I rode the loop in May 2025. It was 95F and absolutely no shade. I slathered on the sunscreen and loaded plenty of water. The weather was the driest in 20 years so water levels were very low. I did see about ten allegators and many heroin, egrets and similar birds. I had a great time.

The start is the parking lot and visitor center. There are restrooms at the visitor center along with a water fountain. The tram road has mile markers painted on the center of the pavement. There is an observation tower and rest rooms at the half way point. Both the tower and the rest rooms require you to park your bike and walk a short distance. The uppermost portion of the tower was closed perhaps due to the small spiral staircase required to access it.

There are not any sharks in Shark Valley! It gets its name from Shark River Slough.

If this sounds like a ride for you, it is an hour west of Miami on route 41. (25.75651, -80.76614) Parking is limited and fills during busy times. Don’t forget America the Beautiful Pass (senior) if you have one, otherwise it is $20-$35. The park does NOT accept cash.