The West Orange Trail is a 22 mile paved multiuse trail less than a half hour drive from Orlando, Florida. I rode the trail in May of 2025 starting in Killarney Station (28.54654, -81.65641). The trailhead was very nice with lots of shaded parking. I started to head out and realized quickly I was going in the wrong direction. I went back and started in the intended direction only to realize I had not applied sunscreen. After sunscreen I was off again but forgot my helmet!
Once I was finally underway I found a busy traffic circle that I had to navigate. It looked worse than it was. There were two crossings here but drivers stopped to allow me to cross. The trail was mostly along residential areas that were very nice. There were emergency locator medallions on the pavement every tenth of a mile. It made me wonder if their placement was proactive or reactive. My sense was that they were proactive.
Much of the trail was shaded and I soon passed an ice cream shop right on the trail. There was a couple of public art sculptures in a park like setting right by the ice cream. Next came the true delight, the town of Winter Garden. The trail passed down Plant Street, right in the median. Trees, benches, a gazabo and other adornments made a very pleasant ride. Additionally, the shops, restaurants and slow moving traffic were very inviting. I stopped for lunch here on my return leg.
There were many road crossings, most were low traffic or driveways but a few were high traffic. The high traffic crossings had traffic lights with pedestrian signals. A portion of the trail passed along a golf course. There was high fencing to protect trail users from errant balls.
After fifteen miles, I turned around at a horse park. It seemed to be a campground catering to people with horses. The trail does allow horses, at least in that area. Good news was hardly any road apples. After my lunch stop in Winter Garden, I returned to my car. I would have liked to explore the trail in the other direction but I was fatigued from 30 miles in the 95F heat.
There were bike rental shops at Killarney Station and Winter Garden. I was riding a road bike I rented in Fort Lauderdale.
For more information see Orange County Parks.
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