Palm Beach County
John Prince Park. Located at Congress Avenue and Sixth Avenue South in Lake Worth (adjacent to Palm Beach Junior College): This 727-acre park includes a five-mile paved bicycle path that takes you around scenic Lake Osborne. Before or after your ride, you'll find plenty of other activities within the park, including batting cages, miniature golf, tennis courts, sailboat rentals and lots of picnic sites.
Okeeheelee Park. Located at 7715 Forest Hill Blvd. (Forest Hill Boulevard at the turnpike), West Palm Beach: "A very good place to go with children," Phillips says. You can explore this 900-acre park on a six-mile paved bike path that winds around the lake past nature trails, picnic areas and the equestrian complex. The park also offers a separate BMX bicycle track. Plus you'll find a nature center, tennis and racquetball courts, fishing, athletic fields and a competitive water skiing area.
Dyer Park. Located at Haverhill Road and the Beeline Highway, West Palm Beach: What was once a landfill is now "an interesting little park," Phillips says, offering diverse biking trails, particularly for mountain bikers. More casual bikers will enjoy the unpaved path that runs along the perimeter of the park through naturally wooded areas. There is also canoeing, soccer, and a model airplane flying field within the park.
Palm Beach Lake Trail. Located at the Lake Worth Inlet in the city of Palm Beach: You will travel past the back yards of stylish Palm Beach mansions, the Breakers Hotel, the upscale shops of Worth Avenue, and the Flagler mansion/museum on this four-mile trail that is closed to traffic. You have the option of returning on the trail or making a loop via North County Road and Ocean Boulevard (these streets include traffic), for a total 11-mile trip.
A1A riding: Of course, everyone loves to ride along the beach. That's one of the reasons that Phillips says he is able to suggest some sections of A1A for more experienced riders. Since so many people bicycle along A1A, motorists are accustomed to seeing them. It may not be the best choice for families with younger children who need to use sidewalks, however, since sidewalk riding can be dangerous. A couple of good stretches that include bike lanes are five miles in Boca Raton, between Camino Real and Lake Worth Road, and farther north from Southern Boulevard up through Juno Beach and Jupiter.
Broward County
T-Y Park. Located at 3300 N. Park Road in Hollywood
C.B. Smith Park. Located at 900 Flamingo Road in Pembroke Pines, offer water slides, playgrounds and paddleboat rentals.
Markham Park. Located at 16001 State Road 84 in Sunrise
Quiet Waters Park. Located at 6601 Powerline Road in Deerfield Beach, offer mountain-bike trails.
Brian Piccolo Park. Located at 9050 Sheridan St., Cooper City.
Tree Tops Park. Located at 3900 SW 100th Ave., Davie
West Lake Park. Located at 751 Sheridan St., Hollywood.
Markham Park. Located at the Everglades Conservation Levee
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade may be the last place you would expect to be particularly bicycle-friendly. However, there happens to be "tons of great opportunities for safe biking.
Did you know that Homestead established the nation's first bikeway in 1962 and earned the official title of "City of Bicycles"?
The county is also leading the way in the development of greenways for bicyclists and pedestrians. Some sections of the South Dade Greenway Network, a 194-mile organized system of 10 interconnecting trails, are already open and many more are under way. Two of the trails currently open to bikers and hikers include the Southern Glades Trail, a 13-mile unpaved off-road trail that runs through the state-owned Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area, and the Everglades Trail, an unpaved, back-country trail that parallels Everglades National Park. There are no facilities of any kind along these trails, so it's doubly important that you come prepared (the brochure advises you to bring a cell phone).
In the North Dade Greenways project, there are an additional 24 trails proposed. More information about the greenway trails, as well as a Miami-Dade County bicycle suitability map and much more information about cycling options in the area, is available through Henderson's office.
Oleta River State Recreational Area, a 993-acre state park located at 3400 NE 163rd St., North Miami Beach
Amelia Earhart Park. Located at 401 E. 65th St., Miami
Crandon Park. Located at 4000 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne
Tropical Park. Located at 7900 SW 40th St. (Bird Road), Miami.
Old Cutler Bike Path - There are several existing long trails that run parallel to Old Cutler Road, from Cocoplum Circle (Southwest 72 Street) to Southwest 216th Street. One portion that is "a lot of fun" for families takes you through Matheson Hammock Park, 9610 Old Cutler Road, and behind Fairchild Tropical Gardens.
Shark Valley, Everglades National Park, off U.S. 441, 35 miles west of Miami
Key Biscayne Heritage Bike Trip - Children must be at least 12 years old to participate in this unique bike tour, which takes you on a 12-mile trip to explore and learn about the history and natural wonders of Key Biscayne. It begins at the Crandon Visitors and Nature Center in Crandon Park.
Monroe County
The Florida Keys. Everyone in South Florida escapes to this tropical paradise now and then. Next time you go, bring along the bikes because there are some terrific paths you may not have known about. Many of the trails are part of the Overseas Heritage Trail, which when complete, will run from Key Largo to Key West.
Elizabeth Holloway. Monroe County's bicycle/pedestrian planner, suggests some of these biking trails for families:
Key Largo - Overseas Heritage Trail, mile-marker (MM) 106 to MM 92: From John Pennekamp State Park, you can pick up this trail, which runs adjacent to the highway for 14 miles. The trail does have two roadway crossings. The scenery varies from native hammock to commercial storefronts.
Long Key - Overseas Heritage Trail, MM 68.5 to MM 63
The Old Railroad Bridge - next to the Seven Mile Bridge (MM 47)
Upper Sugarloaf Key - Crane Boulevard Trail, MM 19.5.
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