My favorite trail in Central Florida is the Withlacoochee Trail State Park. A linear state park that runs through the Withlachoochee State Forest. It is 46 miles long, 12 feet wide, and the surface is paved asphalt. There is an equestrian trail adjacent to the main trail. The southern terminus is off U.S. 301/98 in Pasco County. The northern terminus is on Magenta Drive, north of Haitian Ave. in Marion County.
This trail has it all, especially the southern part which is where we skate. Some folks may think of it as desolate, but I think of it as peaceful, secluded, and lined with beautiful wild flowers and blooming trees in the spring and summer. There are large flocks of wild turkeys and lots of deer. The Florida land tortoise is a very common sight and, if one is exceptionally lucky, the sight of the rare and harmless Indigo snake. It is also a bird watcher’s mecca….owls, scissor tail kites, various hawks,and songbirds too numerous to mention.
The Zephyr inline folks use this trail for one of their winter skates but I don’t think they go farther south than Inverness. The best is just beyond. Go South!!!
