Photo & Article by Patty Huff
The US Bicycle Route System has bypassed the 20,000 mile benchmark with three completely new routes and two major extensions!
The three new routes are USBR 51 in Arkansas, USBR 76 in Wyoming, and USBR 85 in California. USBR 76 will be Wyoming’s first U.S. Bicycle Route.
Additionally, Florida extended USBR 15 to go north-south through most of the state and California extended USBR 95 to finish the coastline.
After two and a half years of collaborating with many counties and cities, the USBR 15 is now a reality. I envisioned a designated route along the west coast of Florida ever since I embarked on my first cross-country bike trip from my home in south Florida to Astoria, Oregon.
My husband and I traveled on many of the roads listed on USBR 15 and were eager to share our route with other cross-country cyclists. This route includes quiet highways, dense wild forests, and small friendly towns. Much of it is away from the hustle and bustle of coastal Florida which makes it even more appealing – to see the real Florida.
Some of the highlights include crossing the historic Suwannee River on the Nature Coast Trail, stopping in rural towns like Inverness and Floral City with its Avenue of Oaks along the Withlacoochee State Trail (the longest rails-to-trails in Florida), the city of Punta Gorda on the Peace River with its beautiful Harborwalk, then south to the historic Tamiami Trail.
After leaving the outskirts of Naples and Marco Island, the Trail traverses through several national and state parks/preserves: Collier-Seminole State Park, the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Big Cypress National Preserve and the Everglades National Park. Everglades City is situated along the USBR15 route which continues along the Tamiami Trail to the Krome Ave Path leading to Homestead and USBR1 which connects with the Overseas HeritageTrail through the Keys. For more information about the route, visit https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34634828.
