The Adventure Cycling Association, Florida Connector Bicycle Route creates the
opportunity for a total of 534 miles (859 km) in two loop route in Florida that are ideal for
cycling December through March. It joins the Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route, Section 7, in St.
Augustine and Ft. Lauderdale creating the first loop option. A second loop encompassing
Fort Lauderdale, Key West and Fort Myers Beach via a ferry is also possible.
Florida has an extensive though sometimes confusing network of bicycling facilities ranging from 2 foot bike lanes or shoulders to separated bike paths and sidewalks. Some stretches are better suited to sidewalk cycling due to moderate to heavy traffic; in other areas sidewalks will be pedestrian use only. The approach to often nearly invisible short bridges are usually marked with "frogs", "buttons", "turtles", "slugs" or rumble strips.
ROUTE
Heading south from St. Augustine mostly on SR A1A, the route alternates between urban
and suburban conditions along the coast until it swings west at Bulow Creek State Park
and Plantation Ruins Historic State Park. The route winds past many lakes and
sinkholes. Sometimes there huge trucks filled with oranges, and riders may even see a
live (or dead) armadillo along the side of the road. In the Orlando area, travellers
experience the mind-boggling traffic and myriad services associated with Disney World.
The route passes only five miles away from the main entrance. Continuing south, it's
more swamps, farms, and orange groves.
The route leaves the heavy traffic behind when it heads onto the pleasant bike path south
then east out of Fort Myers. When heading to Fort Myers Beach, the path continues almost
all the way to the bridge into the tourist seaside town, where riders can dip their bike tire
(or toe!) in the Gulf of Mexico.
Traveling east from Fort Myers, riders once again leave the tourist corridor behind and
have a chance to encounter the more residential and rural aspects of Florida. There is
ample evidence of the development to come by the presence of the planned community,
Lehigh Acres. Between LaBelle and Clewiston riding companions will mostly be birds
and reptiles. Services through this swampland are few and far between. Alligators tend to
fear humans but they must be given a wide berth anyway. The route skirts the southern
banks of Lake Okeechobee and access is available to ride around it on a path built by the
Corps of Engineers. The route into Fort Lauderdale returns to more urban riding
conditions and the connection with the Atlantic Coast Route near the airport.
A 386-mile loop can be made by using this map with the Atlantic Coast map section #7
map. Folks can cycle from Fort Myers east to Ft. Lauderdale, south through Miami to Key
West, and catch a ferry from Key West back to Fort Myers Beach to complete the loop.
