I’ve been going through a bunch of old footage of my rides. Many of which are no longer doable and some that I still to this day ride. Given the amount of time we’ve all had, or have, I’m editing and putting together a few videos and posting them here and on YouTube channel of course. I’ll be uploading as many as possible, giving as many insights as I think may be helpful to avoid some of the awful mistakes I’ve made when exploring some of these rides. For instance, this video is for the Southern Glades ride, that was much more exhausting than I expected! So note self - don’t ever do a midday ride with 15+mph SE winds. Sure it was great on the way back, but the 1st half against it, drained me for the ride back.
This is an awesome ride that really feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. The C-111 canal, which is what the trail runs alongside, has to be one of the wider canals out there and seems to create it’s own wind current.
This video showing the levee that goes alongside canal C-111 that creates the Southern Glades Trail - one of the southern most points in peninsular Florida. We start right off Ingraham Highway(9221) about a mile east of the Everglades National Park entrance. 1st heads south before turning SE and south in a series of bends that takes you approximately 16 miles to the very end or best said, the beginning, of the C-111 canal. The final destination is Manatee Bay which is a small bay just east of US1 close to where it crosses into Key Largo. This canal and levee/trail combo travels north continuously for about 70 miles!, where it takes on different names along the way like Southern Glades Trail, Biscayne Everglades Trail, Levee 33 and the Levee(L30) which brings it to an end at I-75 just west of the US 27 intersection. I strongly recommend checking the weather for wind direction & strength, along with temperatures before doing this ride. It's all gravel trails, that is pretty smooth considering, but still gravel trails for 30 of the 32 miles, so keep that in mind if or when planning this ride. Prefer early mornings before 8a to avoid the midday Sun and increasing winds. Also, try and get the wind on the way back, which is E or S or any combination of both if parked off of Ingraham. I would say late afternoons should be fine, but chances are high, especially from July-Nov, that it'll be raining or wet and chock full of mosquitos, so again keep an eye out for the weather.
Background tune: Nothing But You (Cirrus Remix) - Paul Van Dyk
