Biking Miami's South Dade Trail

South Dade Trail runs along the South Miami-Dade Busway from Florida City to the Dadeland North Metrorail station, connecting communities from South Miami to Homestead. At the northern end point, however, the trail doesn't end. You can pick up the M-Path here and continue north to downtown Miami. The corridor is 31 miles long.

A component of the commuter corridor between Miami and South Dade County, this trail is nothing short of an urban adventure. Paralleling US Highway 1 for most of its length, the route was adapted for and is largely used by urban commuters seeking refuge from Miami's heavy traffic congestion. The trail connects such points of interest as the Dadeland and Cutler Ridge shopping areas and commercial office spaces. It also links up with the Metrobus and Metrorail lines and passes by the Miami-Dade College/Homestead Campus and through Homestead's downtown area.

Only buses and emergency vehicles can drive on the busway, so bikers have little vehicular traffic near them as they pedal.

 

The best aspect of this trail is that all Miami-Dade Metro buses provide bicycle racks and no special permits are required, so if you get tired on your ride, or the weather changes on you, or you encounter mechanical problems, or you simply want to see more of the trail and not have to bike back to your vehicle, you have a good option here...

The busway ends at 344th Street but the bike rail continues another half-mile or so as seen below.  The trail then turns and follows along Krone Avenue.

Cyclists can stretch their legs on this fairly open trail, but you must wait your turn and use caution when crossing its many major intersections. Metrobus stations along the route provide plenty of parking, so you can pick up the trail just about anywhere. Dadeland Mall anchors the north end and Cutler Mall is about 8.5 miles south