The Apalachicola National Forest is just south of Tallahassee, and it's always the first place I bike as I drive into Florida. The first day, I biked 12 miles which included the Munson Hills Mountain Bike Loop. This area had once been under the Gulf of Mexico, but as the water receded, sand dunes were left behind which later was planted with long leaf pine trees. (Trail map at end of post.)
"Mountain biking" in this context obviously doesn't mean mountains per se, but rather refers to off pavement biking. The ground is a mixture of clay (some brought in for the trail construction) mixed with the white "sugar sand" that predominates here. But the word "hills" (as in Munson Hills) is accurate and there are definite ups and downs as you bike. My workout app tells me that I had 870 feet of elevation gain and loss these 2 days of biking.
Some sections had recently had prescribed burns to stimulate growth and remove unwanted plantings and deadfall...
Trees with white rings painted on them have nests for endangered red cockaded woodpeckers, and those trees are carefully bypassed by burning.
I biked 12 miles the first day, mainly on the Munson Hills Loop, and 15 miles the next day, mainly on the Twilight Loop.
I passed through sections that had been replanted at different times, thereby showing the growth progress of the trees over time...
Obviously, this is an amazingly beautiful and tranquil place to bike, which is why it's my first stop every year when I drive to Florida, as well as my final stop on my way home, too! I've biked over 40 trails in Florida over the last 15 years and this is one of my favorites!
Here's the map of the trails as well as mileages. Munson Hills Loop on upper half and Twilight Loop on lower half, with East and West Connector Trails and a few shortcut trails.
Here's the map of the trails as well as mileages. Munson Hills Loop on upper half and Twilight Loop on lower half, with East and West Connector Trails and a few shortcut trails.
