Alafia River State Park Review
Looking for a great place to mountain bike that offers a wide range of terrain and a thick lush area to ride through? Alafia River State Park has what you are looking for! Located a short drive from Tampa, Florida you will find about 22 miles of single track trails that have beginner trails that are flat to the more advanced trials that offer roller coasters, and drop offs along with lots of hairpin turns.
I came down here to Tampa, Florida for a week of vacation and wanted to go to a mountain bike park that has a lot to offer. After doing a search on Google, I came to a website that gave a lot of valuable information about Alafia River State Park. And this is where I mountain biked for about three days during my vacation and it’s definitely worth going to this park to ride. At Alafia River State Park, there are also campgrounds along with plenty of picnic tables.
Your probably wondering what the trails look like right? If you go, I am confident that you won’t be disappointed at what you will encounter. With 22 miles of single track trails you will find something that is suitable for your type of trail riding.
After you park your vehicle at the trailhead get your bike tuned up, you will be itching to start riding. Buckle that helmet and put on your bike shoes along with your bike gloves and make sure you have enough water with you and you’ll be all set to start mountain biking through Alafia River State Park. To get warmed up, hop on your bike, get clipped in and begin to leave the trailhead and stay to the right as you will then be heading to the North Creek trail witch is a two mile long intermediate single track trail. As you begin to ride this trail, you will see that there are plenty of trees around you and few swampy areas. But for the trail itself goes, you will encounter plenty of tree roots in the trails, lots of turns, some short rugged down hills, man made bridge crossings, some technical areas that will force you to go slow though. Once you get through the North Creek trail and you need a break from taking a beating from being jolted around so much from this technical trail, hop onto the River Loop trail witch is an easy trail that makes its way through the southeastern part of the park and north to the Rock Garden trail. But if you desire a challenging set of single track trails where you can really see how skilled you are at this adventurous sport, head over to the black diamond and double black diamond trails. These trails are Rollercoaster, Moonscape, Rabbit Ears and also Gatorback. You will definitely be thrilled when you begin to start riding these advanced and very technical trails while you notice the drop offs steep hairpin turns, enough rugged terrain and a lot of water crossings.
With all the different types of trails to choose from there is something here for every skill level. Whether you want to bring a young child with you and ride the easy trails that are flat with only a few bumps and then have some food at one of the picnic tables, you will be able to do just that. If you are like me and what to put in ten or fifteen miles of riding, you will really begin to notice how well this park is maintained as you meander through the easy, intermediate and also the more advanced trails here at Alafia River State Park witch is located not too far from Tampa, Florida.
