Suncoast Trail

There is nothing wrong with this trail per se — well paved and maintained, and I’ve found that the people on it are far less space hogs than other trails like Upper Tampa Bay. The only thing not to like about it is that it’s mind numbingly boring. I’m sure being right next to the parkway has a lot to do with that (and the fact that the terrain in the area is flat and lacking in hills or really anything that challenges you) However one very cool thing about it is that it connects to the Starkey Trail and that one, while also flat, has a much better «in the woods» feel. The entrance to that is about 4-​ish miles north of the SR 54 trailhead. You can see deer, wild turkey, tortoises, etc there and there are more frequent water boxes which is nice. Definitely worth riding out to (and you can pick up 13 miles if you ride the whole thing out and back)

I recently moved from a small town where there was no problem finding a route to run along the shoulder of a road. You wouldn’t want top do that around here! Thank goodness for the Suncoast Trail that my condo complex had a private entrance to right at mile 2. My wife and I run it daily. It is clean, well maintained, and provides nice enough views to keep every run interesting which is tough considering it’s mostly a straight, flat route along the highway. Other than the bridges that are separated by only a barrier and fence from the road, it’s actually fairly quiet.
Depending on the day of week and time of day, sometimes we feel like we are the only ones on the trail, while other times it can be fairly busy. Being so long and adequately wide however, it doesn’t really ever cause problems or congestion. Most people seem to be respectful and we always feel safe.
What would make it better?
An overpass at SR 54. One of the few major routes that the trail crosses can be quite a wait to get across.
I’m sure this would never happen, but I wish it was lit at night. It’s technically only open dawn till dusk. I have ventured out a few times with a headlamp, but that’s a little iffy.

We cruised north 20 miles from the parking lot where the trail starts in Lutz, and it was fantastic. A little rise or drop here and there, about 6 road crossings, plenty of wildlife and scenery to enjoy from the nice smooth trail. Going north I was averaging between 18 – 20 mph… the trip north to where we turned around (near the donkeys) took just over an hour. There were benches, several rain shelters, and water coolers for the first 10 miles. There wasn’t much water for the last 8 – 10 miles.
Then it was time to turn around and head back to our car. Brace yourself.
I seriously didn’t think I was going to make it back before dark! We were out on that trail for a total of 3.5 hours. For most of the trip south, I was average a shameful 8 – 10 miles per hour. When I managed to make it up to 12 mph I caught myself thinking, «Wow…I’m really flying!» It was the headwind from HELL!!!
If you’re going here alone and intending to cover some ground, I would recommend definitely making sure your phone is fully charged, bring 2 water bottles, a snack of some sort, and maybe some pepper spray. The area is very rural, there will be miles where you don’t see a house, and there’s definitely wildlife up there. I saw gopher tortoises, deer, armadillo, snakes, and of course all sorts of birds and insects. I’d imagine there’s coyotes and dogs too… that’s what the pepper spray is for… just in case.
Bring $ 2 cash to pay the lot fee.
Also be aware most of the cyclists (myself excluded) can’t be bothered to let you know they’re passing. With the wind and nearby traffic you really can’t hear them unless their bike is really loud, so just be aware that there are a lot of people out there that lack knowledge of basic cycling etiquette. Wear a helmet lest you swerve to avoid a snake and end up plowing into a stealthy asshat on your left who’s going 28 mph and failed to call out «On your left!»

Love this trail so far. It is long, well-​paved, relatively uninterrupted and hosts some beautiful views in the distance. This is the place to get long training rides in without having to worry about stopping (except where you cross the road at 54). If I could change anything, I would place this trail in the middle of the field without the loud highway just feet away, but at least you can somewhat tune it out. I would also add more rest areas offset from the trail as it gets narrow sometimes.
There are a lot of professional cyclists on this trail and a lot of amateurs as well. Both are equally frustrating. The professionals are kind of rude and the recreational cruisers take up the whole path and don’t understand the concept of staying to the right. There are also joggers and walkers but as you get farther from the trailheads you find less of them. I would like to come back with my dog but I fear she would be run over. I would probably bring her in the trailer though!
On another note, I almost ran over a snake myself last time and felt like I was in a video game dodging frogs in front of me. I imagine there is more wildlife to be seen but the cars are a deterrent. Too bad.
I’m glad this trail is here and I love the functionality and natural beauty it offers.

A wonderful and safe place for the whole family to walk, ride, or run. It’s a bit hot through in the dog days of summer.

I used to run on this trail all the time but I stopped after an incident where I had just finished running 5 miles and was doing my cool-​down walk and a group of cyclists were coming up behind me and instead of just going around apparently they wanted me to move completely on to the grass — I didn’t. So they slowed down and went around slowly and made some comment about me taking up space on the trail.
Now this isn’t to say that all of the cyclists on the trail are elitist d-​bags, but if you’re going to go to this trail to walk or run, especially on a weekend morning, you may have some issues with large groups of cyclists trying to navigate around you on such a narrow trail.
Other than that the trail is nice and smooth with some slight inclines here and there but mostly it’s flat and I love that they have water coolers every few miles.

One of my favorite bike trails in Florida! It’s nice and smooth and vehicle free! In my 15 mile ride, I only had to cross a road once. There are a lot of professional riders on this trail for the distance. The entire trail is 41.3 miles, something I definitely will have to work up to! People don’t look at me crazy in my handcycle either. There is a $ 2 fee for parking if you don’t have a park pass. Try it out, you wont be disappointed!

Just recently purchased a new bike and friends told me that I had to bike here. Parking is simple and right off the path. A two dollar fee to park is required.
The path is smooth and well maintained and easy to navigate for a new bike rider. It is great place to hang out with other outdoor minded people and would suggest it to anyone wanting to walk, bike and otherwise get active!

The Suncoast Trail is a 41.3 miles of suck! I say this because I cycle up and down int about 500+ miles a year. The parking lot at 54/​Vetrans is host to hundreds of cyclist each weekend. If you need a place to cycle with a group and without CARS ON THE ROAD, this is it. You can get a full 9.5 miles in a straight road without any crossings. Near impossible anywhere else in FL.