Southeast - Shark Valley Trail In The Florida Everglades

Located on Highway 41 in the Florida Everglades, This is a national park that has a 15 mile paved loop trail that ends at a 65 foot observation tower built in 1965. While the U.S. federal government has done a pathetic job of maintaining the tower and rest rooms here, it still is a great place to visit and ride. A canal here is full of alligators that routinely wander up on the paved trail. For more info and photos visit: http://www.trailviewmount.com

Cool looking tower and trail !!!!

It is a great trail to visit especially (IIRC) in the early spring or late winter during South Florida's dry season. The trail was built by scooping the underlying marl up to form a levee. The resulting canal teems with wildlife when the water level in the surrounding area is low.

Thanks for reviews. I appreciate any pics along with your detailed report. Keep up the good work and I look forward to future reports.

On what ahsposo was talking about. When they dug the Alligator Alley and later the Tamiami Trail, a "walking dredge" was used to scoop limestone from next to the road and deposit it on the newly formed road. This contraption was a wonder in itself. It looks like a huge 4 legged spider. It has no wheels but would reposition each of the four legs to "walk", hence the name. There is one still in existence and it can be seen at Collier-Seminole State Park south of Naples.

Thanks for seeing everyone and the additional info. Great stuff. Hope everyone checked out my website for all the other photos from Shark Valley Trail: http://www.trailviewmount.com I do my best to have more photos from Florida paved trails than any other website. Online photos have always helped me decide on where to ride. And I enjoy it if I can help others decide on great paved trail destinations.