Pensacola to Jacksonville
 

All set for a short trip along the Emerald Coast (aka Florida Panhandle) from Pensacola to Jacksonville, FL in the end of March. Have a sister in Jacksonville, which makes the logistics much easier. Lots of camping available, with one night in a hotel planned. Here is the itinerary (miles):

Fort Pickens NP (20)
Topsail SP (63)
St. Andrews SP (39)
TH Stone St. Joseph SP (71)
St. George SP (55)
Ochlockonee SP (48)
Perry (hotel) (68)
Oceola NP (84)
Jacksonville (46)

I realize it's in the middle of Spring Break, so there will be tons of traffic in certain areas, but the state parks hopefully should be a bit quieter. My sister will pick me up on the west side of Jacksonville, making the last day more pleasant and shorter.

Never been in the area, so for anyone who has ridden there, any advice? Things to see or places to stop? It's 494 miles over 9 days, which make the riding distances reasonable with plenty of time to stop along the way.

Also, I'm doing this trip to raise awareness of the cycling opportunities in northern Florida, so any funds you want to contribute will go toward a good cause.

I live in the area, you should have a pretty good tailwind most of the way. I have done the St. Andrews to St. George leg before, I can give you some advice on that route, you won't want to go the Google Maps through there, stick close to the water through the city, much more pleasant.

Watch out for Racoon's at St. George SP, did battle with them all night all over my bike, bags, and had teeth marks on my food containers.

wsgts

Hoping for tailwinds. Chose W to E routing based on that. Definitely will stay off the main roads as much as possible.

Do you think hanging anything with a food smell on a clothesline will keep the raccoons at bay? Would be no less than 4 feet off the ground. I’ve had them scratching around my tent before. Never any damage, but these critters sound a bit more resourceful.

I remember how militant the raccoons were when I camped there 25 years ago.

Had a 30 lb. container drug about 75 yards from our campsite by these buggers. Better have a good bike lock!

My family still picks on me about that night and it was several years ago. I did finally get off to sleep by doing just that, packed everything back up on the bike at 3 am and putting the soft-sided cooler on a string around 4 feet high. After that, they had left muddy pawprints all over my mounted bike luggage and even on the saddle.

Some friends of mine had full-sized steaks stolen while camping in a travel trailer there. They were tending the grill and turned around to find the steaks missing.

Camping
 

There is a decent private campground with good showers at Rocky' s store as you get close to Perry on US 98, west of town a couple miles.

Thanks. I’ll look into it. Was thinking a hotel would be a nice option for Perry just for a change of pace from camping.

Watched 5 or so racoons around a group at a campfire in Ft. Pickens. One would reach into the KFC bucket and pull out chicken- right under the picnic table where people were sitting. The people never saw them doing this.

St. Marks is a little out of the way, but cool little village with motel. Not much in the way of food along 98 in this area.

I've not had good luck in SPs in the Everglades during spring break. Maybe north FLA is better though. Will be riding a week long trip first week in March up that way, but a loop.

I like Wakulla Springs Lodge if you are taking that route as opposed to US98.

Bike is all cleaned up, bags are packed, and I’m ready to head south at the end of the week. Weather is looking decent, but still a bit too far off to be accurate. Mostly southerly winds with highs in the mid-seventies. Hoping for no rain, but that’s a bit much to ask for in the spring.

Added Salsa Anything cages and bags for a little more carrying capacity. Spare tubes, tools and repair supplies in one. Rain gear and binoculars in the other. They don’t hold much, but are completely waterproof and very secure.

https://imgur.com/a/RKMU0

You're going to Florida? I thought you only bike in places which meet "Western standards".:lol:

Taking my chances. Up to date on all shots.

Just finished the trip. It was a great short tour. I’ll post a few pictures later. The weather was fantastic, but the wind direction was overall against me. A lot of days of headwinds, but not directly on the nose, which made the riding a bit more difficult and tiring. All the overnights along the coast were truly hidden treasures. One night of rain on a planned hotel night in Perry worked out perfectly. Took the legs and butt a few days to adjust, and now I’m ready to ride anywhere, but unfortunately have to go back to being a desk jockey.

Loved St. George SP the most, but all the other campgrounds were almost as nice. The beaches are pretty much empty and the sand is beautiful. Didn’t really like the Panama City area, but sometimes you have to pass through areas to get where you are going.

I would recommend anyone doing this trip to go in the spring or fall, when it’s a bit cooler and less crowded. Apparently the area is mobbed in the summer, and it must be quite hot and humid. The temps were in the 60s and 70s, which is ideal for riding and sleeping.

That's awesome. In my neck of the woods. And yeah the wind has been pretty brutal for the last week or so. Might have worked better going the other direction! lol

Looking forward to some pics and shares.