Lake Okeechobee to Flamingo Backcountry Mountain Bike Trip Spring 2015 5-6 days, 210 miles

[shawn beightol]

Here is the description of the ride plan so far.  I am open to suggestions to modifying the route.  It is by no means final until we start (and file our plans with the powers that be).  I'm thinking spring break next year and from my experience of riding (only on weekends) without training/conditioning, 20 -30 miles a day on back country dirt "roads" is tops (think the crossover between nobles and bundschu or monument trail without the shell).  Levee or maintained dirt roads would permit 40-50 miles per day.  I
did Okeechobee rim 4 years ago and 48 miles from Clewiston to Okeechobee City was enough to make me ready for the hot tub at the KOA...but there won't be a hot tub on this ride unless we scout something up.

 

a continuous mountain bike trip from lake okeechobee down to flamingo via levees and ORV trails.

The entire route is ~210 miles:

Day 1  ~ 50 miles on levees and decent (dirt) roads.

along Miami canal from Lake Harbor/John Stretch to the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum,

then over to Nobles Grade (FT). 

Camp off Nobles Grade by the airstrip/water tower (Dave knows this spot)

 

Day 2 ~ 21 miles on backcountry "roads"/paths (some bushwacking?)

then diagonally down (hopefully) off Crossover /"campfire trail" to mm70,

then down Concho Billie ORV trail to monument ORV trail to Loop Road

Camp off Concho Billie/Monument Trail around 26.08485, -81.16361 (see attached LO2BC-day2.jpg)

Day 3 ~ 30 miles (rough ORV trails)

Continue down Concho Billie to Monument, cross 41

down loop road (south then east) to paces dike rd

camp off paces dike (see attached LO2BC-day3.jpg)

 

Day 4 ~50-60 miles on levee roads

east along the 41 to l67ext canal. 

Here, cross 41 to north side and head east on l29 canal levee to the Krome Canal (l31) which brings you by chekika

camp somewhere between chekika park and  SW 288 st (an abandoned road that goes west into the glades) - see LO2BC-day4.jpg.

Day 5  ~ 50-60 miles

then SW 288 St west until it turns south (approx SW 300 Ave) and heads toward the pineland trail off Hwy 9336 (Ingraham Hwy) in ENP.  There's about 2 miles of unblazed prairie riding to get to Ingraham Hwy.

From Ingrahams Hwy at Pineland, ride through Nike missile site to old Ingraham's hwy then across Coe and ingraham backcountry campgrounds. 

Either Camp  at one of these and finish day 6 in the morning or continue on and finish in 5 days.  See LO2BC-day5&6.jpg

 

Notes

Warning - day 5 is already going to be tough with the distance PLUS off trail for 2-3 miles from SW 300 Ave to Long Pine Key Trail.  To add the 4 miles of unscouted Ingrahm Highway trail at the end is REALLY pushing it...probably beyond realistic abilities.  Hence the reference to 6 days.  Suggested to camp at Old Ingram, then push on in the morning, day 6.  This way, we could also add the snake bight loop to get off paved Ingrahm Highway.

 

If we camp at Old Ingrahm on Day 5, that's 38 miles including the rough going from SW 300 Ave to Long Pine Key

 

Then Day 6 would be 14 miles via Ingraham Highway to Snake Bight to Flamingo

 

We COULD significantly save on days 2 & 3 if we rode Nobles Grade down to mm 63, then crossed and took the ORV trails that parallel the FNST to Oasis.  Then we would need to ride east on 41.

 

Also, by the Nike Missile site in ENP, there's what looks to be an old road grade that runs SW diagonally to the west corner of the old Ingraham Hwy by Old Ingraham Camp (see yellow lines).  This could save 8 miles of riding on Day 5, but it would likely involve heavy bushwacking and pushing the bikes.  I don't think this would be fun.

 

More than half of this route is either scouted or verified as passable.  Some interesting scouting opportunities coming up would be the crossover to mm 70 in Addition Lands, parallel ORV trails to FT south of MM 63 to oasis (Ive ridden up from Oasis parallel to FNST and its good riding).  I think the "Old Tamiami Trail" through Seminole reservation and east of it would be interesting to ride with a machete to clear the Brazilian pepper overgrowth and open this road up to hiking and riding.  The SW 300 ave dirt road to long pine key has not been ridden by me, but Dave says he has done this.  I'd like to scout it before committing.  Old Ingraham Hwy needs scouting (the last 4 western miles to connect to park/paved road)

 

[Roger Hammer]

Well, to dip into the BISC management plan again, I too provided public input via a comments form to fill out online. Plus I attended a meeting on Key Largo about it and got up and spoke. But, as is often the case, the folks from Florida "Sportsman" magazine were there to boo and denounce anyone who spoke for the preserve. I have no problem with them making sound decisions if they have science to back them up. Geez, if they went by public opinion then there'd be obnoxious jet skis running amok all over BISC.

As for Old Ingraham Highway, they're talking seriously about removing it entirely and letting it revert back to nature. At one time they even talked about taking the fill from the Hole-In-The-Donut and use it to fill in the lakes, like Pine Glades Lake, Sisal Pond, and Sweet Bay Pond. What stopped them was when the fire cache folks said they needed them to dip water from helicopters to fight wildfires. Like I noted before though, the places where you see the most wildlife in ENP are man-made, like Anhinga Trail and Eco Pond. If they really want to help wildlife out in the park then maybe they should break out their backhoes and front-end loaders and create a couple of more Anhinga Trails along the main park road, plus re-dredge the Homestead Canal, and build a longer boardwalk at the end of the Snake Bight Trail out into Snake Bight.