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)

 

[shawn beightol]

[Jay]

Fantastic trip.  Great video.

[vivian]

I am proud of both of you and David looks even younger now that he is retired :-)

Shawn, the video is excellent but if you can slow down the parts where you have written information it would be much better. Those of us interested in what you are trying to explain have to pause the video to read it.

[shawn beightol]

I know...you know how many times I retimed things?  I put almost 20 hours in and I saw the same thing you saw after it saved...too fast!  Oh well.  Thanks for watching and the like!

Shawn

[toofaraway]

Awesome! Pioneering work really.

[Swamp Hunter]

Why doesnt ROGG use this existing bicycle route down Loop Road and the old Tamiami Trail?

[shawn beightol]

Less money to be made?

[Flex Kayakfari.com]

Great trip Shawn and David!!

I think there are some options for the ROGG!

[shawn beightol]

yeah, the shoulder and levees.!

[Swamp Hunter]

Loop Road was used when they laid the fibre optic cable from coast to coast

[yakmaster]

That's what I Love about this forum...

You find out things you didn't know, about things you don't do, & then you go do them!

When Shawn first posted this, I hadn't ridden a bike in years. But I was intrigued, because I thought  knew the west side of the levees pretty well from  a mis-spent youth riding ATV's in the back country. Shawn was planning on riding my old stomping grounds, but on GE he sent me, I saw a road I didn't remember. 

On GE you can see that 280 St. goes straight west from behind Homestead General Aviation Airport almost 6 and 1/2 miles and then goes south for a couple of miles. That's about as deep into the middle of nowhere grassland riding as you can get on two wheels without levees & canals. We're talking 5.5 miles farther west than Chekika!

Since then, I've been riding quite a bit, and had Shawn's westward route in the back of my mind, but I didn't get to it...till today.

I wish I had come by a month ago. I had to stop after a few miles because it was getting real muddy, but I could tell that in the peak of the dry, this is an INCREDIBLE trail to ride. Guess I'll have to wait another 9 months, but I WILL be back!

Hell, in a couple of months we can probably paddle it! Though I don't want to give Terry too many ideas for the invitational...

Here's a closeup so you can see where it is behind the airport, the blue line is what we actually rode:

And here's a more open view so you can see how much farther it goes, as you can see, there's quite a bit more to explore!:

There's a square on the far left that seems to be an old farm field, that's where it turns, south.

Does anyone know the history of this road/area? Could that "field" be the old Nike base, before they moved it into the park? Or was somebody farming that far away from everybody else? Just can't figure the leapfrog.

Just hope they don't degrade the trail as part of the restoration. There was a bridge at 280 until just a while ago!

[yakmaster]

When you rave about a place, you should call it right. I said 280 st. It's actually 288,

Thanks again to Shawn for showin' me where, and Keith for creating the resource that brings all this knowledge together!