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]

Day 5 image:

[Dallas]

I like your idea. I attempted a circumnavigation of Lake O two years ago and was disappointed to discover that most of the way around on the dike was tall grass and large rocks. It is a unique experience at any rate and I think you are on to something with your idea of biking the entire everglades system.

The stretch between Old Ingraham camp and the Main Park Road will be a bit tough. I was there last weekend and it looked like you may have to carry your bike from A to B. 

[shawn beightol]

I did a solo reconnaissance trip Saturday from MM70 to Bundschu grade in the addition lands to verify the bikeability of the lower part of Bundschu grade to I75.  It is DO-able for the big bike trip!

the BLUE trail is my actual route (RED are interesting trails identified by having been there and rechecked the map for what might be possible).

note at that intersection I had to backtrack and forth a few times to actually find the more obscure "lower route."  Once I did it was unmistakable.

Interestingly, what I THOUGHT would be my upper route, the fence line or some kind of grade, I never actually saw at the intersection.  I think if I went back and looked for it I could.

I would like to go back and camp at that intersection and explore the woods above that intersection.  

I believe there is a ranch or hunting camp visible in google earth just above where Bundschu makes the turn west from the North /South section.  I believe these guys use the winding routes (most interesting to me in RED) to hunt the marshes for deer.

Interesting that most are north/south and few are East/West.  May have to do with natural flow versus cutting "across grain."

My route back from the abandoned heavy equipment at my furtherest north point on Bundschu grade started easy as I followed the buggy trail out to a beautiful marsh (pix/vid link to follow) as I tried to make it to the diagonal fence line. I was running out of steam and afraid I would hit impassable terrain too far into the hike (past a point of no return) so decided to follow the marshes down and out to the trail I came in on.  It was tough dragging bike through palmettos and I only noticed reviewing my track that just east of me appears to be a really old buggy trail or fence line just visible by the absence of vegetation for much of the distance from the heavy equipment down to the same point I remerged on the lower route.

This is the kml map (with kml url in the search box) for anyone interested in doing this.

[shawn beightol]

For some reason, the URL for the kml file displayed on google maps failed. Here is the link: http://goo.gl/maps/lS8no 

[shawn beightol]

Well the route has been modified a bit to shorten the trip and keep it on the levees (this year).  We leave tomorrow for Lake Harbor and will ride down to the entrance of Everglades National Park and then on out to the bay, approximately 150 miles: Here's what I posted on FB:

David Denham and I will undertake the bicycle riding of the entire length of the Florida Everglades starting this Friday, March 20 8 AM. We plan on following the Miami Canal South until the path turns to run alongside US 27 until Broward's Everglades Holiday Park. From there we will zig-zag in and out, past Mack's Fish Camp and on down along side Krome Canal, out to the Chekika Park and south to the Everglades National Park entrance. The route will be approximately 150 miles back country (levee-top).

[Amazon Bill]

Shawn, That is a tremendous adventure you've started. I have never heard of anyone attempting such a feat. You're a pioneer in this field for sure. This could be the very basis of the future of a trail system of biking the backcountry. Best wishes. Glades Goes Deep and multimodal!

[shawn beightol]

Thanks Bill!

David Denham and I just finished.  3 Days of 45-52 miles per day levee/dirt road.

It is very do-able!

Very authentic Glades!

Very harmonious!

Very whatever people look for when they try to get into the Glades.

Above all, it is "Big Picturesque!" 

[Dallas]

Congratulations to both of you. Those are long days for grass riding! Were there many sections where you had to dismount the bikes?
shawn beightol said:

Thanks Bill!

David Denham and I just finished.  3 Days of 45-52 miles per day levee/dirt road.

It is very do-able!

Very authentic Glades!

Very harmonious!

Very whatever people look for when they try to get into the Glades.

Above all, it is "Big Picturesque!" 

[shawn beightol]

Here is the link to the photo album on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153127357875482.1073741...

Here is the link to the interactive Route on Google Maps:  

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zBW03Yllbvhk.kBhR_527BSUE

[vivian]

Congratulations to both of you! Can't wait to look at all the pics and read the story. You picked the perfect partner for the journey Shawn, Did you mention what type or bikes, tires, equipment worked best for this trip?

[shawn beightol]

we both went for the same wally world $150 29 inch bike with rack and panniers.  He stayed stock tubes (cheap) and got a flat.  I put thorn proof tubes and did fine. the flat may have been a coincindence, I just wanted to decrease the odds of getting one.

we had same exact bike and equipment otherwise.  my bike rack broke from the lateral jarring that occurs invariably from coming off rocks and rocky bumps.

I'm headed back up to nobles to find the 6 mile passage from nobles to bundschu now.  See you when I get back.  Photos are on the facebook link above.  The 15 min video is done except for increasing the length of time the captions stay on the screen and iron out some of the transitions so the dialogue is less garbled.  stay tuned.

[shawn beightol]

https://youtu.be/Ru4B_XYoaiU