Legacy Trail Exploration

 I came to Oscar Scherer State Park again this year to explore the Legacy Trail and all the new extensions. Last year I was only here for 3 days and did the whole trail but now they have extended it both North & South. They have also added a spur East all the way over to Deer Prairie Creek Preserve near the town of North Port. Here is a short 5 minute video which describes a little bit about the trail.

Legacy Trail Video 

I like that they have picnic tables along the trail at one mile intervals and many parking lots for trail access. They are also building more playgrounds and deluxe rest area like this park at Ashton Rd where I stopped for lunch. 

One interesting fact is there are a lot of Amish near this park, most of them on E-Bikes, here is one couple using the air pump and tools on a post in the park.

I posted this map of the trail in my last blog.

The Legacy Trail has been extended North and now ends in downtown Sarasota near Payne Park about 13 miles north of Oscar Scherer Park where I am staying. They also just completed a 1 mi long protected bike lane in both directions, east along Ringling Blvd. On Monday I decided to head north but I should have looked at the map closer before I did my 29 mile trip. 

I took the bike lane down Ringling Blvd but when I got to this point in the picture, it said bike lane ends so I turned around and headed back to the Legacy Trail. I now realize I could have taken the sidewalk for another 1/4 mile to Sarasota's Bayfront and Marina Island Parks which has a trail that goes over to the Ringling Causeway Park. The bridge goes to all the offshore keys. 

Here is a view of the bay I missed.

So my plan Thursday is to bike a little further and explore the sites along the Bay, it shouldn't add more than a few miles to the trip.

On Tuesday, Barry & Sue, were still not going to get on their E-bikes so I decided I would try the new trail that goes to North Port and through the Deer Prairie Creek Preserve. It leaves the Legacy trail about 4-1/2 miles south of Oscar Scherer Park and then follows along some sidewalks, bike lanes and zero traffic roads for 10 miles to the Alphabet Trail in Deer Prairie. It parallels I-75 for about 4 miles to the Alphabet Trail and then goes 2 more miles along the freeway before heading south to North Port. 

I was hoping to get on the Alphabet Trail which is a dirt trail that goes south to a new bridge that they just put in place but I found the trail was closed when I got there.

So I ate my lunch on a park bench by the closed gate and decided that was as far as I cared to bike since I  didn't want to go any further along the noisy I-75 freeway. There were bikers on the nice new paved trail, I probably saw a dozen pass by while I was eating lunch. A few nice bikers wondered why I was sitting on a bench in the middle of nowhere and stopped to ask if I needed any help. 

My total bike trip was a 30-1/2 mile round trip ride and when I got back to the Legacy Trail, Barry & Sue biked past me going south. So we stopped and chatted before they continued south and I headed back to the campground and a nice shower.

I decided not to bike on Wednesday and write this blog instead since Barry & Sue said they may want to bike with me to Sarasota on Thursday.