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The Pinellas Trail

The Pinellas Trail

I’ve written about the Pinellas Trail before. It’s a great recreational asset in Pinellas County that runs all the way from the northern tip of Pinellas County in Tarpon Springs to the southern tip in St. Pete. 

The trail was originally a railroad line that fell into disuse. Rather than just let the right-of-way decay from disuse, the county developed it into a well-kept walking and biking trail that is heavily used and enjoyed.

I have a friend who had let his weight get up close to 400 pounds before he did something about it. He lives in Dunedin, and his weight loss program involved exercising on the trail. Now he weights about 275, and he bikes from Dunedin all the way up to Tarpon Springs and back — every day.

The trail goes right through downtown Dunedin and is one of the assets that makes Dunedin’s downtown area such a pleasure. Also, there are little micro-businesses there and elsewhere along the trail — bicycle rental shops, ice cream shops and so forth.

This sign is on the trail in Dunedin, right where the trail crosses Main Street. There’s another one just like it near downtown Palm Harbor, and probably others along the trail as well.

Tags: Dunedin, pinellas trail

Take a walk on the Pinellas Trail

The Pinellas Trail is one of Pinellas County’s greatest assets. It is a walking and biking trail that runs for more than 30 miles from south Pinellas County to North Pinellas County. It gets lots of use in Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Tarpon Springs and throughout the northern part of the county, but South County people love it, as well.

The trail began in the early 1980s, when the CSX Railroad didn’t know what to do with a 34-mile right-of-way that ran north-south through the county. The line was no longer viable for train service.

That led to the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization and then to the Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Pedestrian Safety Committee, groups which thought the railroad right-of-way would make a great recreational trail.

The Pinellas Trail started out as a five-mile section in Largo and Seminole. It grew rapidly from there.

Now, the trail is hugely popular and is used by about 90,000 people every month, linking parks, coastal areas and residential neighborhoods. There are eight overpasses that allow walkers and bikers to avoid busy intersections. There are refreshment stops and strategically-placed bike racks.

Like most things, there are rules. Here are some of them:

– Alcoholic beverages are prohibited
– Pedestrians and handicapped have the right of way
– Bicyclists must obey all traffic controls and signals, and are not permitted to wear headphones.
– Under 16 bikers must wear helmets
– Motorized vehicles and horses are prohibited
– Pets are allowed, but must be kept on a 6-foot leash.

To learn more, visit http://www.pinellascounty.org/trailgd/about.htm

Tags: pinellas county, pinellas trail