Florida: A Guide to the Classic Trails

This book covers most of the popular trails in my area (panhandle) with detailed information about each. I especially like the authors descpritions on his personal rides. I do have one complaint however. The author gives general info about rescue and local services, but leaves out specifics like local bike shops, hotels, maybe even restaraunts. It would be nice to have this type of info if you are planning on traveling some distance to one of the listed trails so that you could plan accordingly. Otherwise a great book and an interesting read for early evenings when you can't actually be out on a trail tearing across a single-track.

This book is a good beginners guide to mountain biking in Florida. The book is divided into sections of the state which make it easy if you are just looking for a place to ride close to home. Also included is a map of the state with ride location marked on it. There is also another helpful section which lists the trails according to type, for example, beginners, advanced, family, scenic, etc. Each trail has a sketched map layout of the trail along with information on the general location, elevation change, aerobic and technical difficulty, scenery, hazards, services along the way, rescue index, and how to find them. If you live in Florida, it isn't difficult to find the trails. If you are not a resident, a regular map of Florida and the author's directions should point you in the right direction. To find the trails in the parks, most state parks and trails have maps of the park at the ranger stations. Since the book is about the trails themselves, you will not find information about hotels in the area or where the local bike shop is. However, if the trail is in a park and camping is allowed or, as in the case of the Pinellas Trail, the trail has places to eat, shop, and stay over night along it, the author has noted this. The only thing we noticed was that the author didn't seem to be from Florida. For example, in a park in our area, he talked about how he biked late at night and regretted doing so. Every Floridian knows better than to brave the bugs & the wildlife at night in a state park on a bike so to us this information was more humorous than helpful:) Otherwise, a good book if you are looking for some ideas on where to ride.