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Santos Trail
113 reviews
4.63 of 5
Mostly single track with trails of all skill levels. You'll find winding flats, rocky technicals, good short climbs and lots of variety. Make sure you check out the trails across the road on the back section for more of a challenge.
Coming I-75 South from Ocala. Take Exit #341 and turn left (east) onto 484. Follow 484 into Belleview. Once in Bellview, turn left onto Hwy 27. Follow Hwy 27 until the 4 lane with no median is seperated by a median. Continue until the median grows into a forested median. Turn left at the first traffic light (a Sheriff's Department satellite office will be sitting in the median at this intersection). The trailhead is on your left about 1/4 to 1/2 mile down.
Summary: Wow! My son and I enjoyed 2 days of riding - yet we only got in 25 miles total!! There is WAY MORE there yet to be ridden - maybe 60 miles by the time you really cover it all? Overhead tree canopy makes for an enjoyable ride in 90+ heat. Multiple trailhead entries offer both variety and confusion. Speaking of confusion - all of the Yellow and Blue trails are TWO-WAY traffic??!! It takes some getting used to, considering you've really got to keep your eyes UP while riding through some twisty portions. But it's funny, you CAN see other riders in the forest, even as thick as it is. What you cannot always see are the SPIDERS!!! Let someone else be first down the trails!!! They also need fresh water at the other trailheads - BADLY!
Recommended Route: From Santos Trailhead - we did the yellow loop, a couple of very good Blues (Cow Bone and Dr. Ruth) which proved to have lots of nice elevation changes, rocks, logs, and also some nice speed downhill. Magic Mountain (Red) was on us too quickly to get UP it, but coming down was cool. Cross the paved road to get to Vortex - we did Little Vortex for a VERY NICE Red ride, sort of like a blue on steroids: Tons of short ups and downs and banked turns. Very aerobic workout if you don't stop - it's about 5 minutes of just GO for it!!! Big Vortex was even more of a work out, but we had trouble going up we're beginner --> intermediate). Nice thing was the fresh water showers at the trailhead. 2nd Day put in at Landbridge trailhead, but never made it to the bridge! We went East hoping to get back to Vortex, but got lost in Spider Kingdom, and wound up at the dead end at the trailhead under construction. Trails were NOT well marked at this intersection. The large maps are a bit confusing, and they do not face the same direction that the trails are laid out. Next time, we will bring a printed copy of trail map. Would be nice if map had trail names on it.
Other recommended trails in the same area: We will try Alafia next!
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Summary: This past weekend was my first time at Santos. I have to say, it was a great experience for the most part. The trails were in great condition which was the best part and what everyone is looking for. The downside is that there isn't anything really "intermediate". There is Yellows, Blues, and Reds. The yellows/blues are both very easy, but fun to ride fast. The reds are very technical, yet very fun (favorite in florida). The trails were labeled pretty well, but the map itself had no trail names (very confusing) and I ran into a big sign with an inclosed map that said "you are here" yet I was 1 mile across the park.
All-In-All, ride Santos. Vortex is a must ride if you are at the level. If not, the yellows/blues are fun to ride with speed.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Alafia, Boyette
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Summary: I can't add much to what was already said below except...I've been there twice from Orlando. The first time, I hit just about eveything and more adding up to 25 miles. I go back the other day and wind taking an OMBA trail off the Santos trail map. On the way back, I realized how close I was to Nayles trail but missed it. 30 miles So, Nayles is on my radar next time. All the talk about some more new trails out by Nayles has me psyched. Yea, "NEW TRAILS". I drive a beat up Green Mercury Villager and a Gary Fisher Paragon HT (Creamsicle colors). See you out there.
Recommended Route: Keep going, follow blue or red.
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Summary: This trails everything from fast rolling singletrack, to challenging technical sections, to freeride stuff. I was just there for the first time and I loved it. I'm from Miami where we have excellent trails, but they're all self contained, meaning no matter what trail you're on, you definitely know you're in a city park. This place really felt like I was out in the middle of nowhere, and it was awesome.
The trails are VERY well marked. Once you get to know the names of the trails it's very easy to navigate. There are so many marked trails, it's easy to do something different each time you're out there. Most of the rails ride both ways so you need to lookout for oncoming riders at times, but it's nothing crazy.
Trails are green, blue and red. Greens and blue I felt were very similar in technical difficulty, there were a few exceptions though, but not much even a weekend only rider couldn't handle. Green trails are perfect to introduce someone into the sport. The Reds certainly earn their name. The Vortex is a blast, non-stop hard technical challenges, and I'm not even including the freeride stuff because I didn't do that stuff (not my thing) The handful of Reds that are located in the Santos Trailhead area are amazing to ride. Somehow a few of the sections just keep finding climbs. I don't know how much of it is man made and how much is natural, but it sure looked like natural terrain to me. There are a few peaks that feel a couple of hundred feet high, but I really have no idea since I didn't have a gps. Just real nice technical hard stuff. Nothing too scary, but when you don't know what's around the next corner, you ride with more caution.
Recommended Route: Do the Epic for an awesome long distance ride one day. Beautiful scenery, cool bridges and rolling terrain, the Land Bridge is pretty cool. And the best part is most of the Epic is covered by the tree canopy. So it may be 95*, but it feels like it's in the 80's in the shade. Then do all the reds another for a leg killing 2 days.
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Summary: Best Trail in Florida....see all the reviews. This is the benchmark trail I use to rate other trails in the state. Worth a trip within a 4 hour radius.
Recommended Route: In the park ride anyone.
To get there Google Map it is the easiest.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Gainesville, Tampa
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