Florida Connector Bicycle Route
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The Adventure Cycling Association Florida Connector Bicycle Route comprises 534 miles (859 km) in two loop routes in Florida intended for cycling December through March. It joins the Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route, Section 7, in St. Augustine and Ft. Lauderdale creating the first loop option. A second loop encompassing Fort Lauderdale, Key West and Fort Myers Beach (via a ferry) is also possible.
Florida has an extensive though sometimes confusing network of bicycling facilities ranging from 2 foot bicycle lanes or shoulders to separated bike paths and sidewalks. Some stretches are better suited to sidewalk cycling due to moderate to heavy traffic; in other areas sidewalks are for pedestrian use only.
[edit] Florida Connector Bicycle Route
Heading south from St. Augustine mostly on SR A1A, the route alternates between urban and suburban conditions along the coast until it turns west at Bulow Creek State Park and Plantation Ruins Historic State Park. In the Orlando area, Disney World is accessible from the Bicycle route, as it passes only five miles away from the main entrance.
The route then continues south, turning east at Fort Myers. When heading to Fort Myers Beach, the path continues almost all the way to the bridge into the tourist seaside town, granting access to beaches on the Gulf of Mexico
There is ample evidence of the development to come by the presence of the planned community, Lehigh Acres. Between LaBelle and Clewiston there is mostly swampland. The route skirts the southern banks of Lake Okeechobee and access is available to ride around it on a path built by the Corps of Engineers. The route into Fort Lauderdale returns to more urban riding conditions and the connection with the Atlantic Coast Route near the airport.
A 386-mile loop can be made by using this map with the Atlantic Coast map section #7 map.
