Venetian Waterway Park
| Venetian Waterway Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Length |
5.3 miles (Island) 4.0 miles (Mainland) 9.3 miles (Total) |
| Location | Venice, Florida, United States |
| Trailheads |
Island: Venice Area Beautification Inc. Caspersen Beach Mainland: Venice Avenue Bridge Shamrock Park & Nature Center |
| Use | Cycling, Walking, Hiking, Jogging |
| Hiking details | |
| Season | Year round |
| Sights | Venice Inlet |
| Hazards | Close to ICW, Crossing Minor Roads, Crossing Bridges with Vehicular Traffic |
| Surface | Concrete |
| Website | Venetian Waterway Park |
The Venetian Waterway Park is a total 9.3-mile concrete trail in Sarasota County, Florida located in Venice. It was built jointly by Venice Area Beautification Inc., Sarasota County, and the city of Venice.[1] It consists of two trails paralleling the Intracoastal Waterway from Downtown Venice to the Gulf of Mexico, with one on the island side of the waterway, and one on the mainland side. The two portions are connected by the Venice Avenue Bridge and the Circus Bridge. Bike Florida has rated the Venetian Waterway Park (along with the Legacy Trail) one of the top 10 bicycle trails in the state of Florida.[2]
Route Description
Island
The north end of the Island section of the Venetian Waterway Park is at the Venice Area Beautification Inc. From there, it travels north underpassing US 41 Business and turning to head Southbound toward E Venice Avenue. It continues to head south following the Intracoastal Waterway toward Venice High School where it turns west following the outside of their Baseball Field. From their it heads north, then west, then south bordering Venice High's campus. Next it heads southeast acting as a widened sidewalk on Golf Drive, then taking a right turn heading northwest away from Golf Drive and once again follows the ICW before taking s left turn heading west through some pine trees. Next it heads south before acting as yet another widened sidewalk on US 41 BUS heading Southeast. Next, it heads south underpasing the Circus Bridge (US 41 Business's south crossing) parallel to the ICW. It continues to parallel the ICW heading south until it heads west, crossing over small waterways until it reaches the southern trailhead at Caspersen Beach.[3]
Mainland
The north end of the Mainland section of the Venetian Waterway Park is at E Venice Avenue, right under its ICW bridge (This point is also the southern trailhead of the Legacy Trail). It heads south following the ICW and underpasses the Circus Bridge. From their it continues to head south parallel to the ICW all the way until ends at its southern trailhead in the Shamrock Park & Nature Center.[3]