This route is brought to you by Dora Suarez, aka Dora the Graveling Explorer.
She was one of the winners of our 2021 5-star Route Challenge and became a Gravel Bike Ambassador for us in 2022!
Photo and video credits: Dora Suarez
This is a fun flat route that showcases sectors of some of the different routes I normally ride near the Everglades.
This ride starts off just along Tamiami Trail and along the C111 canal then you will turn into and head along the Edge of the Everglades Trails, where you can sometimes see deer, turtle, gators and many species of birds. If you want a better chance to see wildlife, get an early start (although it's never guaranteed).
Mind the heat and wind. They are no joke in South Florida!
Keep in mind, that this route is exposed and flat, so you are constantly pedaling.
Do this ride for an intermediate mixed-gravel surface ride that easily accessible from Miami and not far from Shark Valley, Everglades National Park and many airboat tour spots.
In the rainy season some sectors of these trails can be flooded, so be aware and ride with caution.
The first/last miles can be very rough gravel it is suggested you ride on the lower bank.
There are no places to get food/water directly on the trail, so come prepared with plenty of hydration and nutrition. (Dora suggests a hydration pack to carry enough water with you!)
Suggested parking is located just behind a pump station (photo here); entrance is off Tamiami Trail just west past Krome. It's your first right turn (North bound). Enter and go past the pump house building then turn right. You will see a levee on the lower bank with plenty of parking, or continue on the upper levee to end. Just make sure to not block the airboat access to water areas.
Should you need a bathroom or last min supplies before you head out, you can stop at Dade Corners Market Place, which is not far from parking.
If you are looking for a meal before or after that is located close to parking, try The Pit Bar-B-Q.
For a mid-ride stop, you can make a detour at about mile 29. Stay on SW 168th, then turn right on 997 where you can find: Farm House Miami, U-Pick Farmer's Market, Placita Los Girasoles, and By Brothers. (See restaurants marked on the map here.)
Make sure to check ahead of time to ensure restaurants will be open.
If you want to make this a shorter, beginner-length loop (18 miles), simply park and start from the Southeast corner of 168th and L-31N. (Route here)
If you are visiting Miami, try to get an airboat tour ride. Mack's Fish Camp offers Private tours that educate you on the Everglades, but you'll need to call and book in advance. They are a short drive north or about another 15 miles via bike past return to parking. There are also many other airboat tour operators near-by.
2022 Ambassador: Dora Suarez
I’m Dora the Graveling Explorer from Miami, Florida. My passion for cycling started in 2015, just before I turned 50, when I joined Miami’s Everglades Bicycle Club. I started road cycling with EBC where I learned and established the foundation for safe riding skills in groups and solo adventures. EBC set me on course, they inspired me to give back to the community where I served as a Ride Leader, Ride-Leader trainer and board-member from 2016-2019. In that time, the acquisition of a MTB led me to seek and explore off-road adventures. By February 2020, I discovered a passion for gravel cycling and purchased my 2020 Topstone Cannondale 105. Little did we know the world was about to change! My bike has provided me the opportunity to meet amazing like mind gravelers and inspired me to create and build Dora and the Graveling Explorers, a community where I can share routes and adventures to inspire all, especially, more women + families to go on bike adventures.
So if your adventure’s bring you South, look me up and let’s explore!
