What a great day! I had the pleasure of riding with a newfound friend from Bike Forums on a ride I’d never done before. Brian (Jaxgtr on Bike Forums) picked me up promptly at 8:00 AM and we took the 20 minute drive to the trailhead.
The Jacksonville-Baldwin Trail is an old converted railway line that runs from Jacksonville to Baldwin, FL. The Jacksonville trailhead (Imeson Road Trailhead) is only five miles from downtown. The path itself has been paved with asphalt and is approximately 12 feet wide which gives plenty of room to ride side-by-side or in groups. About 95% of the trail is covered by a canopy of trees which has you riding in the shade for most of the trip. For the most part the trail is flat but there are a couple of areas that are slightly uphill and will get the heart rate up if you push it. Along the route there are benches and pull-offs if you need to take a break or just want to sit and enjoy nature. There are bathrooms located about 5 miles from the Jacksonville trail head and some port-a-potties at the Baldwin trail head. A couple of miles before the Baldwin trail head there’s an old converted train station that looked like it had a water fountain. You’d would probably be smart to bring two water bottles like we did. The round-trip distance is right at 29 miles.
