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Location: 3755 Tenoroc Mine Rd., Lakeland. Picnic Lake Trailhead. February 16, 2025. Wheels roll by 8:30am. $3 park entrance fee. MTB/ ATB recommended, or gravel bike optional. Join the SWAMP Club for this appx 30-mile mixed surfaces ride at the historic Coronet phosphate mine. This will be a moderately paced challenging ride which will include a combination of hard pack dirt/ gravel roads, rugged grassy trails, old mining routes, appx 1 ½ miles of paved road shared with vehicles, and appx 5 miles of seldom ridden Green and Blue (beginner & intermediate) singletrack near the middle of the ride. Riders will have an option to sit out the Blue singletrack section if desired and reconvene with the group since the intermediate trail forms an optional loop. Sections of the route are slow going, wild, and potentially overgrown, so be prepared for difficult/ rugged stretches. Mud and at least two water crossings should also be expected, depending on weather leading up to the ride. Tenoroc (Coronet spelled backwards) is one of only two PUAs (public use areas) in Florida and is only open four days a week (Fri to Mon). Consisting of 8,386 acres with 29 lakes, the property forms a contiguous linkage of lakes and wetlands, densely wooded areas, and open grasslands between the Green Swamp and the Peace River, and serves as the headwaters of Saddle Creek. By phosphate mining standards, Tenoroc is relatively young since mining began here in the 1950s. Former owners including Coronet, Borden and Smith Douglass donated and/ or sold former phosphate mining lands to the FWC dating back to 1982. The Picnic Lake trailhead has good shade, bathrooms, and water. The main check-in station has drinks for sale. Bring hydration, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, tools and tubes/ flat repair. Rob DeGraaf is a Senior Environmental Scientist and past author of Fat Tire Favorites, Guide to West-Central (and South Florida) Florida Off-Road Bicycling books, and a past director of the Florida Off-Road Bicycling Association (FORBA).
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
3755 Tenoroc Mine Rd, Lakeland, FL 33805-7671, United States
