The Gift Of The Greenway

A misguided Great Depression era project was transformed into a nature and recreation treasure benefiting the Ocala/Marion County area.

By JoAnn Guidry • Photos by John Jernigan

Call it the recreation and conservation gift from Mother Nature that just keeps on giving. Whether you’re a hiker, biker, or horseback rider who just loves being out in the woods, the Ocala Metro’s Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway (CFG) has a trail for you.

“Combining the hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails in the 30-mile corridor of the Greenway that runs through Marion County, there are more than 300 miles of trails. And the forest of longleaf/ sandhill pines and oaks provides plenty of shaded trails even on the hottest summer days,” says Bre Ximenes, the CFG trails & volunteer coordinator. “The trails are open dawn to dusk, 365 days of the year, and are free to the public to enjoy.”

The CFG was born from the well-intentioned but ill-conceived Cross Florida Ship Canal. Part of a federal relief program to create jobs during the Great Depression, the plan was to construct a deep-water ship canal cutting east-west across Florida. Construction actually began in 1935, evolved into the Cross Florida Barge Canal before coming to a stop a year later. It resumed in 1964, was halted again in 1969, and permanently decommissioned in 1971. Thanks to environmentalist efforts led by Micanopy biologist Marjorie Harris Carr, the barge canal construction never resumed.

In 1991, the Cross Florida Greenway State Recreation and Conservation Area was declared where the barge canal work had begun. The Greenway was officially renamed the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway in 1998, honoring Carr who had died at 82 the previous year.

The most visible remnants of the Cross Florida Barge Canal project are the four towering concrete bridge stanchions on the U.S. Highway median in Santos, just south of Ocala. Built in 1936, the bridge stanchions are now the centerpiece of The Island, a Florida Park Service interpretive historical park. Located directly behind the Marion County Sheriff Department substation on Hwy. 441, the park is a median island featuring two hiking trails. Six kiosks and seven interpretive boards along a four-tenths of a mile trail provide historical information about the Cross Florida Barge Canal project.

Today, the Greenway is operated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Greenways & Trails, and became a state park in 2012. This unique 110-mile nature corridor stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the St. John’s River. Nature being the key word here with plenty of opportunities to see native Florida wildlife, of course from a respectful safe distance. A sampling of the wildlife that calls the Greenway home includes, deer, bobcats, coyotes, fox squirrels, gopher tortoises, wild turkeys, owls, hawks, scrub jays, and pileated woodpeckers. And there are black bears too.

“The wildlife in the Greenway is more plentiful than some might think,” says Laurie Dolan, a CFG environmental specialist. “By utilizing trail cameras, we are able to document the use of the Greenway as a vital wildlife corridor connecting several state and Federal lands to the east and west.”

The Greenway is also a great place to observe the changing seasons, albeit the Florida version. The most significant is spring, when the Greenway is resplendent in new neon green foliage and colorful wildflowers. Yellow jessamine, common green-eyes, and yellow buttons attract butterflies, including the elusive tiger and zebra swallowtails. By summer, there’s a cloak of cooling forest green, accessorized by yellow showy rattlebox, lavender climbing butterfly pea and yellow partridge pea.

By late fall, the trails are carpeted in golden leaves as the brown season of winter descends. But the short Florida winter soon gives way to the glorious spring, starting the cycle anew.

ENJOYING THE GREENWAY TRAILS

The Greenway hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails system runs East-West and includes the main multi-use trailheads of Santos, Land Bridge, 49th Avenue, Shangri-La, Ross Prairie, and Pruitt trailheads. Camping sites are available at Santos, Shangri-La, and Ross Prairie trailheads. Underpasses on County Roads 475 and 475A, SW 49th Avenue, County Road 484, and the Land Bridge over I-75 ensure safe passage for both humans and wildlife. Pets are allowed on leashes. No hunting or motorized vehicles are allowed in the Greenway. “The central Ocala/Marion County section of the CFG has more trailheads, campgrounds, resident population, and visitors than any other section to the east and west. Based on vehicle counters at designated access trailhead points, an estimated 1.5 million people annually visit the Ocala/ Marion County section. This accounts for an estimated economic impact of more than $100 million,” says CFG Manager Mickey Thomason. “In addition, the CFG provides its visitors with physical and mental benefits, as well as serving as a critical wildlife habitat for myriad species. Combined with its unique history, the Greenway is truly a one-of-a-kind state park.”

HIKING

Approximately 30 miles of the 1,300-mile Florida National Scenic Trail cuts through the Greenway. Known simply as the Florida Trail (FT), it begins at the Gulf Islands National Seashore, south of Pensacola and ends at the Big Cypress National Preserve, east of Naples. The FT is marked by orange paint on the trees. There are also Blue Connector trails, marked by blue paint on the trees, that go from/to Greenway trailheads and connect with the FT.

A highly recommended hike is from the Land Bridge Trailhead to the Land Bridge over I-75, which was built in 2000 at a cost of $3.2 million. The Land Bridge, the first of its kind over a Florida interstate highway, connected the East and West corridors of the Greenway trails system. The 1.1- mile hike to the Land Bridge, 2.2 outand-back roundtrip, is an easy stroll through the pine and oaks woods, which is a favorite habitat for owls, hawks, and pileated woodpeckers. The Land Bridge Trailhead is an excellent spot for lunch, featuring picnic tables under grand oak trees.

TRAIL BIKING

There are 100 miles of mountain biking trails for all ages and skill levels. They vary from flat and smooth trails to the more challenging ones up hills and even through limerock quarries in the Vortex Trailhead section. In coordination with the CFG office, the Ocala Mountain Bike Association builds and maintains the mountain biking trails system.

“The mountain bike trail system in the Greenway is the largest and most well-known in the Southeast,” says Chris DeLibro, a lifelong biker and president of the 200-member OMBA. “People come from all over the country to ride our trails, especially for our annual events like the Fat Tire Festival in March. From casual to serious bikers, everyone knows about the Greenway trails.”

Rental bikes, both trail and road, are available from Greenway Bicycles, located across from the Santos Trailhead.

PAVED TRAIL

In 2017, a 16-mile multi-use recreational paved trail opened in the Greenway, stretching west from the Santos Trailhead to east of State Road 200 in the Ross Prairie section. The paved trail is open to bikers, rollerbladers, skateboarders, hikers, dog walkers, but not motorized vehicles. The paved trail can be accessed via the Santos, Land Bridge, or SW 49th Avenue trailheads.

HORSEBACK RIDING

Equestrians can enjoy more than 85 miles of horseback riding trails winding through the Greenway. There is horse trailer parking and access to the trails at all the Greenway trailheads with the Land Bridge and Shangri-La being two favorites. In 2019, the SE 25th Avenue Trailhead was opened and is exclusively for horseback riders. The Greenway Equestrians, an all-volunteer riding group, works with the CFG to maintain the equestrian trails.

“I’ve ridden all over the country and there is no better horseback riding trail system than the one in the Greenway,” says Doug Shearer, vice president of the Greenway Equestrians and an avid endurance rider. “We are very fortunate to have this kind of riding available. It is such an asset to the area.”

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Bre Ximenes, Cross Florida Greenway Trails & Volunteer Coordinator (352) 236-7143 bre.ximenes@dep.state.fl.us floridastateparks.org