The Villages to Clearwater
    104-mi, 1-hr 47-min
Ocala to Clearwater
    119-mi, 2-hr 7-min
Gainesville to Clearwater
    152-mi, 2-hr 30-min

Hours: Daylight hours only 365 days

Fee: No fee

Address: 7464 Ridge Road, Seminole, FL 33772 

Phone: (727) 582-2100

This is no ordinary rail trail that winds through miles of forest. The Pinellas Trail goes right through the center of downtown Clearwater and routes you over busy highways on bike/pedestrian bridges. Plus, lots of places to stop and explore. You can listen to a live band at a weekend street fair, or sip a cold beer at a craft brewery along the way. But having an Orangutan wave at you as you ride by the trailside Suncoast Primate Sanctuary settles it. This is big fun!
    Cutting through the urban landscape spanning downtown St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, the traill takes you through big city downtowns, bedroom communities and several unique, older small towns like Dunedin. 

See the video below for scenes along the trail near Tampa, Florida - a nice safe ride for you and the kids or grand children.

    The main trail is 38.2 miles, so a round trip in a day is maybe too much for most of us. In the past we have spent a night at the Downtown Clearwater Marriot (about mid-point on the trail) and rode to St. Pete one day and Tarpon Springs the next. Recently we met friends at Seminole City Park and rode to Dunedin and back, leaving at 10:30 am and returning at 3:30 pm.  
    Whatever route you choose you will find plenty to explore within a few blocks of the trail, and you can leave the trail to cross Clearwater Memorial Causeway and go to the beach. There also are extensions of the main trail at Tarpon Springs that bring the total milage to 54 miles.