Perhaps Central Florida's granddaddy of long-distance cross-country single-track bicycle trails, the Paisley Woods Bicycle Trail located in the Ocala National Forest is 22.16 miles of true back-woods adventure.
Trail Location: Immediately NW of the town of Paisley, Florida, the trail runs between the Clearwater Lake Recreation Area at the south end and the Alexander Springs Recreation Area at the north end.
Water and Restrooms: At the recreation areas at either end.
Current Conditions as of January, 2013: The trail system is in optimal shape due to recent maintenance and overall improvements, plus the cooler weather and lower sun angle keeps more moisture in the surface soils because of reduced evaporation. Soft sandy spots are few and far between this time of year, overall the trail is currently really well packed.
Availability : The entire trail system is now open every day of the year.
South Loop News: The south loop was closed from July to November 2010 to allow for a mid-level mowing operation conducted by the Forest Service. In selected areas anything taller than 30" and less than 8" in diameter at chest height was "mowed" - other than long leaf pine which for the most part went untouched. The purpose of this mowing operation was two-fold: (1) return the ecosystem to near original tree composition of primarily long leaf pine, and (2) encourage continued re-population of the once plentiful Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Long leaf pines marked with a wide white painted band and a metal plate with a serial number are found throughout the Paisley Woods and are homes to these small birds which BTW are federally protected. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-cockaded_woodpecker
Trail Markings:
Prescribed Burns: The Forest Service conducts intentional periodic prescribed burns to manage the ecosystem and wildlife habitat. Their goal is to do a prescribed burn every two years. They do not usually burn the entire woods in one calendar year, but rather rotate every other year between alternate sections. The woods recover super fast, literally new sprouts begin to show within days and things are back to near normal in just a few months. Intentional prescribed burning of sections typically begins in late January and can last into about April each year. During this time of year flammable material is cleared away from the RockArt trail signposts to protect them from being burned.
Trail Distances:
Equipment Needed:
Water and Restrooms: At the recreation areas at either end.
Current Conditions as of January, 2013: The trail system is in optimal shape due to recent maintenance and overall improvements, plus the cooler weather and lower sun angle keeps more moisture in the surface soils because of reduced evaporation. Soft sandy spots are few and far between this time of year, overall the trail is currently really well packed.
Availability : The entire trail system is now open every day of the year.
South Loop News: The south loop was closed from July to November 2010 to allow for a mid-level mowing operation conducted by the Forest Service. In selected areas anything taller than 30" and less than 8" in diameter at chest height was "mowed" - other than long leaf pine which for the most part went untouched. The purpose of this mowing operation was two-fold: (1) return the ecosystem to near original tree composition of primarily long leaf pine, and (2) encourage continued re-population of the once plentiful Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Long leaf pines marked with a wide white painted band and a metal plate with a serial number are found throughout the Paisley Woods and are homes to these small birds which BTW are federally protected. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-cockaded_woodpecker
Trail Markings:
- Follow the 5" x 7" yellow diamonds that are found mounted to trees along the length of the trail system.
- At each numbered road crossing and in between in selected spots where it makes sense there are yellow RockArt signposts.
Prescribed Burns: The Forest Service conducts intentional periodic prescribed burns to manage the ecosystem and wildlife habitat. Their goal is to do a prescribed burn every two years. They do not usually burn the entire woods in one calendar year, but rather rotate every other year between alternate sections. The woods recover super fast, literally new sprouts begin to show within days and things are back to near normal in just a few months. Intentional prescribed burning of sections typically begins in late January and can last into about April each year. During this time of year flammable material is cleared away from the RockArt trail signposts to protect them from being burned.
Trail Distances:
- Please see the "Downloads" page for:
- A PWBT area map that shows all of the new forest service road numbers in the area plus the bicycle trail is drawn on it in red.
- An Excel file which includes mileage distances between each numbered road and/or significant landmark. This file contains two worksheets, one for the north loop, another for the south loop.
- Other downloads ...
- The Clearwater Lake Loop (aka the south loop) is 9.55 in length.
- The Alexander Springs Loop (aka the north loop) is 12.70 miles in length.
- The "center connector" is 0.33 miles in length and is very close to a place in the woods know locally as "5-Point", a spot where 5 jeep trails intersect. Travel on FR-63 about 1,000 feet south of this intersection and to the east through the woods the signposts at the west end of the center connector can be seen. A 4wd vehicle is required to reach this location by jeep trail.
Equipment Needed:
- Any bicycle wearing fat off-road tires will work.
- The wider the tire the better, 2.5" wide tires work really well.
- Tire liners provide inner tube puncture resistance year round and are especially useful during the Sept - Oct sand-spur season.
- Suspension isn't required but makes the ride more comfortable.
- Bring what you might need such as a tire repair kit, minimal bike tool kit, clothes to layer up/down as needed, water, snacks, flashlight(s), spare batteries, maps and mileage tables from the Downloads page, etc.
- If you carry it in ... please carry it out.
- Riding during deer hunting season is allowed, but:
- We do recommend wearing the same kind of hunter safety orange colored vest that hunters are required to wear, available at your local Walmart or sporting goods store for around $10.
- Complete 2011-12 Ocala Forest hunting season dates and regulations can be found at: http://myfwc.com/media/1387072/Ocala.pdf or download it from the Downloads page on this website.
- Hunter orange safety vests are not required by hunters during bow and arrow only archery season which occurs early in the fall.
Accessibility:
- There are three trailheads that can be easily accessed by non-4wd vehicles.
- Clearwater Lake Trailhead: When turning off county road CR-42 heading into the Clearwater Lake Recreation Area the PWBT trailhead kiosk is on the right.
- North Trailhead: The graded forest road FR-69 runs between the east end of Paisley, FL at CR-42 and paved county road CR-445 near Alexander Springs. At the north end of FR-69 just east of CR-445 on graded FR-69 the North Trailhead and a small kiosk is on the south side of the road.
- Alexander Springs Trailhead: The very north end of the bike trail begins directly across the road from the Alexander Springs main gate which is on CR-445 about 1/2 mile N/E of the CR-445/FR-69 intersection.
- There are numerous 4wd "jeep" trails that criss-cross the Paisley Woods which can provide many hours of exploration fun, and provide numerous PWBT "ride from" locations. See the Downloads page for a map that shows all numbered forest roads AND the bike trail. If you have a 4wd vehicle there is a ton of fun to be had in addition to riding your off-road bicycle.
- To download a free copy of the 2012 Ocala Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map book (MVUM) please visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5348790.pdf, and note that maps 3,4,9,10 cover the Paisley Woods area.
