Downtown Jacksonville Urban Biking Adventure

This trip will be led by members of the City of Jacksonville Department of Recreation and Community Services and a local cycling club.

This tour will begin and end at the Jacksonville Hyatt. The initial portions will be along the Northbank Riverwalk, heading westerly through the Brooklyn district about to the Fuller Warren Bridge ultimately crossing I-95 and into the Springfield district. Once near and west of I-95, some portions of the trail will be along roadways and through the interstate mess of ramps and reconstruction, and into the neighborhoods north of I-10 and west of I-95. Some roadways are not heavily traveled while at least one does include a decent amount of traffic. Ultimately, the tour hooks back up onto sidewalks and pathways and swings by James P. Small Park and other parks containing historic features (James P. Small Park has a historic baseball stadium). The tour then runs along approximately 2 to 3 miles of recently completed paved trail occupying a former trolly line, easterly across I-95 into the Springfield Historical District, onto Henry J. Klutho Park and on by other historic features and districts (Church district and Central Civic Core district).

The City of Jacksonville is trying to develop a 10 mile urban greenway in downtown Jacksonville. And they have allies in the local bike club, which does rides on the route as a way of making sure that the cyclists stake their claim to it as users. The basis for the greenway is a mix of streets, parks and the right-of-way of a onetime electric trolley system. Part of the urban greenway system is the Northbank Riverwalk in front of the conference hotel.

Note: Experienced riders only! The trail is a work-in-progress in an urban setting, which will include riding roadways with vehicle traffic, riding through areas under construction, and navigating busy streets. Bicycles and helmets will be provided. Riders may bring their own bicycle and helmet but will be responsible for storage.