Origin
Located in Southeastern Hillsborough County, Alafia River State Park was
donated to the State in 1996 by Cytec Industries. The Park consists of 6,344
acres. Prior to acquisition by the State, the property was a phosphate mine
called Lonesome Mine, named after the nearby community of Fort Lonesome,
which was itself named after a Frontier outpost of the U.S. Army that
occupied the site during the Third Seminole War.
Off-Road Biking
With unique topography that
offers some of the most radical elevation changes in Florida, the Alafia
off- road bicycling trails are the most challenging in the area. There are
three major loops - BLACK LOOP is very technical with steep drops and
strenuous climbs and is for the advanced rider. BLUE LOOP, Requires the
skills of an intermediate rider on short sections. GREEN LOOP, the easiest
of the trails, but still challenging, for experienced beginners. Helmets
are required on the trails.
Trails are indicated by markers
with colored symbols on them. There are two sublevels of the BLACK LOOPS
identified by a differing number of black diamonds; one diamond is an
advanced trail, if you see two diamonds it is an expert level trail. The
trails at Alafia River State Park were constructed and are maintained by
volunteers from the Southwest Association of Mountain Bike Peddlers
(SWAMP). A trail map is available on their web site at Southwest
Association of Mountain Bike Pedalers The SWAMP Mountain Bike Club
provides a once a month guided trail ride. The club also has a volunteer
workday the first Saturday of each month. For more information regarding
club and activities, you can visit their web site at Southwest
Association of Mountain Bike Pedalers. Or call the Swamp hotline at
(813) 689-5109.
Horse Trails
Riders can enjoy a relaxing day
of approximately 20 miles of equestrian trails. The horse trails are well
marked and wind around lakes, over hills and through wooded areas. The
blue trail is a perimeter loop, the white trail runs north and south, the
green trail runs east and west, and the yellow trails are island loops.
The equestrian trails would not have been possible without the assistance
and dedicated volunteers of the Triple B Riding Club. For further
information on the Triple B Riding Club visit their web site at Triple
B Riding Club. Riders must furnish their own horse. Proof of current
Negative Coggins is required.
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This site was last updated
11/02/08
