Visitors to Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park looking for a bit of off-roading will now be able to find it — at least for a bicycle.
The Pasco County Parks and Recreation Department is set to open its new off-road bike trail Saturday at the park during a dedication ceremony Saturday near Parking Lot 10.
Last year, the South West Association of Mountain Bike Peddlers, more commonly known as SWAMP, got approval to begin grooming the new off-road trail. Volunteers used hand tools and small pieces of heavy machinery to groom the trail, making sure it remained in the shade, which they feel riders will appreciate.
The first seven-mile section is dubbed Magnolia Trail, and is an access trail to the heart of what is anticipated may be a 35-mile trail system in the 8,000 acre park. The trail leaves from Parking Lot 10 and winds through pine uplands, old growth oaks, scrub oak, flat woods, wetlands, cypress domes and a lily pond.
“This trail is designed to showcase some of the park’s most beautiful parts by going near or through them,” said SWAMP volunteer Rudy Miller, in a release. “There is ample twisting and turning to give the riders rhythm and a challenge.”
The park is located at 10500 Wilderness Park Blvd., in New Port Richey.
For more information, visit SWAMPClub.org.
