Caloosa Regional Park Northside

Caloosa Regional Park Northside

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	Caloosa Regional Park Northside
Location:	Florida
Nearest Town:	Fort Myers
Directions to Trailhead:	Located in the Caloosa Regional County Park - Northside Trails entrance. On the north side of State Road 78 between Fort Myers and Alva. (7 miles east of SR 31 - just follow the signs!)
Trail Description:	Winding trail with several short climbs and decents. Three bridge crossings of usually dry streams. Main trail is 5 miles, back loop adds 3 very enjoyable miles.
Trail Length:	5 to 8 miles
Trail Type:	Singletrack & Fire Roads
Skill Level:	Unknown
Web Link:	http://www.mudcutters.org
Submitted By:	Pat Agnew

Todd from Naples,Florida Date: July 5, 2003 Trail Ridden: Once a month
Recommended Route: Varies with month Other recommended trails in the same area: North Port or Markam
Review: I just rode this trail and with the heavy rains we recently had I can only say one thing. Bring your snorkel and weed eater. The trails are extremely overgrown. There are sections closed off due to flooding and removal of pepper hedge by the park service. Normally this is a fun trail system but my last ride was a bit miserable. This trail does not compare to North Port or Markam but it is still fun in itself. Mudcutters do a good job of maintaining it but I guess they have not been able to get there lately. Who wants to do weed cutting this time of year anyways. Hopefully the trail will dry out and get tamed back. Until then I would recommend going to Northport or Markam. Als thank you Mudcutters for providing a fun trail.	Overall Rating:

bgmarc from ft,lauderdale Date: June 29, 2003 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: when i arrived they told me the route changes Other recommended trails in the same area: head to south fla , markham, quiet waters. oleta
Review: I live in the south florida area and was looking for somthing new. this trail was definatly that. I arrived there on a saterday afternoon and there was no one there. A warning to all trail riders, this trail should only be ridden during the winter!! the florida stae bird(mosquitos) will kill you in the summer plus rainy season in june makes this trail unridable. period, it was no fun for me , If it wasnt for another rider showing me out i would have been eaten alive. The trail had some good single track and good elevation changes, nothing to technical from markham park standerds. the trail needs a water fountain at the entrance and somthing more than a portolet. also if you do go don't gorget to pay for parking , rangers there arent so nice sometimes	Overall Rating:

Tom from Frederick, Maryland Date: January 2, 2003 Trail Ridden: Every few months
Recommended Route: Alternates direction each month Other recommended trails in the same area: Didn't make it up to Northport but heard it's nice. Another 40 miles north.
Review: I rode this trail for 5 consecutive days beginning 12/27/02. Well maintained this time of year. Total 9 miles containing 3 sections that can be repeated or deleted depending on your fitness level. There were both beginners and intermediate riders enjoying this trail. Nice job Mudcutters !	Overall Rating:

Matt from Fort Myers, Florida Date: October 26, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area: Nort Port
Review: This was the first time I had ridden this trail. We had alot of fun, some parts were really wet. Im a new ridder so mabey I don't know too much about trail ridding, but I thought this trail was alot of fun. If anyone would like to ride with a new guy send me an email.	Overall Rating:

Lee from Naples Date: September 10, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Go to Northport..... Other recommended trails in the same area: Northport (Myakahatchee Enviromental Park)
Review: Hmmm....this trail could have potential...but in it's present unkept state it is less than desireable. Quite nasty actually. For a few brief sporatic moments you start to have fun and then....oh well. Looks like at one time someone actually took care of this trail....but during this present writing, it is way overgrown and only the horse trails are groomed (off limits to bikers). Hope the mudcutters wake up soon...this place has the potential to be a nice little track for the novice rider and the weekend warrior.	Overall Rating:

Tom from Frederick, Md Date: August 22, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Clockwise. Beginners can ride this trail. Better riders should work on improving this trail to make it more challenging. Don't expect rocks, climbs, or drops. It's FLORIDA ! Other recommended trails in the same area: This trail could be better with some obstacles added and year-round maintenance. Mudcutters, Are you out there? PS. If you are a local and ride this trail, get involved in making it better. Every Sunday after the second Thursday of the month is supposed to be a maintenance day.
Review: I rode this trail twice, 8/12 and 8/15. I was the only person on the trail. The trail exceeded my low expectations. Nice system and very different from trails I usually ride. Due to the overgrowth, I can only assume the Florida Mudcutters maintain this trail only during the cooler months. I e-mailed them before my trip but no response. Much of the first few miles was spent pushing through 6 ft high vegetation. At some points I could not see the trail at all. There are no climbs other than getting over a berm or 2. I was impressed by the carpeting that was staked over these "climbs" to help prevent erosion, I guess. There are picnic tables and signs posted at various intervals, which was a nice touch. Riding under a canopy of trees through tight, muddy, root-filled single track was the best part. The last section, Sunburn Meadow, was a bit dull, but if there were more people out there It might be more fun. Overall I must say it was better than I thought it would be, but it made me appreciate more the trails we have in Md.	Overall Rating:

matt from fort myers Date: August 15, 2002 Trail Ridden: Once a month
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area: northport
Review: this trail sucks no one is taking care of it at all. it was good 2 months ago but they just let it grow and now it sucks. but a guy from trikes and bikes is taking it over and putting some north shore style stuff in it so it should be alittle better.so i f ur thinking about going here spend alittle extra money on gas and go to northport.	Overall Rating:

smc from ft.myers Date: July 9, 2002 Trail Ridden: Every few months
Recommended Route: Look above! Other recommended trails in the same area: Northport, And coming soon the Ghetto trails!
Review: I have ridden this trail a few times. I like the fact that the Mudcutters and locals took the time to make this trail. But, the trails are boring and there is to much sand. The only good part is the back thru the trees. The trails course up front is a good start. I would rather drive to Northport. I hope this trail gets better. I would like to see more stunts and jumps. Myself and friends would be happy to help make this place better.	Overall Rating:

tula from west palm beach Date: June 16, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Follow the little green/brown bicycle signs and you can't go wrong Other recommended trails in the same area: None on west coast , but have ridden Dickinson,Oleta, Markham, quiet waters Pinehurst on east coast
Review: A nice trail to ride made more exiting by the muddy conditions and ever present rain cloud which followed me around the entire trail . Happy to be able to wash my bike off at the trail head.Its great to see the guys out there maintaining the trail and is well worth the distance travelled to get here . Well signposted and clever use of terrain make it easy enough for the beginner, but challenging enough for the die hard I will be back	Overall Rating:

Camilo from Estero Date: May 28, 2002 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: Start on the entrance on the left side of the parking lot. When you reach the first picnic table continue straight. Take a left on second picnic table. You'll be on a loop and get back. Going out of the loop take a left. You'll be back to the first picnic table. Then go South to go back to the parking. Other recommended trails in the same area: None
Review: This is a nice ride if you like wildlife. I've seen hogs, deers of all sizes and plently of snakes (indigo and rattle as well). The first part is sandy on the ridge but get better after the first picnic table. Not Markam but, hey, it's the best thing around the area...	Overall Rating:

Don from Fort Myers, FL, USA Date: May 27, 2002 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: Take I-75 to State Road 78 or State Road 80 (whichever you come to first) - head East until you hit State Road 31 - turn North on 31 to State Road 78 East (78 takes a jog at 31) - turn East on State Road 78 for about 6.5 - 7 miles. The park will be on your left. Other recommended trails in the same area: None...yet.
Review: If you like twisty singletrack you'll like this park. Not much in the way of climbing, but a really pretty park. The trail runs through several different types of terrain, from some completely covered by a canopy of low trees (there aren't many tall trees in this part of Florida), to open meadow, and some variations in between. There are a couple of short rocky sections in the back, a few short steep climbs, a couple of nice descents, and one or two small jumps. In addition to the main bike trail, there are optional loops, horse trails and jeep trails (for official vehicles only) that let you tailor the length and difficulty of the ride to suit a variety of riders. When it's been dry the Calcutta Ridge (see trail map at www.mudcutters.org) gets pretty sandy and there is a little sand in the section leading from Lightbulb to Sunburn Meadow. The trail can get muddy in rainy season (Duh!) but usually isn't too bad if you give the rain a little time soak in. The parking area is paved with a large open sided pavilion and a porta-pottie. There is also a practice area with some minor obstacles for warming up or honing skills. The trails are maintained by volunteers and are generally in good shape. Easy enough for beginning and intermediate riders to enjoy, but with sufficient character to engage advanced riders as well.	Overall Rating:

Merlin from Ft. Lauderdale, FL Date: May 25, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area: Markham Park in Lauderdale, don't know of any others in this area.
Review: This is a good trail for beginners only. I know this is Florida, but there is literally no jumps, rocks, dirt mounds, or anything for a change in terrain. It was completely flat for the entire trail. There is also a ton of sugar sand that constantly slowed you down on any section that started to give you some speed. If you want to practice proper shifting techniques with lots of twisty single track, this is probably the place. There are no areas that are straight for more that 100 feet. If you have any experience on a bike, want some excitement, and don't have beach tires, this is not the place for you.	Overall Rating:

Thomas McAvoy from Hollywood, FL Date: May 14, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Once you get there following the above directions, remember the trail is on the right side of the road if you are going north. Other recommended trails in the same area: Don't know of any others
Review: First section, great until you hit that sand. Kills all the bearings in the bike and the body, but there is a bail-out. If you're an old man like me take it to the picnic table then try and see if you can make the next 7 miles without stopping. Great singletrack, slalom lets novices try out their gearing, overall the best I've ridden in S. Fl and I've ridden most of them. You don't drive from Hollywood to this spot without having a reasonable idea of what it might be like, and I wasn't disappointed at all. The Mud Cutters have lots of KUDOS from me.	Overall Rating:

MntnMan from New Jersey Date: February 11, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: Rode this trail on vacation. A nice change of pace from the Northeast. Very fast twisty single track in sections. Some sandy sections make for a challenging ride on the ridge. Some very short climbs, a short rocky section. The most rewarding aspect was being able to really pedal freely for an extended period unlike the trails near me that are very technical. Also, saw some wildlife.....deer, wild pig, snakes. Was hoping to see a gator....I bet they're in there. Rented my bike at The Bike Route (Raleigh M600 with LX/XT).	Overall Rating:

don from beavercreek, ohio Date: January 3, 2002 Trail Ridden: Ridden Once
Recommended Route: go to www.mudcutters.org and check out their maps. there are plenty of contacts at that site, if you desire a guide. Other recommended trails in the same area: don't know of any very close to this one.
Review: i'm from ohio, and the change in scenery was pretty cool. i'm more of an intermediate/beginner rider, and enjoyed what i rode. nice and rolling, a little twisty, a little sandy, but fun for someone who isn't used to it. nice scenery. trail seemed to be well maintained and marked. along the trail, there are a few spots w/picnic tables, under some big trees. posted maps are at some if the intersections. i was pressed for time, so i didn't get to ride all of it. next time down, i'll hit the whole thing. an added note, if you want to turn someone on to mountain biking, this is a good, fun trail to take a first timer to, without overwhelming them.	Overall Rating:

Tony Castaload from Islip... Strong Island NY Date: December 22, 2001 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: Singletrack entance by the pavillion Other recommended trails in the same area: Ghetto Trail, Ft. Myers
Review: This place is mad fun, as good as you getting in SW Florida.. Not too much sugar sand and no damage from hicks on 4 wheelers.. Only shitty thing is some fags are cutting out all the roots, this place is easy enough as is, if you cant handle a couple roots keep your fairy ass on the street and get a 10 speed !!!	Overall Rating:

Pat Agnew from Fort Myers Date: January 20, 2001 Trail Ridden: Once a week
Recommended Route: Riders may choose between singletrack or jeep trails. Singletrack is for good beginners to intermediate - advanced riders won't be disappointed. Other recommended trails in the same area:
Review: Trail twists through peppertree canopy, pine woods and open meadow of tall grass. New 3 mile loop begins at the first picnic trail and is some of the best riding in the park. Trails are marked, and maps posted at major intersections. Scheduled rides held Sat and Sun at 9:00, and night rides on Tuesday at 6:00 to 6:30 pm.	Overall Rating: