[nolefan419]

The group I ride with rides Santos every weekend and I am looking for a change of pace. Which one is better? I am about half way between both and don't really know much about either one. Any info besides what you can find on their websites is appreciated.

 

[jelloseed]

If you are interested in more technical type stuff then alafia. If you want a good cross country experience, then san falesco. I like alafia personally, but that is because I prefer more a more technical experience. You might also want to check out boyette (ridgeline is amazing) or carter (lakeland).

 

[Guest]

Dido, but I personally prefer Santos and Alafia over them all. Carter is awesome, and Boyette has it going on, but nothing beats those two trails. Santos has more open space to ride, whereas Alafia is compressed in to a smaller area than Santos and Santos has many more miles than San Felasco or Alafia. Alafia is far more technical than Felasco, which is nearly all flat with no challenge at all. Anyways, I would highly recommend Alafia far before Felasco. Just my two cents bro. Ride on and have fun!

 

[Cyclopod]

Alafia is far more technical than Felasco, which is nearly all flat with no challenge at all.

San Felasco is anything but flat. San Felasco is not particularly technical and lacks the pucker factor that Alafia has, but it does have the most consistent climbing in FL. That's not to say its not technical, the roots and switchbacks on tung nut loop can wear you out if your not in shape. The long descents on Tung nut are a blast if you think you can lay off the breaks (I recommend riding tung nut counter clockwise). There is anywhere between 25-30 miles which is mostly singletrack.
nolefan, its up to you. I love both parks, for a real workout I hit SF, if I'm in the mood to swoop down 50 ft descents I'll head to Alafia.

 

[Guest]

San Felasco is anything but flat. San Felasco is not particularly technical and lacks the pucker factor that Alafia has, but it does have the most consistent climbing in FL. That's not to say its not technical, the roots and switchbacks on tung nut loop can wear you out if your not in shape. The long descents on Tung nut are a blast if you think you can lay off the breaks (I recommend riding tung nut counter clockwise). There is anywhere between 25-30 miles which is mostly singletrack.
nolefan, its up to you. I love both parks, for a real workout I hit SF, if I'm in the mood to swoop down 50 ft descents I'll head to Alafia.

Ahhh, keyword missed here is "nearly flat.....". Sorry, but I never wrote that it was flat, I wrote "nearly flat", which it is bro. Anyways 'nolefan419', its all good no matter where you ride bro, just getting out to ride different scenery is the key thing here. Ride on bro!

 

[jayjudy13]

Aww, come on guys, compared to any state with mountains, all of Fl is nearly flat. That said, we make pretty good use of our 50-60 feet of elevation. To the OP- have you ever checked out the trail review section of this site? It gives the same kind of info you are asking for here...

Incidently, San Felasco is nowhere near as technical as Alafia IMO, but it is good single track and has more mileage. The thing that sets Alafia apart to me is the fact that it has a centralized TH/parking area... you are never more than a mile or two from your car. That isn't always a good thing though, sometimes being closer to the car makes me lazy, I tend to take more breaks. San Felasco is good because it is huge and very scenic, you really get the feeling of being away from civilization.

 

[Jim311]

Yeah, you will definitely see plenty of wildlife at Felasco if you're riding in the morning or at dusk. It's good XC stuff, just doesn't provide that technical aspect, unless you ride it FAST. I have actually injured myself out there pretty good trying to really haul azz. Stupid pine needles

 

[Spartacus Rex]

I live between Tampa and Gainesville, and have lot's of friends in G'ville so I ride Santos, San Felasco, Alafia and Boyette pretty frequently. Without knowing which trails in Santos you ride it is hard to make a suggestion, but you really cant go wrong with any one of them.

<pure opinion> San Felasco is my least favorite of them all because it has no technical terrain. If your favorite trail at Santos is Vortex you will be disappointed. I use SF to test my cardio fitness and just to get in the mileage. It is probably one of the more scenic rides and you will spot lots of deer and other wildlife.

I have stopped riding Alafia as much because Boyette offers a better mix of trails and isnt as crowded. The new Spider Berm is a really fun flowy loop, and the views of the lakes makes for a nice ride. The Abyss and Ridgeline rival anything that Alafia has to offer and the drops on Ridgeline are WAY bigger and flow way better.

just my .02

Unfortunately I will be at Santos this weekend, but if you are riding any other weekend, PM and I'd be happy to guide you around!

-mike

 

[Cornflake]

My opinion, Alafia. Hands down.

 

[Wildcard]

I've never been to SF but I hit alafia almost every other week and love it. There are some good technical trails that are a lot of fun. Boyette is another great place and only about 5 min down the road from Alafia. I usually alternate between the two, still trying to figure out which is my favorite.

Carter is great but I have trouble getting my friends out there, a lot of the riding has you traveling about a foot from a drop into swampy water. I don't mind a refreshing dip but most of the people I ride with are vagina's and think they're too pretty for risk