Ridgeline - Mountain Bike Trail

Described by some as the most fun trail in Florida, Ridgeline certainly lives up to its reputation. It’s rated as difficult terrain, so it’s not for everybody. However, unlike most of its counterparts in this category, it’s not technical, with flowy ups and downs.

Once you start, there are no bailouts, especially if someone is riding behind you, so you need to complete it. Fortunately, it is fairly short at only two miles, so you’ll be done in just a few minutes.

Before you go:

Drinking water

Restrooms

Fee required

Lift service

Fat bike grooming

Family Friendly

Night riding

E-bikes allowed

Dogs Allowed

Obstacles

Shuttles

Detailed Trail Description

Ridgeline is a part of the Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve network of trails in Florida, and as such, to get to it, you may need to ride on some of the other trails as well. More specifically, it’s connected to the Swamp Thing trail, with the endpoint on the Sidewinder trail.

It’s two miles long, but we believe these will be some of the most exciting two miles you can ride. It has a singletrack surface, and the beginning sort of eases you in compared to the end.

What sets it apart from most other trails is the natural mounds ranging from 10 ft to 20 ft high. If you use your brakes on the descent, you may not have enough power to get you over the next mound. Also, even if you don’t slow down, the next mound may still be high enough that you need to work hard to get over it. As such, bikers typically need to get through the trail hard and fast, which can make it more challenging hence its classification.

Naturally, the drops can also be pretty scary and get worse the further along you are on the trail. There are even a few optional trails near the end that are aptly named the plunge, corkscrew, oh my God, and max G’s.

These allow you to exit the main trail briefly before merging back in. We recommend avoiding them if you don’t trust yourself in steep drops.

The trail is slightly different from the natural terrain in most of Florida, given the area was previously a mine. This also makes it unsuitable for riding when wet or damp since the area is prone to erosion.

You’ll know you’re at the end when you see the long white wooden bridge. If you’re interested in going another round, you can get back on the sidewinder trail through to the Swamp Thing trail and back to Ridgeline.

Recommendations and Precautions

•  Don’t stop in the middle of the trail since you can cause an accident if there’s someone behind you.
• Lay off the brakes so you can make it over the mounds.