West Cadillac - Mountain Bike Trail

The West Cadillac Trail is one of the more challenging MTB trails for those exploring the Lafayette Heritage Park trail system. Despite Florida not being known for being hilly, the West Cadillac Trail is full of elevation changes that will have you pedaling hard throughout. As such, if you don’t have enough stamina, you might be unable to complete the trail. That said, it does cross some of the other trails in the system, and if you want to bail out, you can.

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

You can find parking at the Lafayette Heritage Trail Park, and to get there, you’ll need to turn onto Conner Blvd from Apalachee Pkwy or east onto Connor Blvd from Capital Circle, depending on where you’re coming from.

Follow Conner Blvd to the intersection with Heritage Park Blvd and Old Plantation Rd. Turn east onto Heritage Park Blvd past a roundabout, and this road should take you to the Lafayette Heritage Trail Park parking lot. There should also be some restrooms near the parking lot for you to use.

From there, you get on the Lafayette Heritage Trail due north. The West Cadillac Trailhead should be less than 200 meters ahead.

Being a point-to-point trail, you can also access it via the West Cadillac Trailhead on the opposite end.

To get to it, you’ll get onto Easterwood Dr from Connor Blvd or Capital Circle, follow it into Tom Brown Park, then turn onto Access Rd 06, which will take you to the Rotary Centennial playground. Park your car at the playground parking and then take your bike onto the Lafayette Heritage Trail headed in the southeast direction. The West Cadillac Trailhead should be just ahead.

The trail is mainly singletrack with plenty of magnolia trees all around. While they provide plenty of shade for riders, their proximity to the singletrack also means that their large roots jut out of the ground, making for a bumpy ride.

Here those with hardtails will have a much more uncomfortable ride compared to those with full-suspension mountain bikes.

You’ll also be riding along the hillside with plenty of elevation changes. The sustained climbs and magnolia roots have been known to force some mountain bikers off the trail. However, if you don’t mind the technical climbs, the West Cadillac is something you’ll enjoy because they lead to bumpy descents.

Fortunately, even for those who don’t turn back, the trail crosses the Lafayette Heritage Trail several times, and as such, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to bail out.

There are plenty of man-made features, i.e., narrow wooden bridges, logs to ride on, jumps, drops, etc. Additionally, there are a few rock gardens.

You can ride around some of the obstacles.

The trail remains well-maintained thanks to efforts by the Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association plus the city of Tallahassee. Also, given the general terrain of this particular trail, water drains fairly easily when it rains, which means it dries up significantly faster than options like the Fern Trail, which is nearby.

You can ride it on its own if you want a short ride or combine it with others at the Lafayette Heritage Trail and Tom Brown Parks for something longer.

Additional Trail Features

• Extra fees; Using the Lafayette Heritage Trail Park and its mountain bike trails is free.
• Obstacles: Drops, small rocky sections, and plenty of roots will make the ride significantly more technical.
• Shuttles; There are several bus stops on Connor Blvd, so you can take a bus and then find your way to the trailheads on your mountain bike.

Sights of Interest, Landscapes, Views

There is Lake Leon at Tom Brown Park, but you’ll have to make a detour from the trail to see it.

Recommendations/Precautions

• Carry your full-suspension mountain bike.