15 Peaceful Waterfront Bike Paths
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11. Peavine National Recreational Trail
- Location: Prescott, Arizona
- Where to start: Trailhead parking (1624 Sundog Ranch Rd)
- Highlight: Views of the Granite dells, unique ancient boulders along Lake Watson
Prescott is a beautiful little high altitude mountain community in central Arizona. This small community embodies old time cowboy charm with historic saloons and plenty of beautiful open space. The Peavine National Recreational Trail is an underused, yet incredible place for a bike ride. It’s located out in the middle of nowhere, and thus, perfect for anyone seeking a rustic place to enjoy the unusual barren beauty of Arizona.
Featuring views of the Granite Dells and lovely Watson Lake, you will be motivated to complete the entire 6 mile out-and-back route. On an interesting side note, the Peavine is one of the few rail trails in the state. Back in 1893, the route was used by the Santa Fe Railway. Today, we all get to enjoy a scenic uninterrupted place to workout in the company of the picturesque Arizona desert.
More info on the Peavine National Recreational trail
12. Fort deSoto recreational path
- Location: St Petersburg, Florida
- Where to start: Trail begins near 3500 Pinellas Bayway S ·
- Highlight: Convenient access to some of Florida’s best beaches
This beautiful Pinellas County Park is located on 5 offshore islands: Mullet Key, Christopher Key, Bonne Fortune Key, Madelaine Key, and St. Jean Key. The white sand beaches here draw lots of tourist traffic. If you are not one to lie around for hours on end frying in the sun, there’s a great pedestrian path as an alternative. This gorgeous 7 mile multi purpose path gives you the opportunity to enjoy some fun-in-the-sun while also keeping your cool. The fresh breeze and ample greenery along the way enable you to enjoy the tropical ambiance without baking.
Grab your bike (or rent one) and enjoy the beautiful Florida Gulf Coast scenery. This path is a great way to travel in between various deSoto beaches. From here you can also take a ferry over to Egmont Key Island, a hotspot for snorkeling and beachcombing.
More info on the Fort deSoto bike path
13. Bayshore Blvd
- Location: Downtown Tampa, Florida
- Where to start: Near the Gasparilla boat (320 Bayshore Blvd)
- Highlight: Beautiful views of the bay, esp at sunrise
While debatably the world’s longest continuous sidewalk (others claim the same title), the 4.5 mile long Bayshore Blvd biking path sure is a beautiful place to enjoy a workout. Palm trees, water views, beautiful historic homes, skyline views…it’s the most scenic place in Tampa to get your workout on. What’s more there are fun fitness stations along the way. This ride is really smooth and flat, and thus, perfect for beginners & casual weekend exercisers.
Plan you ride during the early morning hours and you may just see a dolphin or manatee! If you are looking for something different to do outside of the beach scene, a bike ride along Bayshore Blvd is a worthy alternative. You still get to enjoy the beautiful Florida sunshine and tropical scenery, only minus the crowds, and with a nice workout to boot! I regularly used this trail for longer bike rides and jogs while living in the Bay.
14. Ladybird Trail Bike & Hike trail
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Where to start: Street parking (S. Lakeshore Blvd. between Pleasant Valley Road and Riverside)
- Highlight: Beautiful view of Ladybird Lake
Austin’s beautiful lakefront path receives much press, and thus, is always bustling with runners, walkers, and bikers. In fact, the trail is used by over 4 million people per year. This really is no surprise as the entire route is incredibly scenic. This was the first thing I did on my first trip to Austin and my favorite. As you make your way around this 10 mile loop, you get to enjoy views of the most picturesque lake in Texas. The trail is reasonably shady, so a great option even during the hottest summer months. Lots of great views of Austin’s pretty skyline as well.
The best part of all is that you get to enjoy Austin’s amazing food scene after working up a sweat. You will find lots of great restaurants are conveniently located in the vicinity, some even featuring great lake scenery. Consider stopping by Mozarts for a cup of coffee. They serve great drinks which you can enjoy while sitting on the patio taking in the lake scenery.
More info on the Ladybird trail
Boise River Greenbelt
- Location: Boise, Idaho
- Where to park: Julia Davis Park (700 S Capitol Blvd)
- Highlight: Easy access to city attractions including the zoo, the Anne Frank Human Rights memorial, and numerous parks
The Boise Greenbelt is a beautiful 25 mile long tree-lined path following the course of the Boise River. Not only is the path very beautiful, it’s also incredibly relaxing and rarely too crowded. Even on a hot summer day in the desert, it’s easy to keep cool with the ample shade coverage. One of the highlights of this trail is the convenient access to many of the city’s best attractions including the Boise Zoo and Julia Davis park. Simply lock up your bike and enjoy any of the multitude of parks and historical attractions along the way.
Plan your ride in the morning for the most laid-back riding experience. As an added bonus, this trail is a hotspot for bird and wildlife watching. It’s not uncommon to have to stop for deer crossings in the early morning hours!
