Length 10.8 mi (17.4 km) | Season Year round | |
Location Sarasota County, Florida, United States Trailheads Culverhouse Nature Park
E Venice Avenue (under ICW Bridge) Use Cycling, Walking, Hiking, Jogging, Roller Blading, Skateboarding, Pet Walking Hazards Crossing widely used roads Sights Oscar Scherer State Park, Venice Train Depot | ||
The Legacy Trail is a 10.8-mile paved trail in Sarasota County, Florida running between Sarasota near Palmer Ranch and Venice. It opened in 2008 along the area's historic rail corridor. Bike Florida has rated the Legacy Trail (along with the Venetian Waterway Park) one of the top 10 bicycle trails in the state of Florida.
Contents
History
The railroad line was originally built in 1911 as part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's extension to Venice. The railroad line provided passenger service to Venice up until 1971, and most notably carried the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which was headquartered in Venice from 1959 to 1992. The circus was the last consistent service the rail line carried.
Due to decreased demand for service and the heavily deteriorated condition of the tracks and bridges, CSX Transportation (Seaboard's successor) and Seminole Gulf Railway, who had been leasing the line from CSX since 1987, collectively decided to abandon the line south of Palmer Ranch around 2004. Sarasota County, in conjunction with the Trust for Public Land, acquired the right of way for $11.75 million for use as a trail. The Legacy Trail was opened to the public on March 28, 2008.
In 2011, an overpass was built to carry the trail over U.S. 41, a major six-lane highway. Prior to the overpass's construction, trail users had to use a crosswalk at an adjacent intersection. The $3.1 million overpass is 12 feet wide, and was built with federal stimulus funding.
Route Description
The north end of the Legacy Trail is just south of the Seminole Gulf Railway's current terminus near Palmer Ranch. From there, it travels south in a straight line towards Venice. It passes through Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey and has a direct connection with the park's trails. After leaving the park, the trail continues south, passes underneath State Road 681 and through Nokomis. South of Nokomis, the trail crosses Dona Bay and enters Venice. The trail overpasses U.S. 41 Bypass then to the historic Venice Seaboard Air Line Railway Station, which is currently in used as a bus station. At the station, the trail goes on to connect with the Venetian Waterway Park at Venice Avenue, another trail that continues south along the Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Legacy Trail includes many references to its historic railroad past. The trail's mile markers (numbered 892-902) correspond to the railroad's original mile numbering. The original railroad trestle crossing South Creek at mile marker 897.6 also remains. It is the only trestle still standing, and a newer bridge carries the trail over the creek next to it. Roadway crossings also include decorative railroad crossing signals with cross bucks reading "Sarasota Rail Trail." (Palmer Ranch Parkway, Central Sarasota Parkway, Laurel Road, Colonia Lane)
Future
An overpass over the Laurel Road intersection is planned to be constructed sometime in 2016.
Sarasota County is also currently planning to extend the Legacy Trail beyond its current northern terminus into the city of Sarasota. The extension will continue the trail along the railroad corridor an additional 8 miles to just south of Fruitville Road, which would connect it with Payne Park and another proposed bike trail along Alderman Street towards downtown Sarasota. One possibility would have the trail run on the rail bed similar to the existing section, which would require further abandonment of the Seminole Gulf Railway. Although, it is also possible the extended trail could run alongside the railroad, which would allow Seminole Gulf Railway to remain in service since they currently have no plans to abandon more trackage.
Another extension southeast to North Port is also being considered. The North Port extension would connect to the Legacy Trail in Nokomis and run along a power line easement through the Deer Prairie Creek Preserve.
The Legacy Trail is also planned to be part of the Southwest Coast Regional Connector, an initiative by the Florida Department of Transportation to built a continuous multi-use trail from Tampa to Naples.