The Boca Grande Bike Path is a 6.5 mile multi-use path in

Boca Grande, Florida Boca Grande is a small residential community on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida. Gasparilla Island is a part of both Charlotte County, Florida, Charlotte and Lee County, Florida, Lee counties, while the actual village of Boca Grande, wh ...

Gasparilla Island Gasparilla Island is a barrier island in southwest Florida, United States, straddling the border of Charlotte and Lee counties. Its largest town is Boca Grande, and it is the location of the Gasparilla Island State Park. The island has been a ...

. The northern portion of the path runs on the former right of way of the

Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway is a historic railroad line that at its greatest extent serviced Gasparilla Island in Charlotte Harbor (estuary), Charlotte Harbor and a major shipping port that once operated there. The railroad's princip ...

, which operated on Gasparilla Island from 1907 to 1981. As Florida's first

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

, it was repurposed principally for bicycles, but pedestrians also use it.

Golf cart A golf cart (alternatively known as a golf buggy or golf car) is a small motorized vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than walking. Over time, variants were introduced t ...

s are also permitted on the path. Another trail exists on the mainland portion of the railroad line known as the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail.Two Florida Trails, Worlds Apart
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History

The former Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway was abandoned in 1981 after the closure of the phosphate port on the south end of the island. Bayard Sharp, an heir of the

Du Pont family The du Pont family () or Du Pont family is a prominent family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739–1817), a French minor aristocrat. Currently residing in the U.S. states of Delaware and Pennsylvania, the Du Ponts have been ...

who controlled the

Gasparilla Inn The Gasparilla Inn & Club is a historic hotel at 500 Palm Avenue on Gasparilla Island in Boca Grande, Florida. With The Gasparilla Inn is one of the largest surviving resort hotels in Florida, constructed originally for wealthy northerners in ...

, saw the need for a bike path after one of his employees had been killed on a bicycle on the island. Sharp managed to acquire the railroad's right of way and built the path on it. The trail was dedicated on February 23, 1985. The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association, a non-profit organization based on the island, currently operates the path.

Route Description

The Boca Grande Bike Path begins at the north end of Gasparilla Island on the access road behind 5800 Gasparilla Road. It parallels Gasparilla Road from the causeway, passing behind the historic Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway Depot a few blocks before reaching 1st Street. At 1st Street it runs west through the downtown area and turns south to continue along Gulf Boulevard past

Gasparilla Island Lights The Gasparilla Island Lights are on Gasparilla Island in Boca Grande, Florida. The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse is on the southern tip of Gasparilla Island (located in Gasparilla Island State Park), and marked the Boca Grande Pass entrance to ...

, terminating at Belcher Road and Gulf Boulevard.

Points of interest

* Boca Grande Fishing Pier * Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway Depot *

* Gasparilla Island State Park

References

{{Reflist

External links

TrailLink profile for Boca Grande Bike Path

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100 Florida Trails
Hiking trails in Florida Rail trails in Florida Bike paths in Florida Transportation in Lee County, Florida Gasparilla Island 1985 establishments in Florida