Cross Florida Greenway — 49th Avenue to Land Bridge

Cross Florida Region

Trail Map

Cross Florida Greenway — 49th Avenue to Land Bridge
Stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the St. Johns River, the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway occupies much of the land formerly known as the Cross Florida Barge Canal. This 110-mile corridor encompasses a variety of natural habitats and offers an array of trails and recreation areas where visitors can experience Florida’s premier greenway.

The trails in the 49th Avenue to Land Bridge region provide access to the west entrance of the Interstate 75 Land Bridge. This bridge was completed in 2000, providing a permanent trail connection across the six lane highway, and making safe passage for hikers, equestrians and bicyclists a reality. This region of the Cross Florida Greenway is dominated by longleaf pine sandhill and sand pine scrub natural communities. The area is also site of an historic "digging." Remnants of the former canal project, these features are wide linear areas that were literally carved out of the landscape to create the canal. Today, they exist as reforested, small-scale valleys. Because the bottoms of "diggings" are comprised of clayey soils that hold moisture, they are dominated by loblolly pines that prefer wetter areas than longleaf or sand pines. In many areas, they also offer challenging terrain for trail goers.

Locator

49 Avenue Trail Brochure

Click here for the trail brochure (PDF 362 kb).

Major Activities

Trail Length/Surface:
- unpaved hiking, Florida Trail, approximately 2.4 miles
- unpaved equestrian, approximately 8.7 total miles
- unpaved mountain biking, approximately 2.5 miles
Fee: None
Counties: Marion
Nearby Cities: Ocala

Notes:
The 49th Avenue Trailhead provides a hardened parking area, picnic pavilion, and non-potable water. Parking is also available for approximately 5 equestrian trailers.

Please note that the Land Bridge Trailhead also provides a large equestrian parking and horse wash-down area, making it the best staging area for equestrians who are primarily interested in visiting the Land Bridge. The Land Bridge Trailhead also provides the most direct trail access to the Land Bridge for hikers, equestrians and bikers who want to reach the bridge in the shortest amount of time possible. For more information see Land Bridge Trails.

The hiking trail in this area is part of the Florida Trail, and is officially designated as Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST). The Florida Trail Association produces a detailed hiking guide and segment-by-segment maps that are very useful for hiking the entire Florida Trail. For more information, visit their website at www.florida-trail.org.

The arrow symbol on the map indicates where connecting and loop trails continue elsewhere.

Access/Directions:
49th Avenue Trailhead
From I-75 south of Ocala, take Exit 341 (old Exit 67) to CR 484. Head west (toward Dunnellon) on CR 484 approximately 2.5 miles until you reach Marion Oaks Trail (you will also see a sign for 49th Avenue). Take a right on Marion Oaks Trail and follow it until you reach SW 49th Avenue. Turn right on SW 49th Avenue and proceed north for a very short distance. The trailhead is on the right.

Contact Information:
Office of Greenways and Trails
Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway – Headquarters (Ocala) 352-236-7143
http://www.floridagreenwaysandtrails.org/cfg