Connecting Florida’s Scenic Byways

Route planning for Florida was pretty straight forward – ride Highway A1A (and Hwy 1 in some parts) along Florida’s Atlantic coast until I tired of stop-and-go beach town traffic.  Sections of this iconic stretch of pavement, running from Fernandina Beach in the north, down to Miami in the south, are designated as both state and national scenic byways.  Though not continuous (there are undesignated sections of A1A sprinkled along the coast), there are five sections that are official scenic byways. From north to south:

#1 A1A Ocean Islands Trail Florida [State Byway] – 40-mile section between Fernadina Beach and Jacksonville Beach

#2 A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway [Federal All-American Road] – 72-mile section between Ponte Vedra and Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park

#3 Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail [Federal Byway] – 36-mile double-loop section between North Peninsula State Park and Ormond Beach

#4 Indian River Lagoon National Scenic Byway [Federal Byway] – 150-mile loop section between Titusville and Wabasso

#5 Broward County A1A Scenic Highway [State Byway] – 32-mile section between Deerfield Beach and Golden Beach

Here’s the highlights from my ride of each section. . .   

SECTION #1:  A1A OCEAN ISLANDS TRAIL

This 40-mile stretch of beaches and islands connects Fernadina Beach on the Georgia-Florida border to Jacksonville Beach and is designated the A1A Ocean Islands Trail.

Often referred to as “Florida’s First Coast,” this portion contains over 400 historic places and traverses the cities of Fernadina, Mayport, Atlantic, Neptune and Jacksonville Beaches.  I didn’t stop at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve on this trip since I had visited several of its sites a couple of years ago, but if you’re planning to visit this area, it is definitely worth a stop to learn about prehistoric Native Timucua culture, 16th century French colonists, plantation life and slavery, Gulla Geechee communities, and nature conservation efforts.

I revisited a military retiree benefit gem, the Navy Lodge on Naval Station Mayport. Located on the outskirts of Jacksonville and right on the beach, it’s easy to roll out of bed, grab a cup of coffee, and take in the sun as it greets the U.S. during its rise above the Atlantic Ocean.

SECTION #2: A1A SCENIC AND HISTORIC COASTAL BYWAY

The iconic A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway is the 72-mile section of pavement between Ponte Vedra Beach and Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park, and is chock full of historic and scenic sites.

This federally designated All-American Road picks up just south of Jacksonville at Ponte Vedra Beach.  You would think 72 miles would be quick to cover, but with numerous state parks, National Park Service sites, wildlife trails, national preserves, museums, archeological sites, and public access beaches, there was no way to take in all this section of historic Highway A1A had to offer in just one day!

I revisited Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and the St. Augustine Lighthouse as opportunities to dismount the bike and stretch my legs a bit.

SECTION #3: ORMOND SCENIC LOOP AND TRAIL NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY

The 36-mile Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail “includes four state and six local public parks, as well as ten miles of gorgeous Florida beachfront.” Each north-south section showcases three “Old Florida” environments. (Dept. of Transportation Website)

The Ormond Loop section begins just south of Flagler Beach near North Peninsula State Park and takes you through three different environments via a double loop: ocean beaches on the eastern leg (Hwy A1A), up-scale riverfront neighborhoods on the central leg (John Anderson Dr.), and an oak and palmetto tree lined road on the western leg (Old Dixie Hwy). It was so gorgeous that I ended up riding parts of the loop twice!

Part of the Ormond Loop is 14 miles of roadway hugging the beaches on the Atlantic Ocean.
The western most section follows the Old Dixie Highway through live oak canopies, marsh, and palmettos.

The Ormond Loop terminates just north of Daytona Beach, where I stayed for a few days for Daytona Bike Week.  I don’t usually attend bike rallies, but Harley-Davidson was sponsoring a few women’s events that I wanted to attend, so I chose lodging near the majority of motorcycle manufacturer vendors, and away from the bars.  Although still people-y, staying away from the bar-lined Main St. made my experience with the famous bike week quite enjoyable.

Harley-Davidson sponsored several women-specific events, like the Women in Motorcycling Panel, Biker Belles Ride, and Renegade Babes Ride-In Bike Show. It was cool to meet another female rider my own age – Karen Davidson, the great-granddaughter of Harley-Davidson’s co-founder William Davidson, and daughter of iconic motorcycle designer Willie G. Davidson.

SECTION #4: INDIAN RIVER LAGOON NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY

The Indian River Lagoon National Scenic Byway is a 150-mile loop of Highways 1 and A1A, connected by numerous elevated roadways over the Indian River.

The last designated byway section of 1A1 before hitting south Florida’s big cities, the Indian River Lagoon National Scenic Byway, is home to habitat for the most diverse collection of species anywhere in North America, a national seashore, NASA, and an endless collection of gorgeous beaches.

The viewing dock right behind Apollo Visitors Center at Canaveral National Seashore, on the bay side, provided an up-close view to this momma manatee and her calf 😊 The 6-mile roadway that runs from the Visitors Center to the end of the peninsula is full of opportunities to view wildlife and pristine seashore on both the ocean and bay sides.
I arrived at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex within one hour of their closing, so I decided to hold on to the $75 entrance fee until I could spend more time there in the future.

All the joint movements required for travel through stop-and-go beach towns really took a toll on my hip and shoulder, so I decided to forego section #5 through Broward County.  After spending the night in Fort Pierce, I jumped off Hwy A1A to bypass Palm Beach, Boca Rotan, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Miami on my way south. 

Home to year-round warm weather and isolated beaches, Fort Pierce became home to the U.S. Navy Demolition School around 1943. Under Admiral Draper L. Kauffman’s leadership, the site started training Navy Combat Demolition Units, which later merged into Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT). The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum at Fort Pierce documents how these “frogmen” were the precursor to modern day Navy SEALs.

It was time for a few low-mileage days and for some time off the bike, so I decided to homestead in Homestead, FL for a few days to visit two nearby National Parks.  Up next: Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. 

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑