The Swamp's gator-filled lakes

The Swamp Club Mountain Biking Club trails take you up 200 feet hills and drops outside Tampa Bay If you think that Florida is just flat and there is no extreme mountain biking, guess again! Not only that but imagine biking in certain swamp areas that are so well hidden that often you run into large alligators before you run into another human. The drops and views of iridescent green lakes (from an intense algae and moss growth) are like some place out of the USA. Don’t be surprised if a moss-covered log starts to swim. (You guessed it … a large gator). For those who aren’t as hard core, there are many miles of trails and parks that are just right for any level and you can avoid wildlife if you wish.

I wouldn’t believe all this if I hadn’t experienced it for myself as my husband helped build some trails in the Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve Mountain Bike Trail with his excavator. There are trails for the beginner (that would be me!) all the way to advanced (I hike these trails, not bike them). These dips and valleys are compliments of all the years of mining (yep, it was an old mine) and the too-big-for-certain-tight-spots excavator that my daring husband used.

With my Nikon digital camera around my neck and a backpack on my back, I took off to see what shots I could get from such elevation in Florida. The climb was steep and not your sea-level norm and fragrant wild tangerine trees grew all around. The moss that hung ever so low formed a mystical umbrella above and around everything, framing every photo so perfectly.

Lakes so green they could make the rivers in Kauai shy. The iridescent green is from the high algae growth and yes, it is as green as it looks in my photograph here. Just as I was sure that there were no large alligators after hearing the stories of ten foot gators approaching cars parked in the fields, I happened to see a green log move. Quickly, I ran for the biggest zoom lens that I had on hand. My hands could not switch the lens fast enough as I realized the swimming log was one of those alligators. Then another floated by and yet another. Amazing shots! Incredible experience!

Almost every tree in another part of one of the trails was painted pure black from the ground up. Lightning had struck those trees. Even the way out of the trails/swamp/mine was an awesome adventure in itself as their was no path at the time and it was four-wheelin’ all the way. Overgrowth led to no view ahead and I was sure there was no path whatsoever yet proven wrong when our vehicle, once again swallowed the overgrown brushes (small trees?) and proved the way out. Small streams and large dips led us bouncing the entire way. Large turtles crossing our paths slowly demanded many stops so that I could hold one and take a picture of another.

The Tampa area has perhaps the most extensive inventory of mountain bike single-track in the state of Florida. Croom, clocking in at nearly 60 miles, is the largest park that they maintain. Wilderness Park has close to 30 miles, Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve trail has 25 miles of single-track and 10 miles of two-track that has become single-track with usage. The Alafia River State Park Trail is The Swamp’s most technical trail system with about 22 miles of single track. SWAMP has road/off road bicycle maps for each of these trail systems.

Read about The Swamp’s history. Then explore mountain biking Tampa Bay style and go on the adventure photo shoot of a lifetime for yet another surprising “what to do when in Tampa”!

Before you hit the trails, hit these sales: