Long Pine Key Bike Trail
What to Expect
Safety Advisory
Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes and pygmy rattlesnakes are resident in the pine rocklands — stay on the paved trail, especially in cooler months when they sun themselves on exposed limestone near the path edges.
Summer months bring punishing heat, near-zero shade in open stretches, and mosquito swarms that can end a ride in minutes. If you visit between June and October, douse yourself in DEET and accept that conditions will be hostile.
Trail Details
- 1
Ride in the morning between 9 and 11 AM from December through April — that's when the endangered butterflies are most active and the light filtering through the pines is at its best for spotting them on pineland croton plants.
- 2
Bring binoculars instead of extra water. The trail is short enough that one bottle covers it, but the birding is exceptional — painted buntings, white-crowned pigeons, and the occasional short-tailed hawk overhead reward anyone who stops and scans the canopy.
- 3
Start from the Long Pine Key campground trailhead rather than the main road access — the campground end connects to several spur paths into deeper pine rockland where you'll lose the other visitors entirely.
