Old Fort King Trail and Antioch

Meet at Antioch Sports Complex, 8510 Franklin Rd., Antioch. June 7, 2025, roll 8:00 a.m. After entering Antioch Park, make a quick right, park near the south fence.
Join the club on this mixed surfaces moderate pace ride. Gravel bikes or MTBs. Two ride lengths: 24 mi or 35 mi. After the 24 mi OFKT route, we return to Antioch Park. The 35 mi route adds nearby paved roads including Quail Meadow. We will cover the full OFKT which links several parks (J.B. Sargent, Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Park, Dead River and Hillsborough River SP). The route will lead through dense hardwood swamp, upland forest, and will pass several streams and rivers. Trails are flat and very well shaded. Some sections are rugged/ under-maintained. Some mud may be expected, depending on conditions leading up to the ride. We’ll ride out to the Hillsborough River via Dead River Rd. and Model Dairy Rd., and pass through HRSP including the Rapids Trail. The route includes several scenic and historical areas.

Biking the OFKT is pedaling back through history… long before bicycles were invented. The trail is part of the original Ft. King Road which connected Tampa’s Fort Brooke and Ocala’s Fort King during the Second Seminole War (1835 – 1842). The trail was created by Native American tribes and was also used during the Hernando DeSoto expedition in the 1540s. Fort Foster (within HRSP) was constructed in 1836 to protect the Ft. King Road bridge over the Hillsborough River.

Bring hydration, snacks, sun screen, bug spray, tools, tubes/ flat repair. Rob DeGraaf is a Senior Environmental Scientist and past Author of Fat Tire Favorites, Guide to West-Central & South Florida Florida Off-Road Bicycling books, and a past director of the Florida Off-Road Bicycling Association (FORBA). *If we get too much rain before June 7th, Rob will post an alternate gravel ride for the same date/ time. Some sections of the OFKT are seasonal.

You may also like the following events from SWAMP Mountain Bike Club Inc:

• This Saturday, 3rd May, 08:00 am, CHATTANOOGA 2025 in Ooltewah
• This Saturday, 3rd May, 09:30 am, SWAMP Sisters 🐊💕 Balm Boyette- Women’s Group Ride (Intermediate/Beginners) in Balm
• This Sunday, 4th May, 08:00 am, Alston/ Upper Hillsborough WMA/ Crystal Springs in Crystal Springs

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