11/02/02: Short single-track section at the beginning, Forested Loop Trail, some grassy double-track, part of a Ridge Trail
by Dana Farnsworth
The entrance of BBSP is "guarded" by one very laid back cat - a real cat. He greeted us with a lazy meow and swaggered his white cat ass over to make some new friends. Be nice to him, he's very cool.
Kelli and I suited up and prepared to ride Balm Boyette for the first time, but not before Kelli demonstrated how not to lift your bike over a fence. From what I've read, the entrance gate is always locked to keep out ATVs; we needed to hoist our bikes over a low fence. Kelli lifted hers up and over in a gangly fashion trapping her head under her handle bars as she leaned forward. I helped her, but not before taking a picture or two.
The first thing you'll encounter at the park is a two-mile ride on a very sandy access road. The trip can be made much more enjoyable by taking a left into the woods about 100 yards down the road. This will take you on a very tight and beautiful short section of unamed single-track that detours around the sandiest areas of the road. It's worth it! We had planned on riding the Forested Loop Trail in the southern section of the park first. We initially missed the little connector trail that branches off of the now-grassy road. We ended up on top of a little hill, with lakes surrounding us on both sides. It was very pretty, but I came to ride some twisty single-track first and foremost. A quick check of my trail map and compass, pointed us in the right direction. Make sure you always have both of these items when riding any unfamiliar trail.
We headed back down the hill and found the small connector trail at a little stream crossing, which is at the foot of the first grassy rise. It lead us a short distance into the Forested Loop Trail.
The Forested Loop Trail is just that Forested and it's a loop. It varies little in elevation, but does vary widely in terrain. Oaks adorned with Spanish mosses, give way to scrub pine and palmetto thickets, back into scrub oaks and sandy sections with an occasional section of jungle so thick, that you'll think you are on the set of "Apocalypse Now". Just don't go looking for mangos for God's sake!
What this trail lacks in steep drops and tough climbs it still sets itself apart with a well-designed meandering trail system that twists up and then back down on itself like a serpentine. It creates a flow, which is almost hypnotic at times. A few sections are occasionally rooted with nasty palmetto roots (a.k.a gator backs), which always seemed to break my mental groove. From time to time the trail entered some areas that were open. If not for the well-placed orange blazes, it would have been easy to loose the trail.
After we finished the loop trail, we headed back up the grassy knoll on double-track to take a look around. We ended up stopped at an area in the far northwest section of the park that is marked on the map as having a stream crossing. A stream crossing is an understatement. This wasn't a wading pool. It looked to be a couple of feet deep and the trail that continued on the other side didn't look like it actually continued. We doubled back. All was not lost though as we picked up a nice piece of single track on the way back that runs along the eastern edge of the western most lake. It was very nice and actually gave us a little climb - something not often found in Florida. As we passed the lake for the second time, we spotted a large alligator swimming around. As we made the last two-mile ride on the dirt access road leading back to the parking lot, we also spotted a nice sized endangered gopher tortoise.
All in all, I would recommend Balm Boyette for the off-road rider who enjoys nature as well as riding some very nice trails. Like I said, if you are looking for hair-raising drops, and photo opportunities that will put you on the front of "Radical Bikin' Dude Magazine", this isn't a place for you. There is something here for all but the demanding and jaded eadvanced rider.
12/15/02 - Endless grassy trails, exhaustion, and blurted football stats -
The Ridge Trails
by Jeff Cobb
Dana's note: Jeff was visiting from West Virginia - this is his take from a WV perspective
I was pumped and confident coming off my experience at Alafia, earlier in the day. Although I started off shaky at Alafia, I felt great as we finished the trail. The endorphins were pumping and I forgot that my rear end was sore and that I wasn't in shape. But, being the masochist that I am, I stupidly agreed to head over to Balm Boyette to do another ride (the third of the weekend!) Balm Boyette starts off the same as Alafia: a long, boring warmup road. And this warmup road was longer and wetter than Alafia. When we finally reached the trail system, we immediately encountered a giant washout about 10 feet wide and 8 feet deep - a casualty of recent heavy rains. Luckily, some other riders had warned us about it. I liked Balm Boyette, but my impressions were clouded by the fact that I bonked about halfway through the ride. This was my third ride in two days, my endorphins from Alafia had worn off, and I had a full belly from the sandwich and fruit juice we purchased from the little gas station/sandwich shop at SR 39 and SR 672. When Dana stopped to check his map, I laid down in the field as the warm sun beat down. I seriously could have taken a nap! I really enjoyed the curvy, bumpy sections of the trails that ran along the ridges that ring the lakes, but the long, steady climbs through the grassy meadows just wore me out. On a hot summer day, I would imagine this portion of the trails would be murder. There also is the Forested Trail in Balm Boyette (reviewed above) too, but we explored the RidgeTrails because Dana hadn't ridden them yet. If I would have had more energy, I might have enjoyed Balm Boyette more. There are some nice trails, I just couldn't enjoy them very much. On the way home, I nodded off listening to a Buccaneer's game on the radio. At one point, while dozing but trying to act like I wasn't, I suddenly snapped too, reacting to the broadcast, and said, "Drumen, he went to Penn State"! Dana couldn't stop laughing. I'm glad he finds me so amusing.
5/10/03 - Riding the Ridge Trails
by Dana Farnsworth
Today my wife and Kelli decided to head out without a map and see what we could find! I wouldn't recommend riding Balm Boyette without a map and compass until you're familiar with the trail system, as we got turned around a time or two. We ventured into the central and northern ridge trails which I hadn't been on yet. The ridge trails in this area are very nice and unique in Boyette. At two points they dive into the forest and offer a small climb out as well as some very nicely designed twisty singletrack and other times they run along pretty lakes. We then ventured onto the Open Pasture Trail via the High Ridge Trail. The Open Pasture Trail is very pretty and once again, another terrain type to enjoy. Open fields with scrub vegitation dot the landscape. There are a few small climbs and descents to keep things interesting. This is probably a trail you'll want to avoid during the mid-afternoon (hotter) hours during May - August, as it has no tree canopy to shade it. We then rode south along the High Ridge Trail which led us to a section of sandy doubletrack that skirts the northern side of the Forested Loop Trail, which is easily accessed here. We chose to continue on and not ride the Forested Loop today. We then continued along the doubletrack to the exit. This is a very nice loop to ride that provides a very different experience from riding the Forested Loop. Most of this ride can be completed by beginners and intermediate riders.
04/19/04 - Return to a different (better) Boyette
by Dana Farnsworth
Christopher (visiting from WV) and I rode Boyette today. It was my second ride of Boyette in a week - the first rides in almost a year. I had heard that a lot of the previous ills had been fixed: a bog-like muddy access road and washed out access bridge. Well, they had been expertly repaired and as an added bonus, several new trails and extensions had been cut. The new trail, "Lockness" was enjoyable as were all my previous favorite trails. We didn't explore the Forested Loop trail to any great degree so it's hard for me to assess the condition of it. All in all, Boyette has been substantially improved. It's apparent that more improvements and trails are in the future. May I be so bold to ask for some clear and effective signage and an up to date map? The queer bike entrance beside the parking lot that is always blocked off and locked is still there as is the 2-mile warm up dirt road ride.
Lessons Learned:
- Map and compass are essential, unless you want to ride around in a field all day.
- Navagation can be a little confusing, as trails are not marked with giant flashing signs.
- Bring bug sray in the summer and lots of water.
- It can get hot in the field sections, as they are not shaded. Plan appropriately and ride this area when it's cooler if possible.
- Don't lean forward when lifting a bike over a fence with the handle bars above your head!
- Don't miss the short detour of single track near the front gate to your left.
