Mountain Biking Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve, Florida

Mountain Biking

Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve

South of Brandon, (Tampa area), Florida

Solitude with a maze of growing, relatively unmarked, diverse and enjoyable cross country single track!

by Dana Farnsworth, Outdoor Travels

Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve - the bastard stepchild that doesn't get the attention it deserves. No matter how wonderful the cross country riding, no matter how pretty the scenery, no matter how diverse the terrain and the trail personalities, Boyette seems doomed to live in the shadow of its more popular neighbor Alafia State Park.

One would think that Boyette offers little to the mountain bike rider, based on the limited traffic of knobby tires on any given weekend. After riding Balm Boyette off and on for a couple of years now, I can tell you that most riders have no idea what they are missing.

Boyette does itself no favors with its location. Once a phosphate mine, the area is somewhat hidden from any major road and can be hard to find. My first attempt ended in mad frustration when the directions in my guide book were incorrect!

What are you missing if you haven't ridden Boyette before? Well, first there is the 12+ continuous mile Forested Loop Trail. Almost a separate entity from the rest of Boyette, this loop offers up a long and winding, uninterrupted stretch of oak and pine shaded single track that one can really stretch their legs on. As the trail winds back on itself over and over again, it's easy to fall into a hypnotic-like trance.

Boyette also features some of the best cross country type riding around. Miles of unobstructed single track weaves its way along the edges of lakes, through pretty and unique prarie-type fields (which are better explored in the non-summer months), and forested canopy with brilliant green ferns lining the trail. There are a couple of short climbs here and there as well as some nice intermediate level challenges.

The members of SWAMP (the local bike club) are the care takers of Boyette and they have to be a proud bunch. While other area trail networks get a lot of attention (Alafia and Carter Road), Boyette's trail crew have worked hard to fix a lot of the early ills (muddy roads and washed out bridges) and have created a unique and fun place for all riders to enjoy.

With all good things can come some bad. If there is a downside to Boyette, it may well be the 2-mile single/double track ride to get to what seems like, the actual trailhead. When you arrive at the current parking lot, you must hoist your bike over a fence (more on that later). After that, 2-miles of riding double track are required to get to the bulk of the single track. There is a short single track trail to the immediate left after entering that can give you a short-lived alternative to two full miles of dirt road riding.

At the end of the road, there is a kiosk with a map and information. It certainly seems like a much more sensible trailhead. Now, to oddity number two, the entrance I mentioned above. A closed fence and locked gate combination that requires one to hoist their bike over a fence doesn't exactly give the first time visitor a sense that the park is open.

My suggestion: Open the gate and create another parking lot and trailhead at the end of the double track. Riders wanting to ride the road or the nice little single track beside it could so, while others could start at the more central point.

Currently, navigation still requires a compass and a correct map (see link above). Even then, you may get briefly lost, as the maps provided at the trail head are not up-to-date. But don't let that deter you. A good sense of adventure as well as direction can go a long way here.

Featured Log

Riding Ridge Trails

5/10/03 by Dana Farnsworth, Outdoor Travels

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.

Trail Snapshot

Trail(s): A combined 18+ miles of beginner and solid intermediate riding are available for mountain bikers.

Difficulty: Easy, intermediate and a bit of advanced intermediate.

Outdoor Travels Rating:

3.5 bikes out of 5 - A well kept secret! Solitude, scenery and nice trails. If you want extreme freeride and technical type trails, look elsewhere. Otherwise, you can have a great time here.

Nuts & Bolts

Location: Near Wimauma, Florida

Directions: From I-75, take the CR-672/Big Bend Road exit 47. Head east on Big Bend Road to Balm Riverview Road. Take a right onto Balm Riverview and continue to Balm Boyette Road. Turn left onto Balm Boyette Road. The park is approximately 1-2 miles on your right.

Facilities: Porta-potties at entrance and nothing else.

Activities: Mountain biking and hiking

Admission: none

Contact: South West Association of Mountain Bike Peddlers www.swampclub.org or Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department: 813-975-2160

Thumbs Up

- There is a dedicated group building and maintaining this network

- Large selection of long loop rides can be made

- Varried terrain

- Isolation

- Trails are relatively dry when others in the area are soaked

- Almost something for every rider

Thumbs Down