Route #67 Oak Hill – Daytona Beach – Bunnell – Flagler Beach

 This route returns to Florida’s northeast coast, crossing Volusia and Flagler counties through one of the most historically layered and scenic corridors in the state. Riding mainly along the legendary US-1 and the coastal A1A, the journey links early Indigenous territories, colonial settlements, world-famous beaches, railroad towns, and barrier island communities shaped by tourism, smuggling, motorsports, and maritime trade.

The ride begins in Oak Hill, a settlement that already appeared on sixteenth-century maps and once stood beside major Timucua archaeological sites near the Canaveral National Seashore. From there, the route passes Edgewater and New Smyrna Beach, one of the earliest large colonial experiments in British Florida, founded in the eighteenth century by Andrew Turnbull. Over time, this area became a key railroad town and later a center for fishing, tourism, and Prohibition-era smuggling.

Continuing north, the route follows the Halifax River and Rose Bay, where quiet waters, mangrove islands, and fishing communities contrast with the growing urban presence of Port Orange and South Daytona. The landscape then shifts dramatically as the ride enters Daytona Beach, internationally known for its hard-packed racing beaches, the Daytona International Speedway, and its central role in American motorsports culture.

Leaving Daytona, the route crosses Holly Hill and Tomoka State Park, home to the ancient Timucua village of Nocoroco and the headwaters of the Halifax River. The road then enters Flagler County, passing small railroad communities and rural settlements before reaching Bunnell, the county seat and one of Florida’s largest cities by land area despite its small population.

From Bunnell, the route crosses back toward the coast and reaches Flagler Beach, a classic barrier-island town that still preserves the atmosphere of an old fishing village. Riding south along A1A, the scenery opens to dunes, coastal preserves, historic sugar plantation ruins, and long stretches of oceanfront homes.

The final leg passes Ormond Beach, once a winter retreat for industrial elites like Henry Flagler and John D. Rockefeller, before returning inland to the starting point. This demanding coastal and inland loop reveals the deep layers of history, culture, and natural beauty that define Florida’s northeast shoreline.

This route can be seen in Descubriendo la Florida – Volume 3.