The route covers approximately 58 miles through Putnam and Marion counties, crossing a vast rural region filled with lakes, forests and historic settlements located around the Saint Johns River and the former Florida Southern Railway corridor. The ride connects communities such as Palatka, Orange Springs, Edgar, Interlachen, Hollister and Springside, along with numerous ghost towns and protected natural areas near Lake Ocklawaha and Orange Creek.
The journey begins in Palatka, a historic city located along the Saint Johns River and once considered one of inland Florida’s principal river transportation centers. The region was originally inhabited by Timucua groups associated with the Saturiwa and Utina before European arrival. During the nineteenth century Palatka prospered through river commerce and tourism fueled by the steamboats traveling along the Saint Johns River. The city also witnessed major events during the Second Seminole War and the American Civil War. Today it preserves one of the most important historic districts in inland Florida.
The route leaves the city following former railroad corridors and rural highways surrounded by pine forests and palmetto scrublands. Near the ride appear former lines of the Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railroad as well as protected areas such as Ravine Gardens State Park and Horseshoe Point Conservation Area. The route then continues southwest through rural landscapes where small settlements remain scattered among forests and lakes.
Farther ahead the route approaches the Rodman area and the canal excavated during the failed Cross Florida Barge Canal project. This region forms part of important ecological corridors connected to the Caravelle Ranch Wildlife Management Area and the Florida Trail. Shortly afterward the ride crosses Orange Creek and briefly enters Marion County before reaching Orange Springs, a historic mineral springs community founded during the nineteenth century as a tourist and health destination.
The route later returns toward Putnam County through a landscape dominated by countless lakes and rural roads. Near Crossley lies Edgar, a small community historically connected to mining operations and the former Florida Southern Railway. This region also once contained vanished settlements such as Cooper’s Mill, Clark’s Mill and Johnson, now known as Johnson Crossroad.
Farther ahead the ride reaches Interlachen, a community originally founded under the name Blue Pond during the nineteenth century. Its current name means “between lakes,” reflecting its location among several large bodies of water. The town still preserves historic buildings such as Interlachen Academy, considered the oldest continuously operating wooden school building in Florida. Surrounding the community remain enormous semi-rural areas filled with roads laid out during speculative real estate projects that were never fully developed.
The final section crosses former railroad settlements such as Mannville, Lanark, Hollister and Springside near the Carl Duval Moore State Forest and Rice Creek Conservation Area. Eventually the route returns toward Palatka along US 17, once again passing through the city’s historic neighborhoods and commercial corridors beside the Saint Johns River.
Throughout the ride, the route reflects the characteristic landscape of inland northeast Florida, where old railroad towns, forests, lakes and protected natural areas continue to survive among secondary roads and small rural communities far removed from the state’s major urban centers.
