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| Orlando Seminole Environmental Center / Soldier's Creek Park Terrain: A mix of singletrack and firm surfaced doubletrack weaves through a cypress forest. A short five miles of multiuse trails are visited by hikers, school-aged children, local residents, and cyclists. Please be careful and courteous to others on the trails. Some stunts have been destroyed (liability?) and others rebuilt. Cycling, perhaps, is discouraged due to liability and not a priority. Soldier's Creek soldiers on, but not worth the trip unless you are in the area.
Skill To Get There: Take I-4 towards Orlando. If you're coming from the South, exit on 434 and head East. About four miles later you will cross 17-92 and six miles from I-4 turn left (North) on 419. Within two miles you will reach your destination. From the North, take I-4 towards Orlando. Exit on West Lake Mary Boulevard (if you miss this exit, get off on 434 and follow directions above). Continue East for 4.5 miles, then turn right (South) on 17-92 and travel 2.25 miles to reach 419. Head south on 419 and your destination will be within one mile. The park entrance is on the both sides of 419. Orlando, and its sprawling suburbs, is a big city by land area. Even though the trails are only about 15 miles northeast of Orlando, this is a bit deceptive because it feels like it's further.
Because parking is limited, you may wish to park on the south side of the ball fields directly across from the environmental center on the west side of highway 419. Stay close to the road and head south from the the baseball diamonds towards Soldier Creek and the surrounding woods. You will find a trail opening. Certain sections are technical with man-made stunts, but can be bypassed optionally. If you want to ride them, please be certain they are sturdy beforehand since some stunts are rickety. You will also find a tunnel leading to the trails on the east side of the road. Are these trails worth the drive from other cities? Nope. The trails are too short and the east side has forks with dead-ends. However, these trails have something to offer for everyone--even if you are not on a bicycle. The 419 highway used to reach the trails conveniently divides the difficulty level. On the East side of the road, you'll find the educational environmental center. The center is open to the public and is visited frequently by primary school students. Surrounding the environmental center, wide double track trails meander through beautiful Florida pine and cypress trees. This kind of riding is ideal for beginners. The lowest lying areas have wooded boardwalks and you might have to dismount to negotiate the boardwalks. Unfortunately, the area is low lying and borders on marsh land. Bring your insect repellent during the summer. If it has rained in the past week, trails will be wet and you will get dirty.
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