“If you’re in Pinellas, you suffer.”
That’s how SWAMP Mountain Bike Club (SWAMP) Executive Director Pat Sanchez describes the reality for mountain bikers in Pinellas County, Florida — a peninsula hemmed in by Tampa Bay and largely cut off from the state’s best trail systems. The county’s nearly one million residents have had to drive 45 minutes to an hour just to reach a decent trailhead, and with traffic, that can balloon to two hours each way.
But SWAMP is about to fix that. The club is putting the finishing touches on the first-ever bike park and trail system in Pinellas County, located at Lake Seminole Park. The project is planned in three phases, with up to 10 miles of singletrack on the table, and phase one — packed with jumps, berms, and flow — is nearly complete.
SWAMP has been building trails around Tampa for nearly 30 years
“SWAMP is about 30 years old,” Sanchez told us. “It was originally just a group of rogue riders that decided that they didn’t want to ride their pavement bikes, and they started cutting trails.”
Sanchez believes SWAMP’s first trail system dates back to roughly 1998. Regardless of the date, the trails at Wilderness Park were the organization’s first project. SWAMP followed this up by building the trail system that arguably put Florida on the map in terms of mountain biking — Alafia River State Park.
Not only was Florida put on the map, but so was SWAMP. The club continued building trails around the Tampa area, including Croom, located in the Withlacoochee State Forest. Croom is one of Florida’s largest trail systems at 60 miles of singletrack.
SWAMP’s latest project is the first-ever bike park and trail system in Pinellas County, located near Lake Seminole.
Pinellas County riders have long been cut off from the rest of the Tampa Bay trail network
You can think of Pinellas County almost like its own little peninsula on the larger peninsula that is Florida. Pinellas’ nearly one million residents live across the bay from Tampa, with a few highways and interstates spanning the waters to the north and south.
If residents aren’t taking one of those highways or interstates across the bay, the other option is to keep driving north, where the land connects to the rest of Florida. “So it’s a 45-minute travel for them to come over to our side of town,” Sanchez said, who lives on the east side of the bay, in Tampa. She added that even on her side of town, it can easily take 30 or 45 minutes to reach a decent trailhead. With traffic, that could equal a two-hour drive for a Pinellas County resident to get out for a ride.
“If you’re in Pinellas, you suffer,” she added.
SWAMP actually wanted to build trails in Pinellas County in the past, but they ran into wildlife issues, among other things. Ultimately, the project was dropped. But Sanchez told us that around 2023, a new opportunity at Lake Seminole Park popped up.
Other variables slowed progress at Lake Seminole Park, many of which were out of SWAMP’s control — namely, the weather. Florida weather swings to extremes: one season it’s severe drought, the next it’s a hurricane bearing down on the coast.
Three phases of trail building are proposed at Lake Seminole Park, with potentially 10 miles of singletrack. Sanchez explained that these phases will depend greatly on funding, with each phase estimated to cost $150,000.
Fortunately, funding is one variable that SWAMP has a bit of control over. And Sanchez says they always need more of it. The bike club is working to secure any available grants. She said Athletic Brewing has been a huge supporter of the Lake Seminole Trails, and, along with private donations, has helped fund the project.
Despite inclement weather, SWAMP has brought the first phase of construction at Lake Seminole very close to completion.
Phase one is nearly complete, and it’s all about fun
For SWAMP, the first phase of trails at Lake Seminole hasn’t been as focused on mileage as it has been focused on fun.
“It’s a ton of fun packing into a very small space,” Sanchez told us. “There are jumps, there are berms, there’s flow — there’s every kind of challenge that you want.”
SWAMP has contracted Natural Trailbuilding for the project. Sanchez said that the owner, Mike Cole, has a long history with the organization and has helped with many projects in the area. When they received the approval for the trails, Natural Trailbuilding was an easy choice.
Phase two of the project will focus more on building intermediate trails, with a skills area. The final phase will incorporate more aggressive riding into the trail system. However, those phases are just in the earliest planning stages. For SWAMP, especially with the funding they will need to raise for each phase, they are taking things one step at a time.
Sanchez shared that all three phases are being built to NICA standards. Eventually, the area will be one “big playground,” where the local middle and high school teams can practice. Sanchez said that, when complete, Lake Seminole Trails might be the only 100% approved NICA event center in Florida.
They are also deciding how many trails will accommodate adaptive bikes. Currently, SWAMP is assessing the need for adaptive trails in Pinellas County. While they want to make the trails accessible to all, Sanchez explained that there is a significant cost to building them to adaptive bike standards.
For now, SWAMP is hoping the phase one bike park and trails will garner some attention in the community. Sanchez explained that Lake Seminole Park is a well-trafficked area, especially for local families. SWAMP envisions the trails as an extension of the park, providing residents with another activity to enjoy.
As more kids and families find the trails and bike park, they hope the community will begin to ask for more. More jumps, more berms, more phases — which SWAMP is ready to deliver.
Sanchez said it is already working. “The community is super excited. And really, our only holdup is funding.” SWAMP and Sanchez are confident that the funding will come. Time and time again, they have seen the community step up for trails in the Tampa area, and trust that they will again.
Know about a new trail project we should cover? Whether you’re breaking ground on the next must-ride destination or putting the finishing touches on a neighborhood flow trail, we want to hear about it. Drop us a line at [email protected] with high-quality photos of your build, plus details like trail mileage, location, difficulty, and what makes it special. We’re always on the hunt for the next great trail story, and there’s a good chance your project could be featured in an upcoming article.
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