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Beach Resort Bikes
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one of the best island tours, hop on a bicycle.Sanibels
well-maintained bike paths cover 25 miles of shopping districts
and back roads, and they meander through friendly neighborhoods,
beneath shady tree canopies, across wooden bridges and along quiet
waterways. Biking on Sanibel is fun for the entire family
By
bike is the most intimate way to get to know Sanibel Island. (Captiva's
narrow, twisty roads make biking risky.) Twenty-five miles of
paved bike paths take you almost anywhere you want to go. They
lead to shops, restaurants, points of interest, wildlife centers
and beaches.
Many
island resorts, hotels and motels have bicycles for guest use,
plus there are public bike rental facilities on both islands. (In
addition to solo bikes, they rent helmets and kiddy trailers.)
Follow
these easy rules of the road for maximum enjoyment:
- Use
designated bike paths where available.
- If
you ride on a roadway:
- Stay
in single file on the far right side of the road and ride
with the traffic.
- Observe
traffic laws and signs (i.e., stop and yield as you would
in a car); use hand signals.
- Bikes
are not allowed on the beach.
- Florida
law requires that bike riders under age 16 wear helmets.
Great
Bike Trips
Rabbit
Road Trail. The Rabbit Road bike path runs behind homes and
along a canal. If you go biking early in the morning, you're
likely to see plenty of the small gray marsh rabbits that give the
road its name. Wading herons and alligator snouts are other common
sightings along the quiet one-mile stretch between West Gulf Drive
and Sanibel-Captiva Road. Near its intersection with the Sanibel-Captiva
Road path, you'll find a drinking fountain.
Wildlife
Drive. Paved with shell and hard-packed sand, this biking
route is a bit rough, especially for skinny tired bikes. It's a
four mile loop around J.N.
"Ding" Darling
National Wildlife Refuge,
ending three miles north of the starting point on Sanibel-Captiva
Road. Along the way, you can stop and hike into the refuge on
short trails or climb the bird observation tower. Avoid the road
at sunset, when abundant car traffic will kick up dust. Bicyclists
must pay $1.00 per person over the age of 16, (free for children
15 years and under), to enter the refuge Wildlife Drive.
Dixie
Beach Road. This long, straight, easy stretch of 1.5 miles
takes you from Periwinkle Way, near Heart of the Islands shopping
center, to San Carlos Bay. Where the road meets the bay, you can
turn right and gaze at beautiful bayfront homes, or turn left and
follow a contorted shell road to an undiscovered place where old
island collides with new.
Middle
Gulf Cemetery Route. East of Casa Ybel Road, the Middle Gulf
Drive bike path leaves the roadside and takes you into backwoods.
Here you'll find Sanibel's pioneer cemetery, which is not
accessible by car. The path continues over the river and off-road
to the beach at Gulfside Park.
Bailey
Road-Dunes Circle. Bailey Road leaves Periwinkle Way just west
of the causeway and leads to the bay. If you turn left on
Sandcastle Road, you can circle around the neighborhood of the
Dunes and its lushly landscaped, lovely homes. Continue along the
2.5 mile bike loop and you'll eventually pass the Dunes Golf &
Tennis Club and return to where you began. Across from the Dunes
exit, an evacuation trail takes a short cut to Sanibel-Captiva
Islands Chamber of Commerce and Causeway Road. For an add-on to
this biking route, look for a bike path across from the golf club
entrance that will take you to Bay Road and an exclusive
waterfront neighborhood.
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