Santos is one of my favorites. Nothing crazy, just super flowy and fun. The Vortex area is fun to check out, but just be careful, there is some super advanced stuff in there , know your riding limits. It's a blast out there. Have fun! read more

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WHEWWW! This was a world-wind adventure for all mountain biking enthusiasts! Note to all: you have to be pretty skilled at biking rough terrain to even go on the easy (green) trails. My group loved the black diamond trails which I failed at multiple times but it was so neat to weave in and out of all the different bmx like courses of ramps and drop offs and hills. We all partook in the downward slope one and that was a ton of fun! Again, this is no easy course for anyone. The trails , even the easy ones, all have some degree of difficulty. But the park was super clean, very well managed, and had excelled signage so you knew exactly where you were going and getting into! read more

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One of the best mountain biking destinations in the Country. Yes, here in Florida, we have mountain bike trails and to those who think it's bs and Florida is flat...come down & ride, beers on me :) read more

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Went with some friends for the first time and throughly enjoyed it. We went to Santos bike shop and the people were friendly and helped me pick out a bike. I am new to mountain biking so I was out of my element and comfort zone but glad I was able to push myself and enjoy it. We did beginner trail and there were so many branches and hills but it was so much fun and definitely worked my legs. Next time I'll eat breakfast because we did 4.5 miles and I had not eaten anything so I was a little light headed. Great scenery though and worth the drive to Ocala . read more

Santos is arguably the finest mountain bike riding in the state of Florida and draws visitors from all over. It has a good variety of trails, from some pretty easy ones to the stunning and diverse offerings at the Vortex. Most everything is well-maintained by the state park service and a committed cadre of volunteers. There also is a campground on site at the northern entrance so you can bring your RV or tent and camp and ride for several days. When I was there on 24 February 2021 the campground appeared full, mostly of RVs. The general day-use area can get busy on weekends when the weather is nice, too. There are two bike shops easily accessible from the park--Santos Bike Shop (the larger of the two) and Greenway. Both rent bikes and have full-service sales and service capacities. read more

Santos Trailhead & Campground - Entry to the trails at Santos. - Mountain Biking Near Me - Ocala, Florida

This weekend, me and some friends were able to make a 2 hour drive to Ocala, FL visit Santos Trails. I personally call it "Mountain Bike Heaven" because Santos is the #1 Rated Mountain Bike Trail in Florida. And Santos definitely lived up to its hype. What a super, awesome fun trail.   Santos features about 80+ miles of numerous single track bike trails that curtails to beginners, all the way up to Pros. It has numerous wooden ramps and jump ramps scaling from intermediate to difficult to O-M-G. One area Santos is popular with is the Vortex area. I have to admit some of those wooden ramps were so much fun. It's like riding a wooden roller coaster on a mountain bike. Just imagine that feeling folks.   To sum it all up, Santos has everything....it is DA SHIETT. It even has restrooms, picnic pavilions and even a bike wash rack to wash/clean your bike after the rides. It welcomes all ages young and old.   And the best past about Santos is... admission is Free. It is open at 8am to sundown. There is a Bike Shop close by for rentals, or if you need your bike repaired, need some supplies, snacks, etc. There is also a Campground nearby for easy access. Whether you are a beginner or pro biker, I highly recommend Santos. It is worth the drive.  I cannot wait to go back here again. I can spend a day in this place. read more

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Great bike trails! Very well-kept and lots of variation among trails and the Vortex zone. The signage along the routes was good, although the maps were a bit difficult to use to navigate at first, or at least to know what portion of a trail we were on, but hopefully that can be improved soon. My friends and I had a blast here and would definitely recommend others come visit. read more

Santos Trailhead & Campground - Mountain Biking Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Great place to ride. About an hour north of Tampa. No fee to enter. Trailhead has ultra clean standard construction restrooms. Vortex pit area has a port a potty. Picnic tables available at trailhead and Vortex pit area. Good variety of riding for all with a wide range of options; lots of flat woods trails all the way up to extreme jumps, there's something for everyone. read more

Santos Trailhead & Campground - Mountain Biking Near Me - Ocala, Florida

We had a long, but fun ride to the Land Bridge! Santos bike rental shop is in the perfect location for trail access. So convenient to rent a bike and go without much drama crossing. We rode on an easy trail until we hit the paved trail and turned left towards the land bridge. I estimated we rode about 7miles to the bridge. It was a SUPER easy ride. I barely used the assistance since most of it was gliding down hill. Not much to look at either, except a turtle chillin on the side. I would definitely comeback to try the easy trails near the rental shop, cause they looked like a fun ride. read more

Santos Trailhead & Campground - Mr. Turtle - Mountain Biking Near Me - Ocala, Florida

Some of the best mountain biking in Florida. With 60+ miles of connected trails from yellow (easiest), to blue (intermediate), to red (advanced) there are trails for every level of rider. Were talking Ocala National Forest Trails here. Beautifully wooded meandering trails. Oaks, pines and brush abound as does the wildlife. The trails are well marked and very easy to follow. With yellow trails being the predominant ones that are used to connect and travel around all the more advanced trails. Yellow being the easiest means that pretty much anyone can ride these trails. I have seen very young kids out here with training wheels. I don't recommend training wheels but these trails are hard pack dirt with few obstacles to pose any problems. Not to say that they are boring for the advanced rider. With speed comes challenges. As I stated before these trails meander through the forest and seldom will you find a straight section longer than 100 feet. So ride fast until you find a blue or red trail then ride faster if you can. Blue trails are more challenging with bigger and steeper elevation changes and more obstacles such as rocks and roots. Still very ride-able for more adventurous beginners but much more challenging for the advanced, again with speed. These trails are fun and I find myself spending the majority of my time riding them. For me they offer the right balance of speed and technicality so I can ride a couple of hours. When I really want to be challenged I head straight to the reds. This way I am fresh and prepared to give these trails the respect they demand. These are not the hardest trails I have ridden but they require concentration and excellent bike handling skills. Long steep climbs and drops, rocks and roots on the long steep climbs and drops, sharp switchback turns with rocks and roots on long steep climbs and drops. You get the idea. I will say these are some of the most fun advanced trails I have ridden. So to sum Santo's trails up. 60+ miles of shady wooded forest trails that has something for everybody. So well marked you would have to try very hard to get lost. Great place to take the little ones to try mountain biking and or the significant other. Great place to have a picnic at the trail head and a campground next door. Benches located out on the trails to take a breather. Wildlife all around. Nothing bad to say at all. So get outside and have some fun. Meet you on the trails. Cheers read more

Santos Trailhead & Campground - Nice place to take a break in the middle of the trails. - Mountain Biking Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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These are the BEST MTB trails in Florida. The OMBA and other volunteers keep them in really good shape. Lots of parking and access points throughout the system The only constructive feedback I have is that there is a pretty sizeable gap between the blue trails and the red trails, but not as much of a gap between the blues and the yellows. I'd like to see some more challenging blues to prepare riders for the reds (which I hear are amazing, but I ATE IT going over the qualifier bridge my first attempt.) I guess I need some more skills building before I'm actually ready... read more

Great trails with something for everyone. Also has cliffs for skilled climbing and RC courses.

It's hard to say anything bad about this trail system. We came for our first family trip during OMBA's Take A Kid Mountain Biking day in October 2016. The event was fantastic with a great turn out and lots of helpful, friendly volunteers. On top of that they ad amazing raffle prizes, my daughter even won a specialized bike! We rode with my son, who is a nervous beginner on the yellow trails. It's the perfect place for him to ride on dirt and build confidence. We were even able to tow my daughter on the tandem. The trails were well marked well maintained- the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. Serene Florida scrub and forest at its finest. After we brought the kids back my husband went out on the reds and I went out on the blues. I've only been riding about 6 weeks but found the blues to be mostly easy, and way easier than the blues at my home course, Mount Dora. I love the extensiveness of the trails- you could ride for days! We are already planning our trips back to Santos- so worth the drive! read more

Santos Trailhead & Campground - Mountain Biking Near Me - Ocala, Florida

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Santos is, by far, the best mountain biking trail in FL. Whether you are a first time rider or hard core double black diamond biker, Santos offers 25 miles of trails for all kinds of riders. Come for the day or make a weekend out if it, you won't regret it read more

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My first mountain bike experience was a complete success: Constant rain, lots of mud, tons of fun and I did not fall off my bike. These trails are clean, beautiful and there are a lot trails for every level of rider. Briar Patch has to be one of my favorites; it's quick, has some nice little turns and hills for a beginner to get their bearings. Twister was a roller coaster of emotions from, "this trail is really long, when is it going to end," to "this wet trail has some scary rocky hills now, oh my." We went to Vortex to check out the crazy trails they have for the highly experienced riders. Unfortunately, the rain wasn't ideal for anyone to go on any of the wooden platforms, so I didn't get a chance to see anyone ride them. They have a pretty decent bathroom for a park (only two stalls for women though), and they have two garden hoses to clean your bike (and yourself) after your ride. I loved this park, can't wait to return. read more

Santos truly is a Florida treasure. Our family makes the five hour drive to camp and ride Santos on a regular basis. The campground is clean, well managed and ample. The crowd is usually family oriented and overall pleasant. The trails themselves are awesome. The kids ride the yellows and most of the blues. I occasionally venture on to the Reds, but not that often. The hard pack and fallen leaves make for fast flowing trails. The level of fun is difficult to quantify, but trust that its a blast! Evenings are calm, except for the routine train horns. Not sure how far the tracks are, but there is regular train traffic and the horn can be heard from the campsite. There is a bike shop directly across the street that rents mountain bikes and also has full service mechanics, beer, cold drinks, ice, fire wood and cycling supplies. The crew in there is really helpful. Jesse will even deliver the firewood to your campsite if he's not busy. Overall a great place to spend quality time with your family and friends. read more

Great trails for any level. Rode several blue trails with my 10 year old - marshmallow, canopy, speedway and bunny. Not too hard at all. If you need a more detailed map, go to www.omba.org. Great way to spend the day. read more

Santos Trailhead & Campground - This is Pine trail loop....the easy loop around. Other trails come on and off of those - Mountain Biking Near Me - Ocala, Florida

From beginner to expert, the Santos trails are by far the best I've been on. They have a 30 mile paved trail as well as lots of various skill level mountain bike trails. I'm a novice to some extent but ride the blue (mid level)trails. Briar Patch, Twister, and Bunny are my favorites. Tried John Brown trail once and it was very difficult and ended up having to walk certain parts. Still have a blast every time we go there! Highly recommend! read more

I enjoyed walking the santos trails before the paved road was put in. I am so confused now.When you start where the bathrooms are, the only trails that are marked "WALKING TRAIL" (along with the spray paint on the tree indicating as much) are the first two. After that, there are ZERO markers on ANY of the trails on either side of the paved road. I have no idea if they are for novice bicyclists, expert bicyclists, horses or walking. Everything used to be so well marked, now nothing. read more

Usually I don't write reviews (yes I know I have to make it more of a habit) but this park deserves a 5 stars. There's everything for all kinds of riding levels a most ride trail don't think it twice just go for it you won't regret it read more

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We went to Santos for the first time today and the mountain biking trails are definitely at the top of my list! The trails are well manicured and great for biking or walking! Definitely worth the drive! read more