Fred E Marquis Pinellas Trail

I had been researching things to do upon my trip to Clearwater. As an avid runner, I was excited to check out the Pinellas Trail. It was okay. Nothing special. Just a paved road along some busy streets. I was hoping for more of a scenic route, but I only ran around 3 miles through Palm Harbor. Maybe other areas of the trail have more of a view… Definitely better for biking

It is possible to bike, walk or jog safely from downtown St. Pete all the way up to Tarpon Springs via The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, and for that it gets 5 stars alone. The trail connects many city and state parks as well as cities along this now defunct railroad line. I think it was brilliant foresight by Pinellas County back in the late 80’s because the trails popularity increases annually.
I’ve read all the reviews on here, and yes this trail rolls thru many urban areas, so it does cross many intersections. Be mindful of the traffic, and you’ll be alright. Though I will say, residents along the trail are very aware of it, and I find the drivers to be aware and extremely courtesy to folks crossing busy streets.
I think there are a lot of redeeming qualities about the trail, but my favorite has to be the bar stops. There are a ton of watering holes along the trail that put signs in their back yards to entice trail users to come in and grab a cold one, and it works. When La Chica and I get to the terminus of our ride, there is almost always a cold beer waiting for us out there. Hell, some places even offer helmet discounts!
I absolutely love this trail, and living 4 streets to the east of it makes me a new frequent trail blazer. Hopefully soon we will build up our endurance and make it all the way down to Vinoy.

I love the trail! It’s beautiful and has just enough fun places to stop that a long ride doesn’t get boring! Highly recommend the trail for getting so great outdoor activity in!

The trail is really nice and maintained. However, the bikers are rude and ignorant. I took my two children out for a nice stroll and received unnecessary comments to my children. One lady said Jesus F**kin Christ cause she was moving too slow for her liking, and had one of the Pinellas county people threaten me with a ticket for running along side of my daughter who was on a bike in the bike lane. He advised me to take my daughter who was on the bike to ride in the pedestrian lane as if that was more appropriate than me running next to her while she rides her bike in the bike lane. Either way it was the same concept. These people are a little too serious and need to slow down and enjoy the fresh air because they are nasty.

I love this trail! Whenever I want to go for a relaxing run or a long bike ride, I just walk down the street from my home to the trail. I love it.
The trail has separate lanes for bikes and runners most of the way. There are pretty frequent water fountains, I spec about a mile apart. Most of the trail is shaded by lovely oak trees, but some is in the full sun.
I like to ride from the Seminole area (there is a lot there but I live close) down to Tyrone. I usually stop at Wawa in Bay Pines. A longer ride from Seminole is up to Dunedin. There are nice cafes and stores on the trail.
Everyone is courteous on the trail. It is nice and relaxing and there are no cars, except when you have to cross little streets. The bridges give you a workout too!
Overall, this is a pleasant day to spend a nice day, taking in the sights.

I ride the trail every morning. It’s one of my favorite parts of living in St. Pete.
It’s amusing to see how it changes depending on what part of town you’re in. In Clearwater the pavement is smooth as a baby’s buttered ass. In Gulfport there are cracks in it that’ll throw you off your bike if you don’t brace yourself, and so much broken glass you’d think the Blues Brothers must have recently performed there. In Seminole, the waterfountains have two basins — one for humans and one for their dogs. In St. Pete they only have one, and more often than not it will be smeared with poo from the transients who have mistaken it for a bidet. And you will smell that poo — the unmistakable fragrance of human excrement baking in the sun — for a long block or two as you pedal past shoes without their mates, empty bottles of Jack, and dudes with their homes piled into shopping carts.
Yes, the trail is an exercise in contrast, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s lived in a large city before. I’m a lady and I ride alone through the sketchiest portion — which I would identify as 58^th St through 22^nd St S — and have never suffered harm. Just be smart, and never ever stop. If there’s a dude in a wheelchair sitting forlorn in the middle of the trail like he just rolled out of a Silent Hill game, don’t stop to ask if he’s okay. If there’s a mentally ill gentleman having a heated discussion with his sneakers, don’t try to get in on their discourse. The homeless men who camp daily at the ramp by the abandoned Walmart off Tyrone Blvd? Leave ‘em be. Just keep pedalling, and save your rubbernecking for the scenery up in Dunedin.
With that said, the trail is a beautiful thing full of enchanting moments. The trek across Long Bayou can be glorious, if a little fishy smelling at either end. The pocked park pavement curling against Blossom Lake is always crowded with ducks and snowy cranes that you can blast your bike through for a true Disney moment. Downtown, the underpass between 17^th and 18^th St that dips you — depending on the position of the sun — into complete darkness and welcomes you to downtown proper, is all but magical. And biking downtown is the only way to travel. Enjoy the one-​of-​a-​kind murals, the woosh of cars that take no interest in your continued health, the apocalyptic vista of the crumbling Pier, the accusing glares of the veterans hobbling around the SS office, and the relentless construction attempting unendingly to shore up the perimeter of the area from the erosive miles of dusky reality beating at its flanks.
Really, the trail doesn’t just provide analogue transportation through Pinellas county or a way to get your cardio in; it’s a pathway through a social exhibit. This local recommends it to everyone.

I love this trail for biking but there are a few tricks you should keep in mind. The trail is good for serious riders and casual riders.
My favorite place to pick up the trail is Dunedin. I like the shaded areas of the trail, good options to stop for food and beer, and enjoy riding it through Palm Harbor to Tarpon Springs. You will pass the Primate Sanctuary and can see the adorable orangutans climbing about. And then there’s some awesome state parks too — like Wall Springs Park! A must see!
The trail in Pinellas Park /​Tyrone has some nice areas but some are very shady/​scary. Ladies, don’t go alone or at night (trail closes at sundown anyway). A section of the trail of Clearwater is closed which forces you to go on the sidewalk near a busy road.

The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail is an incredible 37 mile rail trail in Pinellas County, Florida that stretches from Tarpon Springs in the north to St. Petersburg Downtown in the south. The trail passes through the towns of Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Largo, Seminole, South Pasadena, and Gulfport. It is utilized for walking, jogging, cycling, and inline skating. Free parking is available in several areas. This trail is in an urban trail that is interrupted by road traffic pretty often on the St Pete side. For less interruptions take the trail from Clearwater north. As an alternative, the Suncoast trail going through Lutz and Land O Lakes or the Upper Tampa Bay trail going through Gunn Highway to Memorial Highway which offer less interruptions. They recently extended the trail through the sunshine skyway bridge over to clam bayou.

I really enjoyed biking this trail between Dunedin and Palm Harbor. There are long stretches through residential and park areas and just enough commercial areas to stop and get a bite to eat or something to drink.

I’ve only taken this trail
From Tarpon Springs to Dunedin.
There are many places along the way
To stop for some eatin’!
The trail is well maintained
And even has stations with water.
Sometimes I think to myself
«Could it get any hotter?!»
Some riders you’ll see out there,
Think they’re training for Tour De France.
They’ll come up on you so fast,
You just might crap your pants!
The trail is almost 40 miles long
With extensions planned to make it longer.
One day I hope to ride it end to end.
I’ll need to work to make my legs stronger!

Nice paved rail-​to-​trail running the length of Pinellas County. There are fairly steep ramps going up over some of the bigger roads, and for large busy roads or confusing intersections there are buttons to push (that work!) so you gain the right-​of-​way and can safely cross. You don’t have to rely on the goodwill of motorists or play «car chicken».
If you are looking for a trail that has VERY few road crossings and is not an URBAN trail, I suggest the Suncoast Trail. The Pinellas Trail is not in a rural area and there are lots of roads, businesses, users on it.
Like nearly all paved multi-​use trails that I’ve been on, a good chunk of this former railroad runs through an old industrial area. Because you know… TRAINS RUN THROUGH INDUSTRY TO MOVE GOODS. However, I enjoyed the ride because I like to see all parts of a city, not just the polished parts. An old train station is now dedicated to clay. There’s a glass arts workshop with a mobile lab to bring to schools. The view from some of the overpasses is pretty great too!
We rode from Campbell Park (other side of Tropicana Field) out/​up north of St. Petersburg College and back.
The trail closes at night! The crimes that have taken place on the trail have pretty much all happened when NOBODY was supposed to be on it anyway. Obey the law. Stay safe.
I can’t wait to explore more of this trail as it is more than 40 miles long, stretching all the way from St. Pete to Tarpon Springs, and there are many offshoots as well… and restaurants and shops!
Here’s a link to a map:

I started a ride in Tarpon and had a blast. There are a lot of road crossings in this area but the locals are used to it and seemed to be extra cautious. I had a hard time figuring out where I was going until I was a ways in, though. Signage is lacking towards the trail end. While it backs up to residential areas for a bit, if you are paying attention to surroundings, there are lots of paths and steps to take you off the trail and into areas with shops, restaurants and parks. I have a trail guide book that’s extra handy and can be ordered online. (I got it from the holiday inn that backs up to the trail in Dunedin).
I am a less experienced rider and found that the «serious» bikers were very polite. I was also riding alone this week and stopped to take a pic of the Primate Sanctuary and two super sweet riders were concerned — asking if I was ok or needed help.
Since I only had a few hours and wanted to explore along the way, I stopped in Dunedin and my hubby picked me up there. You can use the bus/​trolleys to get back to your starting point though.
Overall, a very nice, shaded, fun and paved trail chock full of super nice like-​minded folks!

I love the trail. You can trek just about all of Pinellas county here. It is more congested going through Clearwater, and more open north and south. There are plenty of places to pull over and get food and drinks along the way. I have had fun riding my bike and roller blading here.

5 stars because Pinellas County rocks with expanding our bike and pedestrian trails! Serious kudos to the county and city employees for writing those grants and working with businesses to gain right of way access. I recently rode the trail from the Tyrone area to downtown, stopped at Ceviche for lunch, and rode back. What a beautiful way to spend a day in our sunny Florida locale! I just heard they opened a new section of the trail on the Skyway Bridge that takes you over to Clam Bayou. I can’t wait to try out that section. They say you will be transported to another time — a natural Florida!

Took a 20 mile bike ride, starting in downtown Clearwater. Venti coffee from Starbucks, head out. North of Clearwater is my fav part. Woodpeckers, Mockingbirds, Blue Jays. Osprey fishing everywhere. Stop in Café Alfresco for great salad & ice water. L I V I N G ! ! !
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How sad is it that the hilliest part of Pinellas county is a concrete trail and its overpasses built across the major roads?
It’s long and flat (save for the pseudo-​stepped ramps) and the scenery is a blend of mixed-​use commercial, residential, and an occasional body of water. Some of the meanders are hard to follow (pay close attention in down town Clearwater or else you’ll get lost and run into Scientologists), and the ending is a complete anti-​climax (esp. when they could’ve finished it in down town Tarpon Springs).
If you are in it for the long haul starting from the south, check out Toula’s Trailside Café (
) for a mid-​journey sojourn.
Also, take lots of water because the water fountains are sparse and underpowered.

North half is nice, from about Clearwater northward. Anywhere south of that there are road crossings constantly making it hard to ride very far without stopping. There are also some areas on south end that have vandalism (broken glass on trail) and areas one might not feel very safe in.