Last Leg of St. Marks Trail Now Open
The so-called “missing link” of the St. Marks Trail between Tallahassee and the Gulf coast has been finished.
Local and state officials held a ribbon cutting for the trail segment on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The ceremony was among the final official duties for outgoing Tallahassee City Commissioner Nancy Miller.
“This is the completion of a dream that people had years, almost a generation ago,” she said, noting that she had been an advocate for the project throughout her 8 year tenure on the commission.
Florida State Parks Chief Eric Draper, himself an avid cyclist, was looking forward to the recreational possibilities, including:
“The ability to get on a bicycle right here at the stadium and go all the way down to the coast.”
That sentiment was shared by Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association President Jimmy Card.
“Connector trails like this one help us access other major trails here in town while keeping us safe, so we appreciate that very much,” he remarked.
It wasn’t until the Zimmer Development Company offered to buy an old rail spur from CSX Transportation for its Stadium Enclave student apartment project that the parcel of land needed to build the last trail link became available.