Gar Pond Loop route

Stats

Comments

Trails in Route

Details

Directions

Route Supporters

Local Trail Association

near White Springs, FL

10.9 miles

Distance

123 ft

Climb

-123 ft

Descent

98 ft

High Point

65 ft

Altitude min

88 ft

Altitude start

89 ft

Altitude end

-6%

Grade max

Grade min

2 miles

Distance climb

2 miles

Distance down

7 miles

Distance flat

The old Gar Pond Trail was destroyed by logging in 2020. The landowner (Suwannee River Water Management District) gave the Suwannee Bicycle Association permission to use more of the property to create a longer trail. This 11 mile trail is the result. It follows some of the original trail, but adds more trail around Horse Pond, and trail south of Gar Pond.

Gar Pond has a variety of terrain inland and along the river, including ponds, sinkholes, mixed hardwood and pine forests. Wildlife is abundant with water birds, deer, turkeys, eagles
and tortoises

Gar Pond tract consists of three sections: the Pond section, the Back Achers section and the River section. Suggested route is to ride it clockwise. The Pond section includes three ponds. The first
pond is Horse Pond. Next is Gar Pond, a shallow lake (often dry). There is a big sinkhole before you reach Pit Pond. Pit Pond was created by the Hwy. 41 bridge excavation. After Pit Pond, continue
straight to ride the Back Achers section (4-miles) that loops back to the River section. Or bypass Back Achers and take a short cut to the River section by turning right at the sign. To access the River
section, ride across Jacob’s Bridge over a beautiful cypress swamp; follow the trail to the river. The River section is more technical with short descents and uphills, including riding by deep ravines
and sinkholes. Note: There are several bail out points on the Back Achers section, where a doubletrack natural surface road leads to the trailhead/parking. Make sure to only follow the signs, Exit to
Trailhead, as there are numerous natural surface roads and paths that intersect with this trail.

Trailhead directions: Turn left on Hwy. 41. After crossing the Hwy. 41 bridge, turn right to park behind the Agriculture Inspection Station (AG).

source: SBA Trails Brochure

Detailed Description

Gar Pond Loop is a 11 mile moderately popular intermediate route located near White Springs Florida. This mountain bike primary route can be used both directions and has a moderate overall physical rating. This route includes 5 trails. This route climbs 123 ft with a max elevation of 98 ft then descends -123 ft.

Suwannee Bicycle Association (www.suwanneebike.org)

Please consider joining or donating to the local riding association to support trail development & maintenance.

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Distance

11 miles
Avg time

2 hr 39 min
Altitude min

65 ft
Altitude start

88 ft
Altitude end

89 ft
Climb

123 ft
Descent

-123 ft
Grade max

-6%
Grade min

5%
Distance climb

2 miles
Distance down

2 miles
Distance flat

7 miles

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Riding area

Gar Pond Tract
Primary Activity

Mountain Bike
Other Activities
- E-Bike
- Gravel Bike
Difficulty rating

Blue
Route Type

Loop
eBike Allowed

Yes
Bike type

XC, Gravel
Direction

Both Directions
Physical rating

Moderate
Activity Logs

3

Gar Pond Start

Ponds Section

River Section

Gar Pond Start

Walk south on Gar Pond Start.
Continue for 200 meters.
Keep left to take Gar Pond.
Continue for 14 kilometers.
Keep right to stay on Gar Pond.
Continue for 4 kilometers.
Bear left onto Gar Pond Start.
Continue for 200 meters.

Trail Conditions

1 Day
1 Week
1 Month
All Time

Unknown
Snow Groomed
Snow Packed
Snow Covered
Snow Cover Partial
Freeze/thaw Cycle
Icy
Prevalent Mud
Wet
Variable
Ideal
Dry
Very Dry

Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)

Trailforks scans users activity logs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.

> 96%
> 90%
> 80%
> 70%
> 50%
< 50%
bi-directional trail
no data

Trail Last Ridden

Trailforks scans activity logs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.

< 2 days
< 1 week
< 2 weeks
< 1 month
< 6 months
> 6 months

Trail Ridden Direction

The intended direction a trail should be ridden.

Downhill Only
Downhill Primary
Both Directions
Uphill Primary
Uphill Only
One Direction

Contribute Details

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Description
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Description & Photos
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Trail Popularity ?

Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.

most popular
popular
less popular
not popular

ATV/ORV/OHV Filter

ATV - 50 inches
OHV, SxS - 60 inches
Jeep - 72 inches

Max Vehicle Width

inches

Activity Log Year

Radar Time

Activity Recordings

Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data. ?

mountain biking recent
mountain biking (>6 month)
hiking (1 year)
moto (1 year)

Activity Recordings

Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data. ?

Downhill Ski
Backcountry Ski
Nordic Ski
Snowmobile

Winter Trails

Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.

trail	date	description
Ponds Section	Aug 23, 2026 @ 7:43am (America/New_York) 2 days	no problems, big debris and logs have been cleared, parts still need mowing, but otherwise it's a blast. reporter
Gar Pond Start	Aug 23, 2026 @ 7:43am (America/New_York) 2 days	no problems reporter
River Section	Aug 23, 2026 @ 7:43am (America/New_York) 2 days	The trees across the trail have all been chainsawed, so it's a fast and flowy section! reporter