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| Withlacoochee State Trail | |
|---|---|
 Withlacoochee State Trail looking northwest at the point where it makes a tee intersection with the Good Neighbor Trail | |
| Length | 46 mi (74 km) |
| Location | Citrus,Hernando andPasco counties,USA |
| Designation | IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) |
| Trailheads | |
| Use | Hiking/Biking/Horses |
| Hazards | Steep embankments, swampland |
| Trail map | |
 | |
| Withlacoochee State Trail | |
|---|---|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
 Interactive map of Withlacoochee State Trail | |
| Location | Citrus,Hernando andPasco counties,USA |
| Nearest city | Dunnellon /Trilby |
| Coordinates | 28°31′23″N82°13′05″W / 28.52306°N 82.21806°W /28.52306; -82.21806 |
| Area | 46 mile length |
| Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
Withlacoochee State Trail is a 46-mile (74 km) long paved, multi-use, non-motorizedrail trail inFlorida located inCitrus,Hernando andPasco counties. It follows along theWithlacoochee River and passes through theWithlacoochee State Forest. It is the longest paved rail trail in Florida.[1]
The original railroad line was formed sometime in the 1880s. It connected with what is now theFlorida Northern Railroad inCitrus Springs with what is now CSX'sWildwood Subdivision (S Line) in Owensboro (a train junction, south ofTrilby).
In 1892, theSilver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad (SSO&G) built the original railroad line throughInverness and Hernando and theSouth Florida Railroad built from Inverness south. In 1902, theAtlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) acquired both the SFR and the SSO&G. The segment was officially declared as theDuPont—Lakeland Line, part of a passenger rail route that afforded a more direct path from Georgia toGulf Coast tourist destinations. From the 1920s up to 1957, the ACL carried the dailySouthland over this line. South of Trilby the route split and there were two different western Florida destinations: train 33 (train 32 northbound) via Atlantic Coast Line tracks to Tarpon Springs, Dunedin,Clearwater,St. Petersburg; and train 37 (train 38 northbound) splitting off the route at Trilby to Zephyrhills, toTampa and then to Bradenton andSarasota. Additionally, an unnamed train ran from Jacksonville over this route, also to St. Petersburg.[2] In 1946, an overpass was built to carry a realignedUS 301 at Owensboro over both theSeaboard Air Line Railroad andAtlantic Coast Line Railroad tracks.
In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads merged to form theSeaboard Coast Line Railroad. SCL merged with theLouisville and Nashville Railroad and other railroads to form theSeaboard System Railroad in 1982, and in 1986 was merged with theChessie System to formCSX Railroad. CSX decided to abandon the 47-mile railroad in 1987. In 1989 the state bought the railroad for their "rail-to-trails" program.
The southern terminus is atU.S. 98/301 south ofTrilby. The trail goes 6 miles (9.7 km) north to a crossover ofU.S. 98/SR 50, a mile east ofI-75 and 40 miles (64 km) north past the Silver Lake Campground in the Withlacoochee State Forest, close to theWithlacoochee River. The trail runs under I-75 as it continues north and about a mile from there intersects theGood Neighbor Trail at 28°35'22.2"N 82°13'42.3"W. From there it runs throughNobleton,Istachatta, and then crosses the Hernando-Citrus County Line intoPineola, the site of theGreat Train Wreck of 1956.
As it entersFloral City, it runs much closer to and parallel toUS 41. South ofInverness across from Citrus County Speedway and theInverness Airport, there is a paid access trail leading toFort Cooper State Park.[3] Within Inverness itself, the trail runs underState Road 44, with access trails on both sides running east. North of there, the trail runs through Cooter Pond Park, Wallace Brooks Park and Liberty Park, then uses a former railroad bridge over a section of Lake Henderson. Beneath the bridge under US 41, another trail leads to Whispering Pines Park, and from there it makes a right curve around White Lake. Just south of the intersection with East Arlington Street, it runs relatively close to the west side of US 41. InHernando, the trail is briefly detoured around County Road 486 for one block, then resumes its use of the former railroad right-of-way. Before reachingHolder, it has an intersection with another trail leading to the Central Ridge District Park. North of there it continues through Citrus CR 491 in Holder, andCitrus Springs, where it finally ends at Gulf Junction just south ofDunnellon.
Since the widening of County Road 486, a multi-use path along that route follows it west passing through County Road 491, and connected to State Road 44 by the end of 2013. In May 2013, the State of Florida had approved funding for the Coast to Coast Connector, some of which will include connecting the Withlacoochee State Trail to the Claridoma-Ocoee Connector Trail in Lake County, which will then connect all the way to the east coast, terminating on Merritt Island. The Coast to Coast Connector will also connect the Withlacoochee State Trail to the Suncoast Trail, which follows the Suncoast Parkway south to Tampa.[4]
Parking for the trail is located offU.S. 98/301 at the Owensboro Junction Trailhead,C.R. 575 / Trilby Trailhead,S.R. 50 Trailhead on Croom-Rital Road, Silver Lake Campground,Townsen Lake Regional Park off C.R. 476, Desoto Trail Kiosk offU.S. 41, Wallace Brooks Park and Liberty Park in Inverness, South Citrus Springs Trailhead and Gulf Junction Trailhead, both of which are in Citrus Springs.
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