3949dxer

What's the best time of year to tour the Florida Keys, weather wise? I'd like to avoid rain and strong winds and the hottest muggiest period , but I know the weather can be quite variable down there. Thanks in advance.

texbiker

I rode from Key Largo to Key West last year in the middle of May. Not too hot and the wind was light. I did have rain the first day (I took 2 days) but when you are out are out in the middle of that much water rain can pop up unexpectedly.

Oakman

Hurricane season is mainly June - October.

3949dxer

Thanks. I've been visiting the Keys for about 30 years but never biked it before. When I was down there last year I noticed a lot of new bike trails and it got me thinking that biking the Keys could be a great way to spend a few days.

blacknbluebikes 

how's the "road clearance" ie: room on the shoulders when cars are passing? I've been considering a "largo to KW and back" over a couple of days, maybe a Marathon layover... suggestions?

texbiker

Road clearance depends. Sometimes you ride on bike paths but when they disappear you move to the shoulder. Usually the shoulder was about 3 to 4 feet wide. Read about my trip at these two links.
Key Largo to Marathon FL Bike Ride - Texbiker.net
Marathon to Key West FL Bike Ride - Texbiker.net

veets

My experience was the same as Texbiker's. There was either path or generous shoulder 99% of the way. Only a couple of miles that were sketchy for me.
I actually rode one day earlier than he did last year (caught the rain between Marathon and Key West and it was a welcome respite from the heat).
There was a slight headwind that weekend, but from what I've read elsewhere the wind usually pushes you south in the spring.
The lizards on the path were fun, although I can imagine that they'd spook some people.
I rode from Miami most of the way to Key Largo, but got caught in the dark on the bridge going over Card Sound. When the sidewalk ended and cars were whizzing by in the pitch black, I called it a night.
I'm looking for a better route from Miami to Key Largo for next time. The path by the busway was wide and mostly smooth, but lots of glass (two flats) and not very picturesque. If anyone has a better route, please share.

blacknbluebikes 

Useful stuff, thx much. Looking for perspective on following plan:
Three experienced roadies fly into Key West morning of Day 1, bikes are pre-shipped to hotel. (sorry United, $150 each way just too rich). Check in, assemble, tour around KW that afternoon. Day 2, ENE to Marathon, traveling light. Expect to ride a bit past, loop back to overnight in Marathon, total about 75mi Day 1. Expecting this to be "windward" travel, but is that right? Day 3, back WSW to KW, consider stopover at Bahia Honda. End Key West with advanced liquidity study that night. Day 4, sleep in, pack up, fly home.
So:
1. We're regular riders on NJ roads at 16-18mph. Should we just plan to stay on the highway? Trail seems tempting, but might be "suboptimal"
2. Probability of rain? should we even care if it's warm?
3. How many tubes would you take? Think flats are more likely than what we typically see up here in the Landfill of Opportunity?
4. Any particularly bad spots on this trip?
5. Any suggested "stop for food / stop for a memorable malted beverage here" places?
6. IF we should have some "massive fail" - who would ya call? Uber? AAA? J.Buffett?
Thanks in advance. Stockpiling sunscreen as I type...

blacknbluebikes 

I did, thx very much for taking the time to journal that adventure. appreciated.

veets

1. We're regular riders on NJ roads at 16-18mph. Should we just plan to stay on the highway? Trail seems tempting, but might be "suboptimal"
This seems like a subjective, personal choice. You can get a really good idea of the road view by using google maps and dragging the little yellow person icon down onto the road for the driver's view of the road at street level. As for road conditions, I read previously that with the hurricane cleanup, debris was pushed to the side of the road initially. It might be cleaned up by now, but there could be small nails/glass? Might be best to ask a local bike shop down there about that issue. I'd bet that the trails and real bike lanes might have been cleaned better. Another issue with riding on the road itself is the traffic, which is frequently heavy. When are you going?

2. Probability of rain? should we even care if it's warm?
When are you going? If not in the hurricane season, then probably a chance of passing shower; shouldn't care.

3. How many tubes would you take? Think flats are more likely than what we typically see up here in the Landfill of Opportunity?
How good are you at roadside patching? I took two spares on my last ride through the keys, and had two flats. One was patchable, one was the stem (old tube, or maybe my fault).
For a good laugh, watch this series of videos. youtube.com/watch?v=BKSQjXmB0q8

4. Any particularly bad spots on this trip?
I suppose the Seven Mile Bridge on a windy day could be treacherous. Otherwise, there are only a few miles of narrow shoulder riding. IMO, there are no other bad spots.


5. Any suggested "stop for food / stop for a memorable malted beverage here" places?
Florida Keys Brewing Company. Friendly people. Outstanding beer.

6. IF we should have some "massive fail" - who would ya call? Uber? AAA? J.Buffett?
I ride a Brompton, so I would just call any old Uber (and have done that down there). People are super friendly, so I'd bet a local would give you a ride to a city center. You might also get a list of local bike shops and have their phone numbers handy.
And if you were joking, definitely call J. Buffett. Or Peter Anderson.

I should be doing a Miami-Key West trip again in a few weeks, so if I learn anything different about road conditions and debris, I'll share here.

veets

By the way, you might consider whether you can squeeze in a snorkel tour. The reefs around Marathon are very popular. If you leave Key West early enough and make good time, you can probably be in Marathon by the time most snorkel trips will be heading out (around 12:30 or 1pm). The reef is only a short boat ride away, and you can see a couple of sites in a 4-hour tour.

downtube42

I did Miami to Key West to Jupiter with friends a couple years ago, in January. Southbound on the keys was glorious with a huge tailwind, northbound was ferocious into the same headwind. The Seven Mile Bridge going north was pretty horrid, crawling along beside heavy traffic. I'd suggest considering a southbound trip ending in Key West. An option: two of our group took a bus back up to Homestead, with bikes, for next to nothing while the others slogged against the wind all day.

King Seafood Market and Restaurant on Marathon Key was pretty fantastic.

I rode trails where they were obvious and not flooded or washed out - maybe 1/3 of the keys.

I think Miami to Key West, a day or two in Key West, bus back to Homestead, the ride back to Miami would be a great trip.

veets

I got back recently from another ride from Miami to Key West over three days. The trail was mostly in decent shape, but there were stretches from Upper Matecumbe Key to Duck Key where the trail was blocked off because it was torn up from the hurricanes. Also near the deer refuge on Big Pine Key. There were also parts where there was obvious debris on the trail - dirt, small twigs/branches, and sand. There was one part just north of Duck Key where the sand was fairly deep in parts and could be treacherous if you hit it at high speed, but mostly it was just annoying.

Something to note for first time riders down there: the trail is meandering, sometimes not of great quality (from branches growing underneath, etc.), and jumps from one side of the highway to the other (a lot). If you're not in a hurry, then the trail definitely feels safer because you're so far from the traffic. On the other hand, the shoulders are often generous, straight, and smooth. If you're less concerned about being near traffic, then you'll definitely make better time on the road. Maybe this is an obvious statement, but it's something to keep in mind. Most of it is not a super-smooth, easy, fast trail like others in the U.S.

I didn't find a better way down to Key Largo, and ended up taking the busway trail again, and Card Sound Road. A nice rear-view mirror was helpful for Card Sound Road, because there were no shoulders to ride on. Fortunately, this time I didn't pick up any glass on the busway trail. If anyone has biked to Key Largo using US-1, I'd be interested in your thoughts about it. From what I've read, the shoulders aren't that wide, the road is busy, and the cars are flying by.

Leaving Miami early in the morning made a huge difference, heat-wise, for the 70+ miles down to Key Largo. I got to Alabama Jack's for lunch around noon and stayed until about 2:45 just to stay out of the midday heat. I'm not sure what others do to manage the 85+ days in the tropics, but for me the heat was really draining my energy. After about 11am I had to stop about every 30 minutes just to douse myself with water. I carried one bottle for drinking and one, sometimes two, just for pouring over my head and soaking my shirt. (And for perspective, I ride almost every day at home, so I'm no stranger to the saddle.)

Following up on the question above about what to do in the event of a "massive fail", once again I was offered a ride when it looked like I was in trouble on the side of the road in the lower keys. Last time, a lady with a pickup truck offered me a ride when I was waiting out a passing rain shower. This time, I was fixing a flat on the side of the road (my only flat of the trip - some stiff wire that put a tiny hole in the tube), and an even older lady pulled over this time to see if I was okay. Super friendly people down there.

I picked up a modest tailwind south/west of Marathon on and off all the way down to Key West this time.

Also, the snorkeling at Sombrero Reef was fantastic. There was a good excursion from Captain Pip's in Marathon - I made it down there on day two from Key Largo in enough time to catch the 1pm tour out. Highly recommended.

Baby's Coffee in the lower keys was a nice stop. They're bicycle friendly and the coffee is excellent. Not a lot of space to hang out inside, but when you're in there the A/C is excellent. :-) I also had some good fish tacos at Snapper's in Key Largo. I'd go there again.

texbiker

Thanks for the update. I biked from Key Largo to Key West in May 2017. Sounds like the trails are in need of some help after the hurricane.

ionlydrinkbud

January, February & March are the best! But if I had to pick one it would be February!