Saturday, July 27, 2024
This is one of my favorite bike routes in Jacksonville. This route takes you along the northern shore of the St. Johns River on the east side of Jacksonville. The scenery is breathtaking. You’ll be going over many bridges and riding across several islands with many places having a beautiful view of the St. Johns River.
Starting on Zoo Parkway at North Main Street, follow Zoo Parkway going east. For the first few miles there are no bike lanes or even a shoulder, so you’ll be riding with traffic. No sidewalks are here either. So if you’re uncomfortable riding in the road with traffic, then this isn’t for you.
However, Zoo Parkway is a four-lane highway (two lanes going east and two going west), so it’s easy for cars to pass you. A few miles down Zoo Parkway and a bike lane opens up, which you can ride the rest of the way. There are a few short, narrow bridges with no bike lanes, though.
If you’re coming from downtown, you can take the Emerald Trail to the S-Line to Main Street. Then ride on the bike lane up Main Street to Zoo Parkway.
Riding down Zoo Parkway, you’ll pass the Jacksonville Zoo, the Carnival Cruise Ship Terminal, and the I-295 interchange. Be careful as traffic can be heavy at these places. You’ll also be riding over bridges and along the shore of the St. Johns River seeing amazing views.
Crossing the I-295 interchange, Zoo Parkway becomes Heckscher Drive. Riding down Heckscher Drive you’ll be riding over more bridges and across islands and along the shore of the St. Johns River. It truly is an amazing experience – one of the most beautiful bike routes in Jacksonville. The four-lane highway turns into a two-lane highway at Blount Island.
When you get to Ft. George, you will see a Circle K on your left where you can go and get something to eat and drink. On the right is the Ft. George Ferry Terminal. Free public restrooms are available here.
Ft. George and Mayport Ferry
If you want to take the ferry across to Mayport, the ferry leaves Ft. George every 30 minutes at 15 minutes after every hour and 15 minutes before every hour. The schedule is:
- Monday through Thursday 6:15 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.
- Friday 6:15 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
- Saturday and Sundays 7:15 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Line up at the lane on the far right that’s separated from the cars. Wait for the attendant to wave you onto the ferry. You’ll usually have to wait until all the cars have boarded first. You must walk your bike onto the ferry. The fare for bicyclists is $1.00. After the ferry leaves the dock, someone will be around to collect the fare. You can pay by cash, debit, or credit card. For more information on the Ft. George – Mayport Ferry, click here.
Traveling on from Ft. George
From Ft. George you can keep riding up to Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach. Or you can turn around and ride back to downtown Jacksonville.
If you want to make a loop and go back to downtown, then you can take the ferry across to Mayport. Getting off the ferry, turn right and take A1A to Wonderwood and turn right. Wonderwood turns into Mt. Pleasant which turns into McCormick. This road has a nice bike lane.
Take McCormick to Monument and turn left. McDonald’s is on the corner there. Monument Road has a nice bike lane as well. Take Monument down to Atlantic Boulevard and turn right. Be careful once you turn onto Atlantic. Atlantic veers off to the left while if you go straight, you’ll be on Arlington Expressway. So be sure you follow Atlantic Boulevard to the left.
Once you get to Atlantic, you’ll either have to ride in the street with traffic or on the sidewalk. You can take Atlantic back to San Marco and go across the Main Street bridge back to downtown.
Zoo Parkway and Heckscher Drive Information
Western Terminus: Intersection of North Main Street and Zoo Parkway.
Eastern Terminus: Ft. George Ferry Terminal.
Distance: 14.6 miles.
Difficulty Level: Intermediate due to needing to bicycle on the road with traffic for several miles where no bike lanes, shoulder, or sidewalks are present.
Conditions: The terrain is mostly flat with some small hills and a couple of tall bridges. The road and bike lane is mostly smooth and well-paved.
Waypoints and GPS Coordinates:
Western Terminus at Main Street and Zoo Parkway: 30° 24.254N; 81° 38.971W
Eastern Terminus at Ft. George Ferry Terminal: 30° 23.708N; 81° 26.178W
What To Do Next
If you have bicycled on Zoo Parkway and Heckscher Drive, write about your experience in the comments below. Please provide the date of your trip.
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