Destination Trail: Carlton Reserve for gravel, MTB, and grassy trails
Another gem of Florida besides sandy beaches and theme parks is the natural beauty and abundance of Florida’s parks and trails. One of those gems is T. Mabry Carlton Memorial Reserve. Time slows down as you ride your bike and experience the quiet beauty that Florida has to offer. More posts about other Destination Trails can be found at FloridaCycling.us Newsletter.
Locals know it just as Carlton.
It’s east of Venice, FL on the gulf coast. Here you’ll find a variety of trails with over 100 miles of groomed singletrack, fast shell roads and plenty of grassy roads. There is something for every recreational, expert and endurance rider. As a county park, Carlton is open almost year-round from sunrise to sunset and is free to enter. The trailhead parking lot is just a few hundred yards from full facilities and picnic tables under cover. So bring a snack, meal and extra drinks to enjoy after your ride.
Carlton encompasses more than 20,000 acres of environmentally protected terrain. The MTB trails are ideal for riders seeking rolling, adventuresome single-track. These 19 mile MTB routes are meticulously crafted and maintained for mountain bikers.
The best routes to ride within Carlton
It depends upon what you fancy. Gravel bikes with tires as narrow as 30mm can easily manage Power Line Road. However, other sections such as Well Field Road or the grass roads may be problematic for narrow tires. There are many gravelers who will happily take their gravel steeds on the narrow singletrack trails. While mountain bikers love the singletracks, they can traverse all of the park, albeit sometimes slower on the “open” gravel/shell roads. Here’s a nice 30 mile gravel route within Carlton.
Carlton is bordered by a few other parks making this area great for an overnight destination to experience multiple trails.
To the north, Myakka River State Park is on the far side of State Road 72 and requires an entry fee. Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park is to the southeast. In the Carlton Preserve, take the South Power Line Road Trail east to the end. Follow your GPS a short distance to Myakkahatchee Park entrance. Entrance is free for 3.5 miles of trails.
Passing through Myakkahatchee and riding some neighborhood roads gets you to the Legacy Trail North Port Connector at Price Trailhead in North Port. Continuing on the Connector Trail eventually brings you back to Carlton for a fun 25-mile loop over varied terrain best suited for your gravel bike. Here’s a link to that 25-mile loop.
As you can see Carlton is a vast property, as are the adjacent parks. When exploring, make sure to have plenty of water and calories relative to your experience level. The only good drinking water is at the Carlton trailhead located just past the primitive campground at the picnic pavilion.
For group rides, the SCORR MTB Club posts updates on their Facebook page. They build and maintain many of these MTB trails.
This coming January, Carlton Preserve is the site of the 14th edition of Piggy’s Revenge a gravel and MTB event on Sunday, January 21, 2026. Registration closes at 350 riders. There are multiple ride options. Guided 10 mile easy loop, 20 and 40 mile singletrack, and 20/40/60 mile gravel-mixed surface. Find it listed on Florida Cycling.us website and a link for more information. Florida Cycling.us provides a comprehensive list of cycling events for road, gravel, MTB and paved trails.
Enjoy the journey,
Kevin Shutt, guest contributor
Follow Kevin on his YouTube channel for his cycling adventures along Florida’s Gulf Coast and beyond.
 | A guest post by
|