I am planning on heading down to Ft. Lauderdale this weekend and was thinking of trying out the trail at Markham Park. I heard that the trail may be underwater due to the recent rains, is this true? Should I wait for another time to go for my first time, if so is there another park nearby I can hit while I'm down there? Thanks
Markham is a awesome trail, you will have a blast. If it is your first time you need to take a 15 mins safety class at the front office. Its just a video. If you are concerned about the conditions of the trail you can call the front office for the trail conditions. Here is the info....
Markham Park & Target Range
16001 W. State Rd. 84, Sunrise, FL 33326
Office: 954-357-8868
Fax: 954-357-8869
E-mail: MarkhamPark@broward.org
Have fun riding!!!!!
I thought of that while riding my bicycle. ~ Albert Einstein
Not underwater. Several water/mud spots, possibly. The only area that get really wet/muddy is Route 66 (advanced). Markham holds up really well all season. Make sure you do all the expert/pro sections because going to Markham without doing those is pointless (IMO).
FYI; chance of rain for the next several days down there is about 50%.
Markham is a awesome trail, you will have a blast. If it is your first time you need to take a 15 mins safety class at the front office. Its just a video. If you are concerned about the conditions of the trail you can call the front office for the trail conditions. Here is the info....
Markham Park & Target Range
16001 W. State Rd. 84, Sunrise, FL 33326
Office: 954-357-8868
Fax: 954-357-8869
E-mail: MarkhamPark@broward.org
Have fun riding!!!!!
Thanks for the great information. Can't wait to hit it this weekend! Thanks again everyone!
Early AM is best in as far as the weather goes. There are a few spots of mud and the volunteers are aware of them so maybe this weekend some work will get done...
Bermuda trail has a deep hole in a twisty section shortly after the wooden bridge.
Rte 66 is more than likely flooded as it is the lowest spot in Markham. Outback trail has a few puddles too and the rest of the trails are pretty dry. It is rainy season so we'll just have to deal with some mud in spots. Just be careful on the wooden bridges and log overs as they get slippery.Enjoy the ride(s)
Planning on making the trip from Naples to hit Markham this weekend. I'll shoot you a PM bustermin.
Anyone else want to join a group of first time Markham riders. Can't wait to hit the expert trails. My FSR is still waiting on parts so I will be aboard the EVO HT!!
Ok, just got back from Markham Park, I was great I think the water actually made it more fun. It was a little confusing for my first time I somehow did a couple of the trails twice and somehow kept ending up at the area near the warmup section where they are building the rhythm sections. But all in all it was Awsome I expect it will get better as I learn the trails. Thanks for all the input from everyone.
Sorry DS33gt I didn't see you message until just now, maybe we can hook up next time. Thanks again everyone. Already looking forward to going again.
Just out of curiosity, is Oleta a better trail? I'm sure it is a personal like or dislike but I've never been there either and was considering that too.
I wouldn't call it better or worse, just different. I like it because it's the longest trail system around so you can go on a really long ride without having to repeat anything. One complete lap there is probably equal to 3 or 4 at Markham. There's a few trails that are difficult enough to get the adrenaline going but they aren't quite as big or technical as most of what Markham has.The downside is it's super rooty and will get frustrating if you don't have FS or big wheels. I probably like as much as Markham but just for different reasons.
I agree with what Jon said about Oleta except for.."One complete lap there is probably equal to 3 or 4 at Markham." Oleta is only 5 miles longer than Markham (+/-). I would ride Markham every day if it was close by!
The best part (and longest loop) of Oleta is Gilligan's Island. You can easily miss this whole section so it would be wise to follow a local or GPS it (TIP: look for a sign after "stairway to heaven" - turn left). While I really like the roots at Oleta, the 3" round rocks (coral) sitting in the middle of a line can get a little old. Any scratches or dings that are on my rims are all from Oleta.
BTW: If you cleared 100% of Markham, good job. You are good to go on any other trail in the state.
I agree with what Jon said about Oleta except for.."One complete lap there is probably equal to 3 or 4 at Markham." Oleta is only 5 miles longer than Markham (+/-). I would ride Markham every day if it was close by!
The best part (and longest loop) of Oleta is Gilligan's Island. You can easily miss this whole section so it would be wise to follow a local or GPS it (TIP: look for a sign after "stairway to heaven" - turn left). While I really like the roots at Oleta, the 3" round rocks (coral) sitting in the middle of a line can get a little old. Any scratches or dings that are on my rims are all from Oleta.
BTW: If you cleared 100% of Markham, good job. You are good to go on any other trail in the state.
Hmm, I use EndoMondo on my phone to track my riding so it must get thrown off in the woods are Markham. I did three laps yesterday and it gave me a distance of a little over 13 miles. Oleta is about 15 or 16 right?
You can also get trail maps of Oleta at the entrance. They're not super high resolution but they work well enough to help you get around.
Using a smartphone (GPS) is not accurate enough when compared to a bike computer. They are best for open and straight type rides. Once you throw in some very tight turns it can't refresh enough so it measures zig-zags instead of curves. Once you get in (canopy) dense areas like "Big Gulp" it averages lines. Only accurate way to measure with smartphone is with a ANT+ device.
Ok, just got back from Markham Park, I was great I think the water actually made it more fun. It was a little confusing for my first time I somehow did a couple of the trails twice and somehow kept ending up at the area near the warmup section where they are building the rhythm sections. But all in all it was Awsome I expect it will get better as I learn the trails. Thanks for all the input from everyone.
Sorry DS33gt I didn't see you message until just now, maybe we can hook up next time. Thanks again everyone. Already looking forward to going again.
Just out of curiosity, is Oleta a better trail? I'm sure it is a personal like or dislike but I've never been there either and was considering that too.
Glad you enjoyed Markham. It takes a bit of riding to get the feel for the whole thing but it is worth it. Many more good things are on the way into the park too btw...
The best part (and longest loop) of Oleta is Gilligan's Island. You can easily miss this whole section so it would be wise to follow a local or GPS it (TIP: look for a sign after "stairway to heaven" - turn left). While I really like the roots at Oleta, the 3" round rocks (coral) sitting in the middle of a line can get a little old. Any scratches or dings that are on my rims are all from Oleta.
BTW: If you cleared 100% of Markham, good job. You are good to go on any other trail in the state.
being able to clear Markham means you should be able to ride anything in Florida? I haven't been on rides outside of South Florida much, so i'm not disputing you; just asking is Markham really that good of a measuring stick compared to the rest of Florida?
Being able to do 100% of Markham does prepare you for just about anything, however trail knowledge in any trail system will make you a better rider there. All trails can take some time to learn how to ride well. Markham is the hardest in South Florida for sure, but Alafia and Santos have tough parts that can kick anyones butt no matter how well they ride Markham..
Markham contains a little of everything the state has to offer, but in a condensed little package. There are trails that have bigger gaps, jumps, climbs or stairs...but I can't think of any that have all that in one package and fits on a keychain.
BTW: What trail has an 8FT wall ride? (even though it has a terrible run up)
Can't wwait to get back there with the FS bike. Some awesome man made features there, that one wall ride that turns hard to the right, really caught me by surprise, I had no momentum going into it.... not too good with the trail names, I think it was by washing machine???
that one wall ride that turns hard to the right, really caught me by surprise, I had no momentum going into it...
Yep. Happened to me first time also. I'm sure the intent of the wall ride was to give momentum for the tricky climb right after it. However, that 180-degree turn has always been a slow turn because of the approach.
That is it, totally caught me off gaurd!! Very cool feature. The only other areas I need to explore are route 66(closed) and I either missed the top/loop section of gun range or it was closed. I was on a small section for a little while but then came back out to the gun range trail head. I know Iissec it because I didn't have the oppurtunity to ride skeletor.
That wall is actually a mistake in execution and it will be rectified with the next trail maintenance day. The trail is called Outback Extension and the trail will likely be reversed so that the wall will become functional. As it stands now the radius is wrong for the current direction.
We just got a key piece of equipment ( Muck Truck ) to make trail building easier (if that's possible...) and we should be able to fix the trails faster after damage has occurred.
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Originally Posted by DansDaMan561
It takes a bit of riding to get the feel for the whole thing but it is worth it. Many more good things are on the way into the park too btw...
(even though it has a terrible run up)
) and we should be able to fix the trails faster after damage has occurred.
