Little Econ Greenway Trail / Blanchard Park Trail, Orlando, Florida
by Dana Farnsworth Outdoor Travels
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Road Biking
Little Econ Greenway Trail /
Blanchard Park
Orlando, Florida
A popular scenic trail along a river with benches, gazebos, benches, fountains and more benches!
by Dana Farnsworth, Outdoor Travels
Riding along the Little Econ Trail with its 4.6-miles of tree planted, picnic-benched, river lined, wading bird festooned trail one would think they were having a wilderness experience - one would think. One who hasn’t been in the wilderness before would think. I can’t imagine anyone short of a life-long New York City resident will mistake this trail for one in Montana or Alaska - it’s nowhere near that level of rural royalty, but it is a beautiful green linear oasis in an otherwise insipid strip mall sprawl landscape. The Little Econ Trail is one of many paved multi-use trails in and around metro Orlando, Florida. Needless to say, any greenway, park or relief from suburban sprawl is a welcome respite.
The Little Econ Trail, located one mile north of State Road 50 on Dean Road, runs along the pretty Little Econlockhatchee River. The trail’s current (as of late 2004) terminus’ are at Jay Blanchard Park and Goldenrod Road. This is subject to change any minute, if it already hasn’t. Like most paved trails in the area, this one is a work in progress. After construction is completed it will span 10 more miles from the University of Central Florida to the east and connect in the west to the Cady Way Trail, which will connect to the Cross Seminole Trail System, through the city of Oviedo, and back to Blanchard Park or other points beyond. Orlando’s plan is to connect all or most of their paved trails by 2010, creating a giant loop around Orlando from Polk City in the west to Oviedo in the east, south to Kissimmee and back.
The Little Econ trail that currently exists as of late 2004 will surely stand as one of the prettiest sections one can ride in the area. With its almost constant river views, pretty bridges and wildlife viewing potential, it’s really hard to find a better recreation opportunity in the area. A trail user can spot birds, like Osprey, Ibis, Wood Storks and Red-Shouldered Hawks, as well as turtles and alligators – that is if they can slow down long enough. Slowing down is hard, as there is little trail interruption from road crossings. In fact, there is really only one crossing along its length, and even it’s a relatively sleepy two-lane road. With such little interruption to break cadence, it’s very easy to get into a good rhythm and arrive at the opposite end before you realize it! But you will want to slow down and smell the roses – well, smell the flowers in the pretty butterfly garden at least. This is one trail where lack of facilities should not be a concern, for there are plenty of rest areas, picnic benches and other facilities along the route - probably more per mile than I’ve seen on any other trail. The bench-per-mile ratio must be staggering! The grant writer for this trail really did a great job securing more than sufficient development funds!
How can it be over-developed? Well, for example, the planners took redundancy to its finest level by placing a pestiferous mob of wooden poles marking every 1/10-mile increment along the route. I’m jokingly assuming they are for marking meeting points for the precise at heart. I can almost hear an anal retentive’s conversation, “Hey, I’ll meet you at the picnic bench complex at mile 3.4, not at the group gazebo at mile marker 2.8 like last week and not at the trail-side human and dog fountain at mile 1.2.” Yes, you heard that right; there are actually fountains along the trail for people AND for our four-legged friends.
All in all, it’s hard to beat this trail for scenery in a suburban landscape. On any given weekend day you can spot locals fishing, canoeing, skating, riding bikes, picnicking and playing basketball in Blanchard Park. Heck, the local YMCA is even right beside the Blanchard Park trailhead. But then again, what else would you expect from a suburban-wild trail?
Trail Snapshot
Trail: The existing Little Econ Trail is 4.6 miles long, paved surface.
Difficulty: Easy/Novice
Outdoor Travels Rating: 2.75 bikes out of 5 for a short distance that has good scenery and varried recreational opportunity. A very enjoyable, if not short ride. If I were rating only trails of less than 5 miles in length, I would give this one a 4 out of 5. Update: Trail now has 10 more miles connecting to UCF and currently is close to connecting to the Cady Way Trail.
Thumbs Up
- Suprisingly "rural" feel to a trail so close to lots of development
- Loads of restaurant choices within an easy biking (or driving) distance from the Goldenrod Road trail head off of SR 50
- Plenty of benches and rest areas
- Scenery and wildlife viewing are nice
- Only one intersection interrupts the trail
Thumbs Down
- Lacks shade over most parts - could be hot during summer
Nuts & Bolts
Facilities: Water fountains spaced along the trail equipped with dog level fountains. More picnic benches and seats per mile than any trail I've ever seen. There are bathrooms and a playground at the soccer complex near the SR 50 trail head. Blanchard Park at the other end has restrooms and playgrounds. There is also a small butterfly garden along the trail.
Goldenrod Road terminus: From I-4 - exit at Colonial Drive/SR 50 (83B), travel 6.4 miles east along SR 50. Trail is on the north side just passed Goldenrod Road.
Blanchard Park terminus: Blanchard Park, 2451 N. Dean Road, Orlando, FL 32817. 1 mile north of east SR 50 (Colonial Drive) on Dean Road.
Additional access: There is also a parking area on Harrel Road and Econlockhatchee Trail, just north of Colonial Drive.
Future: Now connects to UCF to the east and almost to the Cady Way and Cross - Seminole trails to the west.
Contact: 2451 North Dean Road Orlando Fl, 32817 or call (407) 249-4586
