St. Marks Trail– Tallahassee Florida Length: 16 miles (32 total) each way

Coming off an ACL reconstruction, and being miserably (like really pathetic) out of shape, this probably was not a good time to go biking at noon during summer in Tallahassee. Never the less, today’s journey was to St. Marks Trail head, about 4 miles south of Tallahassee. Upon arriving there was adequate parking and alot of friendly bikers around. As I started down the trail I was amazed, it was as if I had completely left the state of Florida. This trail took on the feeling of a Georgian back road, the scenery was beautiful. As far as the actual trail goes, it was very smooth, seems to have been recently repaved.

I started to quickly pick up the theme of the trail, every mile there was a bench, and every 5 miles there was a bathroom. After about mile 7 I had passed enough of these benches and decided to quickly find a good smoke spot, I couldn’t let all the beauty go to waste. Mile 10 was where I had finally found a good place to settle(See Right). A sturdy bench with a back rest, adequate shade, and clear visibility for 500 yards on both sides? This was a toker’s dream bench. I took my time packing my MFLB(Magic Flight Launch Box) it was real nice to just take some time away from the busy life inside the city, just take a few moments to breathe and listen to nature. I listened to “Hey Jude” by Sir Paul McCartney, and when “Lets Go” by Matt and Kim came on, I knew it was time to get going again.

The 10 miles had flown by, and now that I had left Leon County and entered St. Marks, the feel of the whole trail had completely changed. I felt like I was riding through a sun drenched forest, few signs of civilization appeared on the trail save a few farms here and there. The entire trail at this point was in shade from the deep shrubbery, the Tallahassee heat started to fade away and a real breeze took through the path, which for the most part was slightly downhill. If you ever see that one kid, no hands on the bike, both arms flailing in the air dancing to music- well yeah that’s me. After my not so brief vape sesh, my spirits were shot through the roof, my body felt good and was head was throwing its own personal concert. The next 6 miles of the trail was just a blur of green and good times.

Once you reach Mile 16, the trail ends, in what looks like a small waterfront district in the town of St. Marks. Directly in front of me was a wide river, a dock, benches, and a small rocky shore. To the left was a restaurant and what looked to be a small town get together. Live music was blaring through the speakers, so I decided on the quieter shore. Boats slowly drifted by, friendly waves were not in short supply by the friendly townspeople coming to dock up by the restaurant. I had 2 rice krispie treats stashed into my camel back, so they were politely demolished(see right) before I broke out the MFLB for vape sesh number two. The breeze down by the river had really picked up and the vape sesh was truly a beautiful one, this was definitely the best smoke spot I had found in a long while. As beautiful as it was, my face was starting to get a little numb so I decided it was time to throw the ear buds back in and hop back on the trail headed back to my car. “Bump n’ grind” by R.Kelly had someway found its way onto my playlist, and my phone being stuck in my camelback, it remained the song of choice to start my trek slightly uphill for the next 16 miles. Seeing the trail from this perspective was incredible, the entire way down I had been focusing on what was coming up ahead and not really on everything surrounding me. I began to notice so much more beauty and so many more hidden gems along my path. I noted that just passed mile 11 was a sensational smoke spot if I ever decide to trek this trail again. “Next In Line” by Walk The Moon really set the mood and kept me going on to Mile 6(10 miles from the river) where I decided to have the final vape sesh. My spot of choice this time around (bottom) was selected more for the utility of it than anything else. Mile 6 had a bathroom and well….a lot of camel back water later…it was time. Not as comfy as the first bench, but still a gorgeous view, this vape sesh took its time as well. There weren’t many bikers on the trail anymore (maybe 1:15Pm?) and I had the company of a few biting bugs instead of fellow bikers. Another sudden jolt was sent into me when “Alive” by Empire of the Sun came on and I hopped back on my bike to hammer out the last 6 miles. My speed noticeably increased for the next 3 miles, and my arms were in the air dancing for most of them. At this point I was really in my element, my body still felt great and my mind even better. It had been a long while since I had felt so at one with myself. Well at least it felt that way until the hill got noticeably steeper and my out of shape legs decided to give one last triumphant “fuck you” to their owner and I struggled the last 3 miles of the trail.

I arrived back at my car after a beautiful ride, the trail wasn’t the longest(thank god) but I really enjoyed it and will definitely be stopping by here again as I continue my goal of finding the best smoke spots on the best bike trails I can find.

Other Photos from another ride: